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With the start of Term Two at Summerhill Nursery School upon us, we initiate our Optima School Readiness Testing for all our Grade 0s. This assessment was developed by Dr. Susan Le Roux from the University of Pretoria and our trained staff have been using this benchmark for the past 20 years, or so, with great success.
The assessment is divided into 6 sections which gives an accurate reflection on the following developmental milestones:
- Visual Skills
- Auditory Skills
- Spatial and Number Skills
- Social and Emotional Skills
- Fine and Gross Motor Skills
and a Summerhill Test on Phonetic and Math Skills.
For the first 5 sections, each making up 20 marks out of a possible 100.
This test is designed in such a way that the children find it fun to complete and do extremely well, on the whole, as it is developmentally “easy” for them. When children find certain areas challenging, it allows us an opportunity to address these concerns in class and at home, or with remediation, in order to fully prepare them for Grade One. Should a child score below 54, it is suggested they would benefit from another year in Grade 0 (We will inform and meet with these parents during the course of Term Two to assist us going forward). The results of this test forms the Report Card for Term Two.
Our children are ready for these tests and no “studying” is required. Even children who have never attended school are capable of completing this assessment satisfactorily. The more parents stress about the outcome the more anxious the children become which does affect their ability to relax and enjoy the fun we have together.
So as the first official test of Big School, and the one they will most probably enjoy the most, sit back and watch them Shine!!
Rosie
Grade One Readiness Testing for our Grade 0 students
