School Readiness and Academic Achievement in Second Grade
Open Access
Author:
Moore, Julia Elizabeth
Graduate Program:
Human Development and Family Studies
Degree:
Master of Science
Document Type:
Master Thesis
Date of Defense:
None
Committee Members:
Mark T Greenberg, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor Mark T Greenberg, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor Celene E Domitrovich, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
Keywords:
math school readiness reading
Abstract:
Children raised in low-income families experience delays in cognitive and academic performance as of school entry. Evaluations of preschool programs serving children from low-income households have found that attending a quality preschool can improve children’s academic performance. In normative samples, a positive relation has been found between cognitive aspects of school readiness, and later cognitive and academic components of children’s competence in elementary school. The present study examined whether this relation holds true in an at-risk sample of children who attended a combined Head Start and public preschool program. After controlling for primary caregiver education attainment, free/reduced lunch status and gender, both pre-reading and pre-math skills assessed in preschool (age 4) positively predicted children’s cognitive and academic abilities in 2nd grade, measured both by standardized assessments and teacher reports. Analyses of groups who experienced different level of growth illustrate that preschool pre-math and pre-reading abilities predicted group membership, yet demographic characteristics did not.
