Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region III
Division of Bulacan
District of Pandi North
CACARONG BATA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Padre Pio de Pandi Resettlement Project,
Cacarong Bata, Pandi, Bulacan
Contact No. (0917) 143- 6615
e-mail ad: [email protected]
THE IMPACT OF AGE OR SKILL IN ASSESSING KINDERGARTEN READINESS IN
SCHOOL
Chapter 1
Introduction and Rationale
Introduction
It is safe assumption that all parents want to provide the best for their children one of
it is the positive academic experience for their children. When a parents bring their children
in school most of them want a good beginning and also for the teachers. Early educators
and policy makers tend to agree that school readiness is an important goal of early
childhood education (National Education Goals Panel (NEGP), 1997; School Readiness
Indicators Initiative, 2005). What is less agreed upon is what school readiness looks like
and how it should be assessed (Daily, Burkhauser, & Halle, 2012; Justice, Bowles, Pence-
Turnbull, & Skibbe, 2009; Yoon, 2015). Snow (2006) provided a very broad definition of
school readiness as, “the state of child competencies at the time of school entry that are
important for later success” (p. 9).
Part of the difficulty in defining school readiness may be due to a debate in the field
between the importance of academic versus developmental skills in preparing students for
school (Graue, 2009; LaParo & Pianta, 2000). Some assessments of school readiness focus
exclusively on early reading or early math skills, while others focus on physical or social
emotional development (Daily et al., 2012). Early academic assessments tend to be direct
measures, while developmental assessments tend to be observational in nature (Bradbury,
2014; Casbergue, 2011). Yet, research has suggested that a whole child approach, meaning
both academic and developmental skills included, may be the best fit when assessing
school readiness (Daily et al., 2012; Davoudzadeh et al., 2015; Justice et al., 2009; Yoon,
2015). Early childhood curriculum also focuses on preparing the whole child for formal K-
12 schooling, by including reading, math, art, physical education, and social emotional
development (Graue, 2009).
How does a parent or teacher know when a child is ready, or for that matter, not ready
for kindergarten? In practice, the standard guideline that has been provided by schools to
parents for determining readiness is the child’s age. Each state has a cut-off date by which
a child must turn five in order to be enrolled in kindergarten that year.
However, these cut-off dates are not the same across states. Parents of children with
late birthdays often will opt to delay entry, believing such a decision will gain an advantage
for their children, expecting that a child at the older end of the age-range of students in
his/her class will do better than at the younger end. In fact, Stipek (2002) reports that 9%
of all students in her study experienced delayed entry by one year. Yet, at least two research
studies (Graue & DiPerna, 2000; Stipek, 2002) have found that age is not a predictor of
academic success, and actually, there may be long term negative consequences for students
who experience delayed entry into kindergarten.
Graue and DiPerna found that by third grade, there is no measurable academic
advantage to delayed entry and Stipek’s (2002) research concluded that redshirted students
(students whose kindergarten entries were delayed by one year) ultimately have a higher
incidence of dropping out of high school.
Using a whole child perspective is further supported by the context in which school
readiness resides. When examining the historical, theoretical, and political context, there
is a common theme of incorporating all aspects of early child development in the definition
for school readiness.
Significance of the Study
This study is significance to the teachers, parents, and students.
Teachers
This will help the teachers in school to know how to assess kindergarten readiness to
go to school.
Parents
This will help the parents to know on how to ready their children in school in terms of
age or skill.
Students
Therefore, this will be a help to the kindergarten pupils to be school ready.
Statement of the Problem
The general problem of the study is: how may age and skill assess kindergarten
readiness in school. Specifically, this paper attempts the to answer the following specific
problem:
1. How may the profile of respondents may be describe in terms of:
1.1. Age
1.2.Gender
1.3.Educational attainment
2. What skills that could be used as indicators of a child’s readiness to begin
kindergarten?
Hypotheses of the Study
1. Teachers and parent’s knowledge in assessing kindergarten readiness in school.
Definition of Terms
Age: The amount of time during which a person o animal has
lived.
Skill: The ability to do something well.
Kindergarten: A day care service offered to children from age three until
the child starts attending to school.
School Readiness: Means each child enters school ready to engage in and
benefit from early learning experiences that best promote the
child’s success.
Scope and Delimitation
The main purpose of this study is to know the skills that could be used as an
indicator of child’s readiness to begin kindergarten. The study will comprise of teachers
and parents of kindergarten pupils.
Chapter II
Review of Related Literature
This section of the study the presents the review of related literature and studies on
the local and foreign source, which added more relevance and depth of the research
study on the age and skills that indicates kindergarten pupils school readiness.
A student’s level of readiness when starting school is often linked with successful
outcomes later in life (Cunningham & Stanovich, 1997 et., al.) The research of Grissom
(2004), Stipek (2002), Graue and DiPerna (2000), and Crosser (1998) will provide
evidence that delaying school entry and using age as an indicator of readiness does not,
in fact, result in better academic performance, and may even result in long-term
negative academic and social consequences.
Concept of Age
A number of studies have looked at the relationship between age when entering
kindergarten and academic performance, and the conclusions are generally consistent
with only slight variations in perceptions of early academic success. The research of
Grissom (2004), Stipek (2002), and Graue and DiPerna (2000) do not support any
long-term advantage to delayed entry, while Crosser (1998) found delaying entry had
some advantages for boys with summer birthdays.
The purpose of Grissoms’ (2004) research was to examine the relationship between
age of entry into kindergarten and academic achievement. Grissom’s study focused on
the question of whether older students perform better than their younger classmates.
Grissom (2004) proceeded to test the linear relationship between age and
achievement by regressing total reading scores on age in months. The results indicated
that for the age normal students, there is a strong statistical relationship between age
and mean achievement. Grissom concluded that for each additional month of age, the
child’s average total reading score increased by half a point. However, when looking
at the regressed reading scores for retained students, there is a strong negative
statistical relationship between age and achievement. For each additional month of age
for retained students, average total reading scores decreased by one point (Grissom,
2004).
Stipek’s (2002) first analysis of the students in kindergarten, found that the older
kindergartners scored significantly higher than the younger students on reading and
math assessments, but teacher performance ratings showed no difference for the
various groups. As far as student ratings, the only difference among the groups had the
oldest students reporting more positive feelings toward the teacher than the other two
groups. Stipek later compared these students on these same measures when they were
in third grade and the previous academic advantage of the older students in math and
literacy had disappeared, although the student’s teacher ratings were consistent with
prior findings.
School Readiness
A student’s level of readiness when starting school is often linked with successful
outcomes later in life (Cunningham & Stanovich, 1997; et., al.) School readiness is a
broad term, though, without clear distinctions about how it should be assessed in the
schools (Graue, 2006; Snow, 2006; Vernon-Feagans & Blair, 2006). Young children
need to develop a wide set of skills in order to be successful in school (Davoudzadeh,
McTernan, & Grimm, 2015; Justice, Bowles, Pence-Turnbull, & Skibbe, 2009). Yet,
school readiness assessments do not always include a full range of developmental
skills (Daily, Burkhauser, & Halle, 2012; Yoon, 2015).
“Readiness for learning” has sometimes been thought of as the extent to which a
given child possesses the characteristics (i.e., skills, knowledge, and/or dispositions)
required for success in school. From this point of view, younger children who may not
be seen as “ready” for school right away may be more ready if they wait to enter
kindergarten until they demonstrate that they have met certain developmental
milestones. In contrast, a child’s age alone has often been used to determine his or her
“readiness for school”, under the assumption that age indicates the presence of the
characteristics required for success and that schools need to be ready for the children
(as cited in Scott-Little, et al., 2006, Kim, et al., 2005).
More recently, definitions used to try and decide when a child is ready to begin
kindergarten have grown to include areas such as communication abilities, overall
health, and enthusiasm/curiosity for learning, in addition to academic/cognitive skills
and social/emotional development that earlier definitions of readiness already included
(Hair, Halle, Terry-Humen, Lavelle, & Calkins, 2006; Wesley & Buysse, 2003).
Parents’ and educational professionals’ opinions about what constitutes readiness may
vary from one region to the next. As a result, professionals in the field have come to
the consensus that the notion of readiness is complex and relational, depending on a
multitude of factors such as what your geographic location in the country is and
interplay between the school preparing to welcome new students and the
families/communities involved in children’s early care and development (Scott-Little,
et al., 2006, Graue, 2006).
Chapter 3
Research Methodology
This chapter present the method and techniques, population and sample of the
study, instrument of the study and data processing method and techniques used: and
statistical treatment applied.
This study utilized the descriptive survey type of research because this study is
concerned with the description of the present situation, current practices,
characteristics of groups of individuals as well as their behavioral pattern, attitudes and
opinions. The analysis of the present condition may lead to the identification of
weaknesses or problems for which the researcher sought for solutions.
Respondent of the Study
The respondents of the study will be random teachers and parents of kindergarten
pupils in Cacarong Bata, Pandi, Bulacan
Instrument of the Study
The contents of the instrument shall be about the skills that could be used
as indicators of a child’s readiness to begin kindergarten.
Data Gathering Procedure
The mode of data gathering was the questionnaire method. The questionnaire is to
test if the respondents agreed if the skills are needed to prepare kindergarten pupils to
school.
Data Process and Statistical Treatment
Rating Scale
5 4.50-5.00 Strongly Agree
4 3.50-4.49 Agree
3 2.50-3.49 Undecided
2 1.50-2.49 Disagree
1 1.00-1.49 Strongly Disagree
Research Survey
Kindly fill up this form
AGE: _____________ GENDER: Male Female
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT: ______________________________________________
Directions: Listed below is the possible age and skill that could indicate kindergarten readiness
to enter in school. Put check in the box.
SA- Strongly Agree A- Agree D- Disagree SD- Strongly Disagree
ITEMS SA A U D SD
1. Cut-off date in kindergarten must be last day of
December.
2. The age of the child entering kindergarten must be 5
years old / older.
3. Ability to listen/pay attention for 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Respects/gets along with peers.
5. Ability to follow 1 to 3 step directions
6. Demonstrates appropriate classroom behavior (follow
rules; respects teacher)
7. Demonstrates personal responsibility/ability to
communicate personal needs
8. Some print awareness.
9. Can write name.
10. Potty-trained.
11. Can hold a pencil.
12. Can separate from parents.
13. Positive attitude toward school.
14. Can identify the letters (A-Z)
15. Can identify numbers 1 through 10.
16. Can identify colors.
17. Large motor development.
18. Draws identifiable objects.
19. Can identify shapes.
20. Went to a day care center.
