Children without family risk factors, such as poverty, experienced a larger gain in reading and mathematics mean scale scores than their peers from the start of kindergarten through 3rd grade.

The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998–99 collects information on a cohort of children who began kindergarten in fall 1998 and follows them through spring 2004, when most will have completed grade 5. The study assesses children’s achievement in reading, mathematics, and general knowledge as they progress through school. From fall 1998 through the end of 3rd grade in spring 2002, children’s average reading scale score increased 81 points, from 27 to 108. The corresponding increase in mathematics was 63 points, from a scale score of 22 in fall 1998 to 85 in spring 2002¹ (see table 8-1).

The number of family risk factors (household below poverty level, non-English primary home language, mother’s highest education less than a high school diploma/GED, and single-parent household) is negatively associated with children’s achievement gains in reading and mathematics. As the number of family risk factors increased, children experienced smaller gains from the start of kindergarten through the end of 3rd grade in both subject areas. For example, children with no family risk factors had an average gain of 84 points in reading, compared with a 73-point gain among children with 2 or more family risk factors (NCES 2004–007).

Also, Black children demonstrated smaller gains in reading and mathematics than White, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander children. Multivariate analysis shows the same patterns of differences after accounting for differences in the number of family risk factors as well as other selected characteristics (i.e., sex, kindergarten program type, and types of schools attended) (NCES 2004–007, p. 20). While race/ethnicity is related to the number of family risk factors (Zill and West 2001, p. 18), after accounting for the factors examined here, race/ethnicity and the number of family risk factors are independently related to children’s gains in reading and mathematics.

At the start of kindergarten in both reading and mathematics, Black children had lower mean achievement scores than other racial/ethnic groups, and children with family risk factors had lower achievement scores than their peers with fewer risk factors. These achievement gaps grew wider from the start of kindergarten in fall 1998 to the end of 3rd grade in spring 2002.

¹The fall kindergarten to spring 3rd-grade reading scale gains ranged from 16 to 125 points, with a mean of 81 points and a standard deviation of 16.8 points, and the mathematics scale gains ranged from 17 to 104 points, with a mean of 63 points and a standard deviation of 13.7 points. (back to text)