It seemed very weird to me, and the expectations are skewed.
Examples:
Five years old: "Identifies beginning consonant/vowel sounds, Recites the alphabet."
Followed by:
"Can write own name/address"
If a five-year-old is only expected to be able to say the alphabet and identify beginning word sounds, expecting her to write her address is a stretch. Plus, some kids will live at 16582 Quaker Hill Boulevard in Gillespie Township, while others will live at 5 West Way in Bend. So the difficulty of this question varies according to a random factor, making it meaningless as a measure.
Nursery rhymes: can what happens really happens? This question is subjective. I mean, sure, I could shove my kid's cradle into the top of my plum tree and wait for the wind to blow it down, right? But surely, no one would ever do that, right?! But what about weirdos? Another meaningless question.
A six-year-old is only expected to read "m-o-m," yet a five-year-old should be able to write her address?
Alternatively, many vocabulary words seem to be ridiculously below level (breakfast, school, and children at age 8??).
A few of the nine-year computational math problems overlap in complexity with the eight-year problems.
Plus, "What comes before and after the number 23?" seems trivially simple for an eight-year-old.
I could go on and on about holes in this test. Overall, it seems highly achievement-based and hothouse-oriented. Plus, it contains questions in which random factors influence outcomes.
Okay, can anyone tell that I spend time picking things like this apart? I actually get paid for this kind of work.
Val
