Commenting on the Gesell Institute's response to his original article concerning the Gesell assessments, Dr. Meisels continues to maintain that the Gesell readiness tests lack sufficient proof of validity. (BB)

Responding to Dr. Meisels' article concerning the uses and abuses of the Gesell readiness tests, the Gesell Institute of Child development maintains that the Gesell series of assessments are used by schools to gain a fuller developmental understanding of the child and have been predictive of school success. (BB)

Analyzes the uses and abuses of the Gesell School Readiness Screening Tests and similar tests. First, discusses developmental screening and readiness tests, then focuses on the Gesell tests, specifically addressing their validity and questioning their current uses. Discusses implications of using readiness tests for assigning children to…

Discusses background information, research, and educational implications related to kindergarten readiness. Topics that receive particular attention are testing, placement, and curricular practices and age of entry into school. (BB)

Aims to foster scrupulous use of the "at-risk" label for young children by advocating clarification of the term. Proposes caveats educators should consider before applying the label. Among these are (1) risk is not static; (2) standardized test scores are not effective predictors of risk for young children; and (3) children develop in an…

Presents a statement to the Montgomery County (Maryland) Council concerning the issue of all-day "whole" kindergarten--combining education and child care--for five-year-old children. (BB)