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Pre‐first placements: How common and how informed?
Author(s) -
May Deborah C.,
Kundert Deborah K.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
psychology in the schools
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1520-6807
pISSN - 0033-3085
DOI - 10.1002/1520-6807(199304)30:2<161::aid-pits2310300208>3.0.co;2-q
Subject(s) - psychology , medical education , mathematics education , medicine
Three hundred fifty‐nine school districts in New York State were surveyed to determine whether they offered pre‐first/transition classes for children identified as unready for first grade and, if they did, what information was used to make this placement decision. Fifty‐seven percent of the 260 respondents (a 72% return) indicated that they had pre‐first classes in their districts. Although great variability existed in the information reported to be used to make placement decisions for the pre‐first programs, all districts reported using teacher recommendations. While no district used only standardized tests to determine the placement, those tests that were used were generally not designed for placement decisions and were more typically designed for screening. Cautions about the use of pre–first classes and the ways placement decisions are made for them are discussed.