Percentage of first-time kindergartners in fall 1998 who demonstrated specific reading knowledge and skills, by grade level and selected characteristics: 1998–2002

Children’s Skills and Proficiency in Reading and Mathematics Through Grade 3

Table 8-1b. Percentage of first-time kindergartners in fall 1998 who demonstrated specific reading knowledge and skills, by grade level and selected characteristics: 1998–2002—Continued

	Literal inference				Derive meaning				Interpret beyond text
Characteristic	Spring kinder- garten	Spring 1st	Spring 3rd	Difference¹	Spring kinde- rgarten	Spring 1st	Spring 3rd	Difference¹	Spring kinder- garten	Spring 1st	Spring 3rd	Difference¹

Total	0.9	15.5	78.3	77.4	0.2	3.9	46.3	46.1	0.1	2.6	28.9	28.8
Sex
Male	0.9	14.4	75.6	74.7	0.2	3.8	43.1	42.9	0.1	2.5	26.6	26.5
Female	0.9	16.6	81.2	80.3	0.2	4.0	49.5	49.3	0.1	2.6	31.2	31.1
Difference²	#	-2.2	-5.6	-5.6	#	-0.2	-6.4	-6.4	#	-0.1	-4.6	-4.6
Race/ethnicity³
Asian/Pacific Islander	1.9	24.0	82.1	80.2	0.3	6.4	48.0	47.7	0.3	3.9	30.6	30.3
Black	0.1	7.6	63.4	63.3	#	1.3	27.1	27.1	#	1.0	15.4	15.4
White	1.1	18.4	83.6	82.5	0.2	4.8	53.3	53.1	0.2	3.1	33.8	33.6
Other	1.2	11.4	67.1	65.9	0.2	3.5	34.5	34.3	0.1	2.3	21.4	21.3
Hispanic	0.4	11.2	73.8	73.4	0.1	2.2	38.6	38.5	0.1	1.6	23.1	23.0
Family risk factors⁴
Zero	1.2	19.6	85.3	84.1	0.2	5.1	54.3	54.1	0.2	3.3	34.3	34.1
One	0.4	11.4	73.4	73.0	0.1	2.4	39.0	38.9	0.1	1.7	23.6	23.5
Two or more	0.3	5.1	56.8	56.5	#	1.2	23.9	23.9	#	0.9	14.1	14.1
Difference²	0.9	14.5	28.5	27.6	0.2	3.9	30.4	30.2	0.2	2.4	20.2	20.0

# Rounds to zero.
¹ The difference is calculated by subtracting the percentage proficient in spring of kindergarten from the percentage proficient in spring of grade 3.
² The difference is calculated by subtracting the percentage of females who are proficient from the percentage of males and by subtracting the percentage proficient with two or more family risk factors from the percentage proficient with zero family risk factors, respectively.
³ Black includes African American and Pacific Islander includes Native Hawaiian. Race categories exclude Hispanic origin unless specified.
⁴ Family risk factors include living below the federal poverty level, primary home language was non-English, mother’s highest education was less than a high school diploma/GED, and living in single-parent household, as measured in kindergarten. Values range from zero to four. See supplemental note 1 for more information on mother’s education and poverty.
NOTE: Estimates reflect the sample of children assessed in English in all assessment years (approximately 19 percent of Asian children and approximately 30 percent of Hispanic children were not assessed). The assessment was not administered in 2001, when most of the children were in 2nd grade. Although most of the sample was in 3rd grade in 2002, 10 percent were in 2nd grade and 1 percent were enrolled in other grades. See supplemental note 3 for more information on the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998–99 (ECLS–K).
SOURCE: Rathbun, A., and West, J. (2004). From Kindergarten Through Third Grade: Children’s Beginning School Experiences (NCES 2004–007), table A-9 and previously unpublished tabulation (November 2004). Data from U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998 (ECLS–K), Longitudinal Kindergarten-First Grade Public-Use Data File and Third Grade Restricted-Use Data File.

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