What scares me is that the idiots giving the test are the ones teaching Kindergarten!
I know exactly what you mean! It is these sort of tactics and attitudes that makes so many parents choose homeschooling.
I disagree with alienating parents from these sorts of situations. When you are dealing with pre-K children it can do more harm than good to not allow a parent's presence. Plain and simply, new people can be scary for kids this age.
I'm glad that the mother wrote a letter to the editor. Chris, I encourage you to do the same. If parents will speak out and show their discouragement it may change the way things are done.
A great example is that there was a school system from another state visiting to see how our school start times have improved the system. We went to early start times for elementary children a few years ago. The k-5 kids start catching buses at 6:30am and school starts at 7:30. When the parents of the visiting school system found out they launched a campaign to show their displeasure. It worked. That school system scrapped the early start times. Now it was a small district but the parents still made a difference. Perhaps if enough parents speak out about the way their preschoolers are being treated it might make a difference in the way things are done.
I know that I would not want my son, who is heading to kindergarten next fall, to have a teacher like the one you're dealing with. He's shy and sensitive and a super sweet boy who would not do well with people like that.
It's essential that the kindergarten teachers get them off on the right foot. Kindergarten and first grade can and often do set the tone and attitudes towards school permanently.
Perhaps scheduling a conference before school begins with the prospective teacher would help to get things off on a better start.