Kindergarten Assessment Is Not a "Test"

I am trying to obtain information regarding what my daughter will need to know for the kindergarten assessment this fall. When I asked her current preschool teacher, the answer was, "Don't worry; she is ready." I wasn't satisfied with that answer, so I went over to the local public elementary school where all the testing is done. The person I talked to said the only thing my daughter needed to do was to meet the age criteria.
I have also visited the school's Web site, but it is very hard to understand. Do you have any ideas about how I can prepare my child for the upcoming assessment? -- Very Anxious
Answer: Relax! You have the reassurance of your daughter's preschool teacher that your child is ready for kindergarten. This assessment is not to decide if your daughter can or cannot enter the public kindergarten. Meeting the age criteria seems to be all that is necessary. The assessment test will give the educators a picture of what your daughter and the other entering students already know so the proper curriculum can be planned. More importantly, the assessment will discover if any of the students have significant weaknesses that need to be addressed right away so learning can occur.
What's on the assessment test is not as important as having your child feel comfortable about the testing situation. This is not going to happen if you are continually trying to find out the specific test questions so you can drill your daughter on them. What would be nice to know is how the test will be administered so you can tell your child what to expect.