Standardized testing is a hot issue on the local education scene. A growing number of Columbus parents are concerned that too much time and effort is dedicated in schools to standardized tests.
In the midst of the controversy, researchers at The Ohio State University have announced the findings of a study that indicates at least one standardized test seems pretty useful: the KRA-L (Kindergarten Readiness Assessment –Literacy).
The study tracked students at Columbus City Schools. As the name implies, the KRA-L is given to kindergarteners. It takes only ten to fifteen minutes of a child’s time and asks that the child perform exercises such as identifying a letter of the alphabet or producing a word that rhymes with a target word.
The interesting thing about the KRA-L is that it’s deadly accurate in predicting whether a child will pass the third grade reading test. According to the study, children whose scores range at the high end (24 to 29 points) are eight times more likely to pass the third grade reading proficiency test than those who score at the low end (0 to 13 points).
That’s not to say that a low KRA-L score seals a child’s fate. While the project did not track the pre-school history of subjects completing the KRA-L, co-author Laura Justice points out that there are things a school system can do to help children with with low KRA-L scores, “There are many, many evidence-based options for districts to use to intervene for children in grades k-3 who are struggling with reading.”
Justice continues, “The key is to identify those (k-3 programs) with a strong evidence base and ensure it is implemented with integrity.”
Sadly, the KRA-L is about to become a thing of the past, as next year the state of Ohio will replace the test with the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment. Whether the new test will be able to identify children in need of help with equal accuracy, has not been determined.
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