Dealing with Readiness Tests

My child has to take a kindergarten-readiness assessment before she will be allowed to sign up for kindergarten. How should I help her to prepare for this test? I definitely want her to get a good score. -- Testing
Answer: To be honest, you should not feel obliged to prepare your child for this test, because there is usually very little at stake. For the most part, kindergarten-readiness tests are used to identify children who may need special instruction and to individualize kindergarten instruction. Only 25 percent or less of all school districts use these tests to recommend that a child's entry into kindergarten be delayed. You can easily find out the purpose of this readiness test by contacting the school.
You can, of course, go online and look for kindergarten-readiness tests if you want to see what they are like. As far as preparation goes, you could make sure that your child can print his or her name and identify most of the letters of the alphabet. And do be sure to describe the testing situation to the child so he or she will feel comfortable on test day.