The website I chose it PrekNow: A Campaign of the Pew Center on the States. The web link is www.preknow.org
The main focus of this website is to inform everyone the importance of Prekindergarten and how investing early is the best way to go. Children who attend Prek are more likely to be ready for Kindergarten and are less likely to repeat a grade. The website offers information for parents and educators. I did subscribe to their newsletter and the most current issue that is being discussed is The Race to the Top. Many people are concerned that creating assessments for such young children is unhealthy since Prekindergarten is supposed to be a hands-on and holistic learning experience. The assessments are not paper/pencil, but based more on observations. The assessments are designed so teachers can enhance individual students learning experience and will not be used as a reward or punishment in any way. Even if students do not perform up to expectations they will not be denied entrance into Kindergarten.
This website has been very helpful to me because the county that I teach in is piloting these assessments in the upcoming school year. No one has provided teachers with any information, so I feel that I know have somewhat of an understanding of how the assessments are going to work.
4 comments:
Thanks Beth for sharing your site. As an elementary special education teacher, working mostly with K-2, I am truly interested in this issue. I will definitely add this to my resources.
Thank you for your website. It was very helpful to me and it will be a benefit to my staff. I can also add this site to the many resources i already have, once agin thanks.
This sounds like a great site! I wish I would have known about it last year when I had preschool. I do think assessing at this young age is detrimental, but as long as the information is only used to help the students and not hold them back, then I can't see why parents would complain. Since it is only by observation, the child is not aware and therefore no additional stress is put on them.
I too, enjoyed my international studies during our class. I now have a buddy as a result of this class. We are now friends on facebook. Good luck with the rest of your studies
Audrey Winters
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