Kindergarten screenings in New York state: Tests, purposes, and recommendations

Abstract

Three hundred and fifty-nine school districts in New York State were surveyed about tests that they used in kindergarten screenings, the purposes of the screenings, and recommendations made based on the screening results. The 260 respondents (a 72% return) indicated tremendous variability in response to all three questions. Thirty- four different tests were used in the screenings. The main purposes of the screenings were to identify handicapped and gifted students, group students in kindergarten classes, make school readiness placements, and plan and individualize instruction. Recommendations based on the screening results included referrals for further evaluation and multiple levels of placement decisions. Based on these results, it seems that tests are being used for purposes for which they were not designed. The need to avoid making placement recommendations based on the results of a screening test, as is often done with extra-year school readiness programs, is emphasized.