Readiness Tests in Elementary School

Background to the Problem

Morrison (2012) reported that less than 50% of children in the grade one age cohort had achieved "mastery in the Grade one Readiness test" in 2007. According to the Vision 2030 Education Sector report, this is a test that all the children at the grade one level should be mastering. The test is intended to provide specific information about competencies and deficiencies so that corrective measures can be taken. The target was that 90% of children should achieved mastery by the year 2030. The 2011 reports stated the national results for 2008 by subject area and the number of children that was proficient. Overall, 46.7% in General Knowledge, 67.1% in Number Concept, 48.2% in Oral Language, 67.6% in Reading and 62% in Writing and Drawing. These are the basics for which less than half the children are proficient in some areas, and no more than two thirds of the children are proficient in others. These statistics reflect that there may be deficiencies in different aspects of students’ listening skills and literacy development. Thus, The Grade One Individual Learning Profile was introduced in 2007/8 which replaced the Grade One Reading Inventory. One of the areas of literacy that may be contributing to students’ poor performance is their underdeveloped listening skills.

These students should receive urgent intervention so that their literacy skills can be enhanced, thus enabling them to make meaningful contributions to society. If this is not done, many of our children may develop negative attitudes towards school, and later become delinquents.

Children have different learning styles and their attention span tends to be very short at different developmental levels for varying reasons. Since we are now in a tec...

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...t does not allow the completion of the hours needed for the intervention. Due to the inflexibility whatever time was given I had to use and it was inadequate. Students were not able to actively engage and the time spent in the classroom was not effective and efficient. The numerous occasions students were absent due to illness and heavy rains. In addition to that there were occasions were the class teacher found it necessary to with hold the children due to her scheduled internal and external assessment and appraisal.

References

Reid, T.(2012,March 11). Struggling students - Some 60 per cent fail Supplemental Grade Four Literacy Test.The Gleaner. http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20120311/lead/lead5.html

Jalongo, M.R.(2010). Listening in early childhood interdisciplinary review of the literature. Retrieved from www.listen.org/Resources/Documents/jalongo.pdf