Fall Of Kindergarten Research Articles

Investigating if high-quality kindergarten teachers sustain the pre-K boost to children's emergent literacy skill development in North Carolina.

This study tested the hypothesis that high-quality kindergarten teachers sustain and amplify the skill development of children who participated in North Carolina's NC Pre-K program during the previous year, compared to matched non-participants (N = 17,330; 42% African American, 40% Non-Hispanic White, 15% Hispanic; 51% male; Mage = 4.5 years at fall of pre-K). Kindergarten teacher quality was measured using a "value-added" approach. NC Pre-K participants outperformed non-participants in the fall of kindergarten (β = .22) and 11% of this boost remained evident by the spring of kindergarten. Higher value-added teachers promoted the skill development of all children (β = .30 in the spring) but did not differentially benefit the skill development of former NC Pre-K participants compared to non-participants.

Peer experiences in the preschool classroom: Contribution to children's academic development

The present study examined the relations between two aspects of peer experiences in preschool classrooms and children's math and literacy development during kindergarten transition. Based on the theoretical framework of classroom ecology model, peer experiences were represented by classroom social network and teachers' grouping preferences. The outcomes included standardized math and literacy assessments collected from three time-points, fall of preschool, spring of preschool and fall of kindergarten. The analytical sample included 367 children recruited from 47 preschool classrooms located in two large school districts. Children completed peer-nomination tasks to characterize the classroom social network and teachers completed questionnaires to describe their grouping preferences. We conducted a multilevel longitudinal model to estimate the effects of classroom-level predictors on the trajectories of skill growth. We found that indices of classroom social network – density and centralization – were significantly associated with math and literacy development: more dense classrooms positively predicted math and literacy development whereas more centralized classrooms negatively predicted math and literacy development. Teachers' attention to children's skill levels in creating grouping structure was positively associated with math and literacy development. These findings indicate that young children's peer experiences are potentially important indicators of classroom quality, as they are associated with children's academic development over the course of preschool year into kindergarten transition.

Longitudinal relations between behavioral engagement and academic achievement: The moderating roles of socio-economic status and early achievement

This study investigated developmental trajectories of observationally coded engagement across the early elementary years and whether these trajectories were associated with children's academic achievement. Furthermore, we evaluated if these relations varied as a function of children's family socio-economic status and early reading and math skills. Data were collected from 301 children who were studied from kindergarten (Mage = 65.74 months; 49% boys) to 2nd grade. Children's behavioral engagement was observed in kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade. Reading and math skills were assessed via standardized tests in kindergarten and 2nd grade. Growth mixture models identified two classes of behavioral engagement: most children (87.0%) displayed relatively high behavioral engagement in the fall of kindergarten and decreased significantly across time (referred to below as high-decreasing class), and other children (13.0%) exhibited moderate behavioral engagement in the fall of kindergarten that was stable across time (referred to below as moderate-stable class). After controlling for academic skills in kindergarten and demographic variables (i.e., child age, sex, ethnicity, and family socio-economic status), children in the high-decreasing class displayed higher reading skills, but not math skills, than children in the moderate-stable class. Additional analyses revealed that differences in reading skills between the two classes were present only for children from low socio-economic status families or for children low in kindergarten reading skills. The findings suggest that economically or academically at-risk students might benefit more than their peers from high behavioral engagement.

Differences between pre-k and kindergarten contexts and achievement across the kindergarten transition

Experiencing large differences between pre-k and kindergarten classroom contexts may affect children's academic development as they start school. This study examined differences between classroom contexts in pre-k and kindergarten (teacher-child interactions, time on academic content, and academic rigor) and associations with literacy, language, and math achievement in kindergarten fall and spring. 1498 children were followed from public pre-k through kindergarten (mean age = 52.8 months old at the start of pre-k, SD = 3.5). Children were ethnically and linguistically diverse (White = 7%, Black = 20%, Hispanic = 61%, Other = 12%; English at home = 21%, Spanish at home = 55%; other language at home = 24%). Piecewise growth modeling showed that experiencing a decrease in the quality of interactions or an increase in time on content or academic rigor was associated with lower than expected achievement in the fall of kindergarten but greater gains across the kindergarten year.

Differences between Pre-K and Kindergarten classroom experiences: do they predict children's social-emotional skills and self-regulation across the transition to kindergarten?

Continuity of pre-k and kindergarten classroom experiences is a key area of interest for early childhood researchers interested in supporting public pre-k children's development over time. To advance the empirical evidence on this topic, this study examined whether differences in classroom experiences as children transition from pre-k to kindergarten are associated with kindergarten social-emotional and self-regulation skills among low-income, race- and language-diverse public pre-k children. Children attending public pre-K were assessed in the spring of pre-k and fall and spring of kindergarten on a range of social-emotional and self-regulation skills (N = 1,358; 67.1 months old (SD = 3.6) in kindergarten; 50% male; 60% Hispanic and/or Latine, 17% Black, 10% White, 13% other). Classroom experiences (teacher-child interactions, teacher-child closeness, and the amount of time spent in teacher-structured activities) were assessed using observations and teacher reports in both grade levels. Regression models adjusted for kindergarten nesting indicated that decreases in teacher-child closeness and the quality of teacher-child interactions were associated with children's lower social competence, learning behaviors, and inhibition in the fall of kindergarten, relative to spring of pre-k. There were limited associations with child gains from fall to spring. Results suggest that differences between pre-k and kindergarten academic and social environments may be difficult for children as they adjust to kindergarten. Findings are discussed in terms of the implications for efforts to align classroom experiences across grades.

Examining transactional relations between behavioral self-regulation and social-emotional functioning during the transition to kindergarten.

The present study examined longitudinal associations between behavioral self-regulation and social-emotional functioning across four waves of measurement during the transition from preschool to kindergarten in a low-income sample. Participants included two cohorts of children (N = 558; 51% male). Children in both cohorts were 4 years old (Cohort 1: M = 4.82 years, SD = .31; Cohort 2: M = 4.80 years, SD = .31). Forty-four percent of children were Black, 32% were White, 13% were Latino, 10% were Multiracial, and 1% were Asian. Monthly income ranged from $0-5,539 (M = $1,508.18, SD = $892.92). Two statistical methods were used to examine relations among constructs. The cross-lagged panel model revealed a mixed pattern of relations between behavioral self-regulation and two indicators of social-emotional functioning (social skills and behavior problems) over time. There were no significant relations among behavioral self-regulation and social-emotional functioning during the preschool year; however, evidence for bidirectional associations were found between the spring of preschool and the fall of kindergarten. There were no significant relations among behavioral self-regulation and behavior problems at any time point. Finally, there were bidirectional relations among social skills and behavior problems in preschool, but directional relations emerged after this time point. A second model that included random intercepts was also run with the cross-lagged paths. Results from this model indicated that the random intercepts between behavioral self-regulation, social skills, and behavior problems were significantly related. Implications for future research are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Examining Additive and Synergistic Relations Between Preschool Self-Regulation and Executive Function Skills: Predictions to Academic Outcomes.

In the present study, we examined the extent to which teacher-rated self-regulation and directly assessed executive function skills were independently, additively, or synergistically related to academic achievement during the transition to kindergarten. The sample included 126 children (42% female; Mage = 4.73 years) from families with low incomes who participated in a larger evaluation of state-funded preschool. Regression models with children nested in their respective preschool classrooms investigated main effects and moderated effects of teacher-rated self-regulation skills manifested in preschool classroom behaviors and cognitive executive function skills assessed through direct assessments on math, literacy, and vocabulary in the spring of preschool and in the fall of kindergarten. Results revealed independent but not additive relations between executive function and math in the spring of preschool and self-regulation and literacy in the fall of kindergarten. One significant interaction emerged providing evidence for synergistic relations between teacher-rated self-regulation and directly assessed executive function for literacy at both timepoints across the transition to kindergarten. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.

Latent profiles of vocabulary and domain knowledge and their relation to listening comprehension in kindergarten

BackgroundVocabulary and domain knowledge are important factors that influence comprehension development. However, these factors have most frequently been examined in relation to reading comprehension and much less frequently examined in relation to listening comprehension. Moreover, almost no empirical studies have examined profiles of strengths and weaknesses in vocabulary and domain knowledge in students at the beginning of schooling. In the current study, we investigated different profiles (groups) of students regarding receptive and expressive vocabulary and science and social studies domain knowledge in the fall of kindergarten, as well as relations between the profiles and listening comprehension development throughout kindergarten.MethodWe analysed data collected from 629 kindergarten students living in two large urban districts in the United States by conducting a series of latent profile and chi‐square analyses.ResultsLatent profile analysis identified three groups of students that displayed distinct patterns of achievement in vocabulary and domain knowledge, namely, students whose scores on the four measures were below average (−1.6 standard deviations [SD]), average (−0.2 SD) and above average (0.8 SD). There was no group of students who displayed unbalanced achievement in vocabulary and domain knowledge at the beginning of schooling. In addition, statistically significant differences in listening comprehension development during kindergarten were observed for all pairwise comparisons across the groups.ConclusionThe findings appear to indicate that students can acquire vocabulary to the extent that they develop domain knowledge and vice versa. The commensurate achievement might be due to mutually enhancing relations between vocabulary and domain knowledge. Moderate to large effect sizes on listening comprehension development when comparing the groups suggest the importance of supporting vocabulary and domain knowledge from the early grades.

Behavioral Self-Regulation as a Protective Factor for Children at Risk of Reading Failure: Predicting First-Grade Reading from Kindergarten Entry Assessment (KEA) Data

ABSTRACT Research Findings: This study used data from a large-scale kindergarten entry assessment (KEA) to understand how well two state screening measures, administered at school entry, predicted the first-grade reading outcomes of a large sample of first-time kindergarteners (N=5,480) at high risk for future reading failure. We examined young children’s emergent literacy and behavioral self-regulation skills in the fall of kindergarten in relation to decoding skills in the spring of first grade. We also explored whether behavioral self-regulation moderated the effect of emergent literacy on first-grade reading outcomes. Consistent with prior research, results of multilevel regression models revealed that scalable measures of emergent literacy and behavioral self-regulation, assessed via a multidimensional KEA, positively predicted literacy outcomes in first grade, with a stronger association for emergent literacy. Additionally, school-entry behavioral self-regulation moderated the effect of children’s initial emergent literacy skills on first-grade decoding, such that stronger than average behavioral self-regulation partially compensated for weak emergent literacy at school entry. Practice or Policy: Findings underscore the importance of screening young children on both academic and non-academic domains of school readiness and of seeking to understand children’s risk of reading failure from multiple perspectives.

Enrollment in public-prekindergarten and school readiness skills at kindergarten entry: Differential associations by home language, income, and program characteristics

The present study examined differences in school readiness skills in the fall of kindergarten between pre-K attendees and non-attenders (n = 2581) among children in a large, diverse county. Also considered was the extent to which skills associated with pre-K enrollment varied as a function of children’s background characteristics and features of their pre-K program. Results revealed pre-K attenders demonstrated better academic and executive function skills in the first months of kindergarten than non-attenders; no consistent differences were detected for teachers’ reports of children’s socioemotional adjustment. Differences in academic skills and self-regulation associated with attendance in pre-K were largest for dual language learners and children from the lowest-income families. Children enrolled in private pre-K programs demonstrated less optimal socioemotional skills at kindergarten entry.

The Role of Home Literacy Practices in Kindergarten Children’s Early Writing Development: A One-Year Longitudinal Study

ABSTRACT Research Findings: Home literacy practices are an important variable in the development of literacy skills among children. However, several questions regarding the relationship between home literacy practices and writing are unanswered. The objective of this correlational study is to examine the relationship between reading-related and writing-related home practices and children’s writing development. Participants included 282 kindergarten children and their parents in the South and Midwest United States. Each child completed an identical battery of direct writing assessments in the fall and the spring of kindergarten. Information concerning home literacy practices was obtained through a questionnaire completed by parents during the fall of kindergarten. Multilevel model analyzes were conducted. Three major findings are reported: (1) independent reading significantly predicted children’s fall letter writing, spelling, and composition skills as well as their spring spelling skills after controlling for their fall skills and family SES, (2) independent writing significantly predicted children’s fall letter writing and spelling skills after controlling for family SES, and (3) the other home practices did not contribute to any fall or spring writing outcome. Practice for policy: These findings highlight the importance of independent practices related to reading and writing at home in improving children’s writing.

Growth on sublexical fluency progress monitoring measures in early kindergarten and relations to word reading acquisition

Fluency with skills that operate below the word level (i.e., sublexical), such as phonemic awareness and alphabetic knowledge, may ease the acquisition of decoding skills (Ritchey & Speece, 2006). Measures of sublexical fluency such as phoneme segmentation fluency (PSF), letter naming fluency (LNF), and letter sound fluency (LSF) are widely available for monitoring kindergarten reading progress, but less is known about the relative importance of growth in each skill across the early months of formal reading instruction and their relation to subsequent decoding acquisition. With a sample of kindergarten students at risk for reading difficulties, this study investigated the extent to which initial status and growth in PSF, LNF, and LSF, administered on a progress-monitoring basis during the fall of kindergarten, were differentially predictive of word reading fluency skills at mid-year and growth across the second half the school year. We used two different fluency-based progress monitoring measures of word reading across the spring, one consisting entirely of phonetically regular consonant-vowel-consonant words, and the other that included phonetically regular and irregular words that varied in length. Results indicated that although initial status and fall growth in all sublexical fluency measures were positively associated with subsequent word reading, LSF across the fall of kindergarten was the strongest overall predictor of mid-year level and growth on both word reading measures, and unique in its prediction over the effects of LNF and PSF. Results underscore the importance of letter-sound knowledge for word reading development, and provide additional evidence for LSF as a key index of progress for at-risk learners across the early months of formal reading instruction.

Temporal Pattern of Co-Development of Internalizing and Externalizing Problem Behaviors: An Application of Bivariate Mixed-Effects Models.

Although previous research has shown that internalizing and externalizing behavior problems often co-occur, the relationship between the developmental trajectories of these two types of behavior problems is understudied. The co-occurring evolutions of developmental trajectories of two behaviors has two components: 1) the correlation between the slopes of two behavior profiles (termed the association of the evolutions); and 2) the marginal correlation of two development trajectory profiles, which is the development of correlation between internalizing and externalizing behavior over time (termed the evolution of the association). The association of the evolutions and the evolution of the association have not been fully explored in the context of the development of internalizing and externalizing behavior problems among kindergarteners in the United States. The random-effects approach for joint modeling of multivariate longitudinal profiles was used to evaluate the co-development and its temporal pattern of internalizing and externalizing behavior problems on a nationally representative sample of 9791 kindergarteners from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K). There was a moderate positive association between the evolutions of the two behavior problems with correlation coefficient of 0.319. The evolution of association between the two behaviors was increasing over time with the correlation coefficient from 0.195 at the Fall of kindergarten to 0.291 by the time of fifth grade in general. Race and age groups act differently on the evolution of association. The associations were getting stronger for the Asian group and older groups than their peer groups. This investigation of the association of evolutions and the evolution of association between the internalizing and externalizing behaviors show that the two problem behaviors reciprocally reinforce each other and lead to increases in the other in a moderate strength and the strength is increasing over time.

Estimating the Relationship Between Preschool Attendance and Kindergarten Science Achievement: Implications for Early Science Achievement Gaps

Recent evidence demonstrates that disparities by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status in science achievement are present in the earliest grades of school. Preschool represents one potential policy solution; however, little research has explored the relationship between preschool attendance and science outcomes. This study examines whether preschool participation may improve science outcomes overall and reduce science achievement gaps by race/ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status. Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study of 2011, this study uses school and classroom fixed effects models with a robust set of controls to estimate the relationship between preschool attendance and early science outcomes. Results suggest that attending preschool is predictive of higher teacher-rated science ability in the fall of kindergarten but that preschool is not predictive of higher science achievement in the spring of kindergarten. The relationship is not found to consistently differ by student race, socioeconomic status, or gender, though descriptive results demonstrate that subgroups have different patterns of preschool attendance. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.

Longitudinal relationship between early academic achievement and executive function: Mediating role of approaches to learning

For effective promotion of children’s learning and academic achievement, it is important to understand the role of and relationship between children’s cognitive and affective characteristics in their learning and academic achievement. The current study applied latent growth curve modeling to examine trajectories of children’s reading and math achievement, executive function (EF), and approaches to learning (ATLs) from kindergarten year to first grade. We also examined whether and the extent to which the initial levels and growth rate of EF and ATLs independently predicted the initial level and growth rate of reading and math achievement and whether the initial level and the growth rate of ATLs mediate in the relationships between EF and academic achievement. Results from a nationally representative and longitudinal sample of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort of 2011 indicated that children’s levels of reading and math achievement, EF, and ATLs significantly differ in the fall of kindergarten. Significant variances in rates of change of main variables over time suggest that some children showed faster increases than others in some variables, while others may have even shown decreases over time. Children with a higher level and faster growth rate in EF and ATLs showed a faster rate of change in reading and math achievement. Last, EF trajectories influence academic achievement trajectories directly and indirectly through ATL trajectories. Given that this study found an important role of children’s ATLs in academic achievement, we need to promote effective teaching practices and curricula to support students’ ATLs at each grade level in classrooms and schools, with particular attention to at-risk children.

Latino children’s academic and behavioral trajectories in early elementary school: Examining home language differences within preschool types

The present study examined early academic, social, and behavioral trajectories from kindergarten to third grade for Latino children from English- or Spanish-speaking homes who experienced public pre-k, Head Start, private center care, or no preschool experience. Using a nationally representative sample of Latino children (N = 3650) from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten 2010–2011 cohort (ECLS-K:2011), associations of home language and preschool experience were examined for trajectories of reading and math achievement, social skills, and externalizing behavior problems. At kindergarten entry, Latino children from English-speaking households attained higher scores in reading and math than children from Spanish-speaking families across public pre-k, Head Start, and no preschool groups. However, these early home language differences greatly diminished by third grade. In contrast, for Latino children who attended private center-based care, home language comparisons were nonsignificant for early reading skills in the fall of kindergarten. By third grade, home language differences were evident among the Latino children who attended private centers, such that children from English-speaking homes scored significantly higher in reading than children from Spanish-speaking homes. Few home language differences were detected in social or behavioral skill ratings at fall of kindergarten or in trajectories within preschool types. Nonetheless, home language differences in externalizing problems grew by third grade among Latino children who had attended Head Start, such that children from English-speaking homes received higher behavior problem ratings from teachers than peers from Spanish-speaking homes.

Longitudinal Analysis of Early Mathematics Learning

AbstractThe trend in mathematics achievement from preschool to kindergarten is studied with a longitudinal growth item response theory model. The three measurement occasions included the spring of preschool and the spring and fall of kindergarten. The growth trend was nonlinear, with a steep drop between spring of preschool and fall of kindergarten. The modeling results provide validation for the argument that a classroom assessment in mathematics can be used to assess developmental skill levels that are consistent with a theory of early mathematics acquisition. The statistical model employed enables an effective illustration of overall gains and individual variability. Implications of the summer loss are discussed as well as model limitations.

Multiple child care arrangements and school readiness in kindergarten

Nationally, nearly one in five children younger than age 5 experiences multiple, concurrent child care arrangements. Yet, it remains unclear whether the use of multiple arrangements contributes to school readiness at kindergarten-entry, or whether these associations vary by the timing of multiple arrangements and the type(s) of care used. Using nationally-representative data (N=6450), this study estimated associations between experiencing multiple arrangements at ages 9 months, 2 years, and 4 years and children’s school readiness in the fall of kindergarten. It also examined whether these associations depend on the type(s) of care combined. Results from OLS and propensity score weighted regression models suggest that multiple arrangements are associated with positive, neutral, or negative school readiness outcomes depending on both the timing and the type(s) of care used.

Effects of a school readiness intervention on hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis functioning and school adjustment for children in foster care.

Maltreated children in foster care are at high risk for dysregulated hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis functioning and educational difficulties. The present study examined the effects of a short-term school readiness intervention on HPA axis functioning in response to the start of kindergarten, a critical transition marking entry to formal schooling, and whether altered HPA axis functioning influenced children's school adjustment. Compared to a foster care comparison group, children in the intervention group showed a steeper diurnal cortisol slope on the first day of school, a pattern previously observed among nonmaltreated children. A steeper first day of school diurnal cortisol slope predicted teacher ratings of better school adjustment (i.e., academic performance, appropriate classroom behaviors, and engagement in learning) in the fall of kindergarten. Furthermore, the children's HPA axis response to the start of school mediated the effect of the intervention on school adjustment. These findings support the potential for ameliorative effects of interventions targeting critical transitional periods, such as the transition of formal schooling. This school readiness intervention appears to influence stress neurobiology, which in turn facilitates positive engagement with the school environment and better school adjustment in children who have experienced significant early adversity.

Short-Term Intervention Effects of the PATHS Curriculum in Young Low-Income Children: Capitalizing on Plasticity.

Deficits in behavioral and cognitive regulation are prevalent in children reared in poverty relative to more affluent children due to the effects of adverse conditions on the developmental underpinnings of these skills. Despite evidence to suggest that these emergent processes are susceptible to environmental inputs, research documenting short-term intervention program influences on these regulatory domains in young impoverished children is limited. We sought to determine the proximal effects of a universal school-based intervention (the PATHS Curriculum) on social, emotional, relational, and cognitive outcomes in urban poor kindergarten children. Four schools in high-poverty neighborhoods with similar demographic characteristics were randomly assigned to either PATHS or an attentional control. Teacher-reported measures of behavior (e.g., attention, concentration, aggression), peer nominations (e.g., likability, aggression, acceptance), and tasks gauging inhibitory control were administered in the fall of kindergarten and again in the spring after one academic year (about 6months) of PATHS. Children who received PATHS exhibited significantly greater improvements than control students across all teacher-rated behavioral measures of social competence (i.e., emotion regulation, prosocial behavior, peer relations) and behavioral problems (i.e., aggression, internalizing behaviors, impulsivity and hyperactivity) at post-test as well as improvements in motor inhibition. This line of research constitutes an important frontier for prevention research given the implications for improving ultimate outcomes for otherwise disadvantaged children.