Each year, Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) informs policymakers and practitioners of what children know and are able to do when they start formal education in kindergarten. This report provides a profile of children's skill levels as they enter school based on the evaluation of their teachers. It includes valuable trend data about…

The author explains that readiness measures should collect data about pupil's entering behavior for instructional objectives or programs, that the criterion of relevance in entering behavior must be met, and that problems arise when there is no consensus on prerequisite entering behavior. (Author/CL)

The current trend of hurrying a child's development, as evidenced by the popularity of disposable pants for toilet training, is criticized. The pants frustrate both parents and children and, it is concluded, serve no useful purpose in the toilet-learning process. (LB)

The impact which standardized mathematics tests have upon classroom instruction--content, sequence, pacing--is explored, and harmful consequences are discussed. Four suggestions are offered for enabling teachers to minimize "teaching for the tests" and to present a mathematics curriculum appropriate for their particular students. (DG)

Suggests mathematics readiness activities that teachers and parents can use with preschoolers: comparing shapes and sizes; counting; and learning quantitative concepts such as "less" and "more." (SJL)

Each year, the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) informs policymakers and practitioners of what children know and are able to do when they start formal education in kindergarten. This report, which is unique in its kind nationally, provides a profile of children's skill levels as they enter school based on the evaluation of their…

The place of kindergarteners in academia has grown more important in recent years. Increased emphasis on learning at the kindergarten level, however, should not blind educators to the developmental levels of four- and five-year-olds, who may learn most effectively by playing creatively and exploring new language skills. (PGD)

It is argued that acculturation, anomie, social distance, and perceived social distance rather than biological factors define a critical period independent of the age of the learner for second language acquisition. Suggestions for planning instructional strategies and selecting materials based on this hypothesis are given. (PMJ)

This book explores the educational mission of teachers. Based mainly on opinion and anecdotal evidence--yet supported by some research--this book calls on teachers and parents to look beyond the old myths about what a good school is and instead focus on facilitating intellectual, ethical, and aesthetic growth in students and in themselves. The…

Originally written near the beginning of the "new math" movement, this article reflects on the role of student discovery, intuition, mathematics as an analytic language, and the problem of student readiness. (MKR)

Diekhoff argues that you must teach trainees how to learn. He recommends pretraining in learning strategies, including self-pacing, concentration, and reading comprehension. (CT)

A new approach to teaching the division of common fractions is described. The approach is related to the multiplication operation and involves children working with concrete materials. (MK)

Cooking activities are suggested for students not yet ready for the first grade as a method of increasing readiness, promoting social interaction, improving language skills, and enhancing self-image. Four recipes and the skills each develops are offered. (MT)

Kindergarten stresses the readiness factor for learning. This paper first lists 10 things which kindergarten students have experienced in developing readiness for first grade. The paper then discusses 10 things that teachers can do to approach teaching reading in the kindergarten classroom. Finally, it considers additional assistance to aid…

This 8-item test is intended to help adult basic education teachers obtain a quick assessment of the prereading skills that their beginning adult readers have already mastered. The individual items of the test are designed to assess the following: ability to write one's own name; left-to-right orientation; perceptual hearing; sound-letter and…