The effects of age and demographic variables on kindergarten literacy and mathematics achievement.

摘要

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of age at kindergarten entry on literacy and mathematics achievement. Additionally, the effects of socio-demographic factors on literacy and mathematics achievement in kindergarten were also examined. Archival data was used for this study, which included district-created and Common Core aligned literacy and mathematics assessments. Results indicated that neither age at kindergarten entry nor gender had significant effects on literacy achievement at any point in the school year. Race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status yielded significant effects on literacy measures with socio-economic status showing the greatest impact. The differences appeared to decrease by the end of the school year compared to the beginning, indicating that any demographic differences that did exist began to diminish as the year went on. When exploring math scores, the percentage of students achieving mastery differed among racial groups, ethnicities, and socio-economic status. Interestingly, younger students entered kindergarten with higher math skills; however, by the end of the year there were no apparent age differences.