A Parent-Teacher Joint Assessment of the Entering and Exiting Kindergarten Child - 1972-76.

The Parent Teacher Kindergarten Student Assessment instrument (PTKSA) described here was developed over a 4-year period and used extensively at each stage of its revision, with the goal of evolving a feasible and sensitive pre-primary pupil profile or early childhood education inventory. Intended for use by both parents and teachers at the beginning and end of the kindergarten year, the PTKSA is presented as a vehicle for meaningful home-school interaction early in a child's school life. The items are described as developmental and easily observed in a home or school setting. The basic idea involves: (1) parents making judgments about their own child at home, (2) the teacher making independent judgments on the same items at school, and (3) parent and teacher reviewing these judgments together and planning accordingly. A sample is given, involving 243 pupils and 11 teachers, of eight items from the 28-item PTKSA. Items are from four categories: (1) Use of Symbols (counting, reading words, time-awareness); (2) Motor Skills; (3) Language Development; and (4) Behavior (cooperation, consideration for others, choice-making). Also presented are correlations between PTKSA and other test instruments, including the Boehm Test of Basic Concepts, used in the formal assessment procedure by the school district in which PTKSA has been developed. (BF)