Kindergarten Reading Achievement Research Articles

Cognitive Predictors of Kindergarten Achievement in African American Children.

Three aspects of cognition (fluid intelligence, executive functioning, and crystallized intelligence) in pre-K were examined as predictors of math and reading achievement in kindergarten among an economically diverse sample of 198 African American children. From a variable-centered perspective, confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the three aspects of cognition can be distinguished. Subsequent regression analyses indicated that only executive functioning and crystallized intelligence predicted math and reading achievement in kindergarten. From a person-centered perspective, three profiles of cognition were identified: low fluid and crystallized intelligence with average executive functioning, average abilities in all three areas, and high abilities in all three areas, but particularly higher in executive functioning. Children with low fluid and crystallized intelligence during pre-K had the lowest math and reading skills in kindergarten, whereas children with the highest cognitive skills had the highest math and reading skills in kindergarten. Together, the variable-centered and person-centered results suggest that perhaps there should be increased focus on crystallized intelligence in early education programs, policies, and interventions in addition to a focus on executive functioning.

Nonparental Caregivers, Parents, and Early Academic Achievement Among Children from Latino/a Immigrant Households

Drawing on ecological systems and social capital perspectives, this study uses the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Birth Cohort to investigate links between early nonparental caregiver beliefs about early academic skills and children’s math and reading achievement in kindergarten with special attention to the children from Latino/a immigrant households. Regression analyses revealed that nonparental caregiver beliefs were associated with academic achievement at kindergarten entry and that types of alignment or misalignment between nonparental caregiver and parental beliefs were differentially associated with math achievement but not reading. Notably, the association between nonparental caregiver beliefs and children’s academic achievement was more consequential for children from Latino/a immigrant households. Results suggest that having nonparental caregivers with low early academic skills beliefs may be especially detrimental for children from Latino/a immigrant households.

The Development of Reading Skills in Kindergarten Influence of Parental Beliefs About School Readiness, Family Activities, and Children’s Attitudes to School

Children’s early home learning experiences are important influences on children’s adjustment and achievement in the early years of school. This study explores the relationships between parental beliefs about school readiness, family engagement in home learning activities, on children’s attitudes to school as reported by parents, and children’s reading achievement in kindergarten. The analyses draw on data from 3309 children who participated in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study of Kindergartners. The analyses use structural equation modeling to test the influence of parent and family influences, including sociodemographic variables on children’s attitudes to school and children’s reading achievement in the kindergarten year. Analyses revealed that parents’ readiness beliefs and family activities were significantly related to children’s reading skills. Family activities were related to children’s attitudes about school, but these attitudes were not related to the development of reading skills. The findings suggest that higher engagement in shared parent–child activities may be an important focus in intentional efforts aimed at enhancing early reading achievement. Early childhood educators and other family practitioners can encourage parents to participate in home activities with their children because these activities encourage language interactions which are important to the development of children’s literacy.

Teacher Outreach Efforts and Reading Achievement in Kindergarten

To estimate the overall relationship between teachers' outreach efforts and the reading achievement of diverse kindergartners over the school year, multilevel modeling techniques were applied using a large sample of kindergarten students. The results showed that in schools with greater outreach efforts by teachers, there were sharper gains in the reading scores of students with low initial reading ability and students who frequently read outside of school. Minority students with low initial reading ability did not show much gain in schools where teachers engaged more in outreach. These findings demonstrate that teacher outreach efforts, student minority status, and reading outside of school were related to kindergartners' gains in reading skills, and distinguished the reading skills students carry with them to elementary school. Implications and methodological issues for future study are also addressed.

Poverty, Race, and Parental Involvement During the Transition to Elementary School

Using multilevel models of data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study—Kindergarten Cohort ( N = 20,356), the authors find that parental involvement in education partially mediates the association between family poverty and children’s math and reading achievement in kindergarten, but differences exist across race. In Asian families, poor and nonpoor children have similar levels of achievement. Poverty is not related to Black children’s participation in organized activities, but these activities are not associated with Black children’s achievement. Home-learning activities predict reading achievement in Hispanic families only. The findings provide support for application of the family process model to educational outcomes during the transition to elementary school and underscore the need to examine developmental models across racial subsets of the population.

Assessing children's development using parents' reports. The Child Development Inventory.

The Child Development Inventory (CDI), completed by parents at home, assesses the development of social, self-help, motor, language, letter and number skills, and presence of symptoms and behavior problems of children between the ages of 15 months and 5 years. The results provide the pediatrician with a profile of the child's development, problems, and strengths, and are an aid to comprehensive assessment. CDI norms and validity were determined for a community sample of 568 children. The CDI developmental scales correlate closely with age (r = 0.84). CDI results identified all the normative group children who were enrolled in early childhood/special education (N = 26) and correlated with academic achievement for children in kindergarten (N = 132). CDI scales correlated with reading achievement in kindergarten as follows: general development 0.69, letters 0.56, language comprehensive 0.42, expressive language 0.36, and self-help 0.35. Thus, the CDI provides a useful measure of children's development and, because of its reliance on parental reports, offers an effective approach to developmental assessment in the busy pediatric practice.