[aruanan]

Since schools are starting to teach whole-word memorization instead of phonics, many kindergardeners will fail this test.

Other way around. Schools are leaving the whole-word memorization approach (that was a very 70's thing) and placing a renewed emphasis on phonics.

[goodwithagun]

You must not be very familiar with eduction. “Experts” are paid handsomely (from our hard work) to reinvent the wheel every few years. The phonics phase is so 1990’s and whole-word memorization is back. The only trend that public education will not return to is the classical trivium method. That’s because it works.