The
policies that were criticized were those that increased attention to academic outcomes at the expense of children's exploration, discovery, and play; methods that focused on large group activities and completion of one - dimensional worksheets and workbooks in place of actual engagement with concrete objects and naturally occurring experiences of the world; and
directives that emphasized the use of group - administered, computer - scored, multiple - choice achievement tests in order to determine a child's starting place in school rather than assessments that rely on
active child engagement, teacher judgment, and clinical opinion.