What does "readiness" for school really mean?

School readiness is about children's ability to adjust to the demands of school. Beyond basic abilities and knowledge in language and math, children need broader underlying cognitive, social and emotional skills and the capacity to continue to learn and gain understanding. They must be able to interact with others positively, pay attention, remember lessons taught, follow a teacher's directions, finish tasks, and practice independently what they have learned. They must be able to control their emotions, and they must be persistent even when learning seems tough.

Children's readiness for school also depends on their physical health. Children cannot learn well if they eat poorly, cannot see the blackboard because of vision problems, or cannot hear what the teacher says because they have undiagnosed hearing problems. Some skills and abilities developed at early age enhance a child's capacity to succeed throughout the school years; the ability to plan ahead, for example, is important when children start being assigned long-term projects.