FAQs

1. For what age is Kindergarten Test Study System (KTSS) intended?

KTSS prepares children ages 4 - 5 to take the OLSAT (Otis-Lennon School Ability Test) for placement
in kindergarten or first grade programs. KTSS was made specifically for OLSAT test preparation.

KTSS is also good preparation for ERB testing (i.e., tests such as a Wechsler scale or Stanford-Binet
administered by the Educational Records Bureau) or GATE testing because the six skills covered in
KTSS are also prominent on these tests. The types of thinking assessed by all these tests are similar
and so the preparation need not be substantially different.

To meet the varying developmental needs of children this age, every question in KTSS can be tailored to
be somewhat difficult or significantly easier by using the cues that appear in boxes. Children will learn
the same important concepts, regardless of whether they are able to answer the difficult versions of the
questions or whether they require additional help.

2. Is it necessary to prepare my child for testing?

No. Without any preparation a child can perform extremely well. Test preparation is not necessary, but
it may be useful. KTSS can prevent children from being held back from giving their best performance
due to lack of familiarity with key critical thinking skills or due to lack of persistence when confronting
difficult material. Although preparation may be useful, no amount of preparation will make a child with
average-range ability appear to have superior ability.

There is some opinion that no preparation should be done because it invalidates the results of testing.
This, however, does not result from proper preparation, but happens when children are given actual test
material, or material that is so purposefully similar to test material, that test results are meaningless.

3. When is the best time to start using KTSS to prepare for testing?

Preparation should begin 2 weeks to 2 months prior to the test date. Each of the six study sessions
takes about 30-45 minutes, and the practice test takes about 30-45 minutes as well.

You shouldn't worry about starting KTSS too far in advance, because skills learned in KTSS will be
reinforced (not lost) with intervening experiences, and also because the practice test, which reinforces
skills already learned, can be given just before the test date.

4. Does my child need to be able to read to take the OLSAT?

No. Reading ability is not assumed or required for the versions of the tests that are used to assess
children entering kindergarten. Similarly, KTSS assumes no reading ability.

6. Is my child at a disadvantage if he is a "young 4" (e.g., will turn 4 in
December) when compared with "older 4's" (e.g., turned 4 last January and
soon will be turning 5)?

This is an understandable concern, because at this age, a year can make a big difference in a child's
cognitive development. However, the OLSAT, and most other tests administered to young children, have
extensive normative data, and the normative groups are based on age in MONTHS, not years. A child
who is 4 years and 0 months can be placed in a different normative group than a child who is 4 years
and 11 months. In other words, children are compared with others who are very close in age.

Because children of different ages with different levels of cognitive development prepare for these tests,
KTSS can be tailored to meet the needs of children in varying stages of cognitive development.

7. How do you help a child to persist? My child gives up easily.

We all have trouble persisting when things get difficult. Studies show that, for children, persistence on
tests can be increased by the type of feedback an adult gives a child while they're working through a
challenging problem. The typical things that parents may say to encourage their child (e.g., "that's right"
"you're doing so well") are nice but they don't encourage persistence. The adult's script in KTSS is very
specific in giving feedback that's been found to encourage persistence and optimize test perfomance
(e.g., "you're sticking with it").

(FAQs answered by the author of KTSS, Robin MacFarlane Ph.D.)
If you have a question about KTSS that's not addressed here, please email the author at
Robin@Kindergarten-Test.com