The effects of developmental placement on young children's cognitive and social‐emotional development

The relationship between developmental placement as a result of preschool and kindergarten developmental testing and children's later cognitive achievement and social‐emotional growth was examined. Two hundred twenty‐three children were coded as Traditional, Overplaced, or “Buy a Year” depending on their scores on the Gesell Screening Test and the subsequent school placement. Their performancs on the full Gesell Developmental Test, 3rd grade New York State PEP Tests in reading and math, the Otis Lennon Mental Ability Test, and the Stanford Achievement Test (SAT) were compared. Those children who scored as immature on the Gesell Screening Test and who were retained a year according to the Gesell Developmental Placement Program, had the lowest scores on all measures even though they were almost a year older than the other two groups of children at the time of the PEP and SAT testing. In addition, referrals for special services and counselling were examined and there were no significant differences between the number of children referred from each Gesell status group in many areas, although more BAY children were referred to adaptive motor or resource programs. Other school related factors are also examined. Implications of this study on developmental placement are discussed.