School Readiness and Readiness Tests for Children are critical to ensure that your child gets the best start in their education. It is always exciting for parents when their child starts school. "Will my child adapt to school easily? Will he/she have problems at school? Will he/she learn to read and write on time?" are among the first questions that come to mind.
Even if the child has received pre-school education, it is in the first grade that the child has the first and most important experiences related to education, training and school. School maturity is when a child reaches a certain level physically, mentally, socially and emotionally and is able to fulfill the behaviors expected of him/her at school. Just because a child is able to learn to read and write does not mean that he/she has reached school maturity.
At this point, questions such as "What is the appropriate age to start school? Can my child start school before the age of 6?". According to the practice of the Ministry of National Education, children who are 5 years and 9 months old at the time of starting school today are eligible to start 1st grade. Children between the ages of 5 years 6 months and 5 years 9 months can be postponed to the following year with a petition if the family wishes. So, is it enough to know the child's chronological age to start school? Of course, determining the developmental level of children is much more important than chronological age.
Developmental Assessment Methods
There are many different methods and tools that can be used to determine the developmental level of children. These methods help to assess children's physical, mental, social and emotional development to determine whether they are ready to start school. Developmental assessments reveal children's strengths and weaknesses and provide important information to provide the support they need.
- Agte (Developmental Inventory) / Denver (Developmental Test),
- Frostig (Visual Perception Test) - Ages 4 and up,
- Porteus (Test of Mental Development),
- L. DÜSS (Psychoanalytic Stories Test-Personality Assessment) / McHO-WER personality test,
- Peabody/Receptive Language Test,
- OKHT (School Readiness Test) (suitable for kindergarten),
- Metropolitan School Readiness Test.
Computerized Neuropsychological Assessment Tests
- COGNITRONE (Attention and Concentration Scale),
- SPM Standard Progressive Matrices (Logical Thinking Scale),
- DAUF Continuous Attention Test,
- NVLT- Nonverbal Learning Test (Nonverbal Learning Scale),
- T.O.V.A.
The tests used are auxiliary tools to determine the child's mental, social and emotional developmental characteristics. Parents who wish to have their children evaluated for school readiness should first consult a child and adolescent psychiatrist. By evaluating the child physically, psychiatrically and neurologically and performing the necessary tests, accurate information can be provided to the family.
