Gesell testing for kindergarten readiness? - Page 2

[Freeman]

I should also add that when we applied to another school, he was tested using a more academic type test with analogies, etc. (I can't remember the name of the test.) He did really well on the test, and the school pronounced him "ready for kindergarten" based on the results. My point is that I don't find the Gesell test to be absolutely determinative of whether the child will do well in school. That said, if he hadn't been so far ahead academically, I might have given the Gesell test more weight. As I recall, the main issues the Gesell tester noted were talkativeness and pencil grip. Talkativeness will always be an issue with my very extroverted ds, I suspect. As far as the pencil grip, it didn't seem to me to be a good enough reason not to start kindergarten. IMO, you have to take academic readiness into account. Die-hard Gesell test fans will tell you that developmental readiness is more important than academic readiness, but it has to be balanced, IMO. If you have a kindergartner who already knows the "end of the year" K skills and wants to start school, why is it necessarily a better idea not to start school? Good luck to all of you going through the process!

[jackieomy]

Most schools use the Dial/Gessell etc.. entrance exams as ways to see where your child stands among other testers and a WPPSI (psychological/IQ), I am an administrator for a private school and have been giving the Dial for over 7 years.  It makes no sense to just show up and take the test without having worked at least a few practice tests. Your child may know the material inside out and backwards that you taught at home like the alphabet, numbers, colors, concepts, physical/spacial relations etc.. but if the test format confuses your child or makes them feel uncomfortable, they will not do as well as they potentially could. If your child is applying to a competitive school, an excellent test score might be one of the deciding factors in his/her favor.

An app called Smarty Test Prep (Apple store) spells it out for a parent to help the child with a piece by piece practice test otherwise you have to try and get the material from a teacher you know really well or pay in the thousands of dollars to buy the tests from the developers.