Should kids have to take a maturity test to get into kindergarten? Tennessee legislators seem to think so. They think some young whippersnappers are trying to get into kindergarten too young. So they've introduced a new bill that pushes the cut-off birth date for kindergarten earlier. Kids who aren't yet 5 by August 31 next fall will have to take a maturity test to get into kindergarten. The kindergarten cut-off date was September 30.
Now a lot of people are saying this is just about money. About 4,200 kids will be affected if this bill passes. But that maturity test? Sounds like a loophole to me. A loophole asking for trouble.
How on earth do you test for maturity? What are the standards? Out of diapers? No nose picking? Saying please and thank you without being prompted? Not crying when your parents drop you off at school? Is there a wiggles-per-minute rate?
What if your child just happens to be having a bad day on the day of the test? And if your child doesn't test well, can you appeal?
I guess I understand why they created this testing loophole -- parents are going to be pissed at this new cut-off date change. There are kids who have already been in preschool and want to move on with their peers.
But if they introduce a maturity test, there will be arguments over the standards, appeals by parents who don't agree with the results -- it just opens up another set of problems. There's a similar law in Oregon, and I'm curious about how well those maturity tests are working there. Maybe there really are almost-5-year-olds who are so obviously immature it's not a close call?
How would you feel if your child had to take a maturity test to get into kindergarten?
Image via matsber/Flickr
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Comments 18
For cripes sake! My daughter was 6 when she started kindergarten because the cut off date was in August and her birthday was in November. She was in all day kindergarten and gained a lot from it. She actually became a reader in Kindergarten, reading at the 1st grade level.
I don't know. I thought all schools performed some sort of testing on all Kindergarteners....but I just registered my oldest son (who is 5 in late Sept). I am not holding him back and I think it would be a big disservice to him to do so. He's more mature than 6 year olds that I know....
Upon registering, they didn't test him at all! I was actually a little shocked but OK. My main concern with Caden is that he doesnt' deal with with immature kids (the wrost sorts). I wonder how they will accomodate him when he's bored in thier class :/
As an educator myself, I see firsthand what happens when parents push their kids in too early. It is hard being the youngest child in the room, and they tend to get picked on. And "maturity" has nothing to do with manners and everything to do with their development. Are they showing more signs of a preschooler's development or an elementary schooler's? A preschool development in a kindergarten class of more mature children usually means that child is going to have a hard time understanding concepts, making the same fine motor gains, making the same academic gains, and can often mean they will be behind socially. That's not to say that all children who are younger will be this way, but I think it's a good idea.
Nothing surprises me these days. Instead let's give the teacher's a common sense, or are you a pedophile test.
I think it's a great idea.I don't think 4 year olds should be in kindergarten at all.I waited til my kids were 5 even though one of them made the cut-off date.I worked in my kids kindergarten classes and it was always the 4 year olds that were crying and falling asleep at their desk.These kids still needed a nap.A lot of those same kids ended up getting held back later on.Too many parents think of kindergarten as free daycare.It's better to wait until they are 5.My opinion about this became a lot stronger after I spent everyday with these kids.