On the surface, it appears that it should be quite simple to identify the characteristics of a child who is ready for school and then to assess whether or not any given child has these characteristics. But readiness is a difficult construct and one that has been the topic of great debate. Assessment of readiness is even more challenging. Policies such as Goals 2000, and more recently No Child Left Behind (2001), have contributed to bringing the issues of school readiness and assessment of school readiness to the forefront. A variety of concerns surround the topic of assessing school readiness. These include (1) the ability of educators, parents, administrators, and policy makers to articulate an agreed upon definition of readiness; (2) coming to an understanding and agreement on appropriate and ethical methods of assessing readiness; and (3) agreement as to how the information gained will be used. In this article, the author provides an overview of the issues surrounding the assessment of school readiness.