School readiness is one of the bigger topics in early learning today. But, it turns out only seven states actually assess students when they start school to get an idea of statewide trends, a new report found.

Still, all 50 states have guidelines on what kids should know when they enter school, the report adds. So, why do assessment tests matter?

The answer is the achievement gap – the academic divide between too many at-risk students and other students – remains a persistent challenge, one that quality early learning programs are trying to narrow and eventually help eliminate.

One study found that the average cognitive scores of our nation’s most affluent children are 60 percent higher than those of our poorest children before they enter kindergarten.4 Furthermore, low-income children are more likely to attend lower-quality schools, making it unlikely that these gaps can be closed later through schooling alone. – “A Review of School Readiness Practices in the States: Early Learning Guidelines and Assessments.” Early Childhood Highlights, Child Trends, 6/17/10. (See brief for footnotes.)

Overall, the issue brief examines the state of school readiness efforts and what should be considered when conducting assessments. It is not only about reading, writing and arithmetic, as many teachers and researchers know. Social-emotional and behavioral skills are important.

And students are not the only group that needs to be ready for school. Schools and families also need to be ready, the brief suggests.

“Statewide school readiness assessments help policymakers monitor how “ready for school” children are over time.  But without high-quality services for at-risk children during the early years, and schools that are ready to receive children from diverse backgrounds and with varying needs, it is likely we will continue to see wide variation in children’s school readiness skills upon entering kindergarten,” Dr. Tamara Halle, author of the brief, said in a statement.

Quality Progress: The excellent EarlyStories blog has a good and quick review of efforts to improve quality in early learning programs, “In some states, quality issues step to head of the class.” (EarlyStories has a new Internet address, so you may want to update your bookmark.)

Check it out.