Language, Reading and Mathematics

Background Research findings suggest that there may be some academic benefits for those children whose kindergarten enrollment is delayed, and the risk of underachievement seems to be greater for children who are younger when they first enter kindergarten. Although kindergarten enrollment occurs naturally, certain child, family, and childcare factors will likely influence parents’ decisions concerning when to enroll their children in kindergarten. Age-of entry studies have often neglected assignment bias results from those preenrollment factors. In addition, prior research has defined children's relative age outside of the immediate environment, as opposed to conceptualizing relative age within the context where children actually learn. Purpose This study examined the relationship between early, on-time, or delayed kindergarten enrollment and children's mathematics and reading achievement from kindergarten through third grade. We predicted that the degree to which delayed, on-time, or early enrollment influences children's reading and mathematics achievement depends on those preenrollment factors that potentially create assignment biases and the relative age of each child to his or her classmates. Research Design The study used the Early Childhood Longtudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-1999 (ECLS:K). A propensity score stratification model was used to adjust for sample assignment bias resulting from the preenrollment factors. Then, a cross-classified random effects model was applied. Results Results showed that certain child and family characteristics and parents’ perceptions about school readiness were related to when children first enter kindergarten. After controlling for demographic characteristics and propensity scores resulting from pre-enrollment factors, on average, at the beginning of kindergarten, children whose kindergarten enrollment was delayed had the highest scores in reading and mathematics, followed by children who entered kindergarten on time. Yet, in third grade, these differences were negligible. However, children in the delayed group who were also relatively older than their peers outperformed the other groups in third-grade mathematics. Conclusions The results suggest that the academic success or failure of children whose kindergarten enrollment is delayed, early, or on time depends on sociodemographic factors as well as the ages of the children in the same class (e.g., child's age relative to his or her classmates). Policy discussions about age of kindergarten entry or changing cutoff dates should include consideration of factors that influence parental decision making, as well as a child's age relative to his or her classmates.

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Educational Late Effects in Long-Term Survivors of Childhood Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.81.1.127 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 81 (1) ◽

pp. 127-133

Author(s):

Virginia C. Peckham ◽

Anna T. Meadows ◽

Nettie Bartel ◽

Osvaldo Marrero

Keyword(s):

Parental Support ◽

Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia ◽

School Achievement ◽

Chemotherapeutic Agents ◽

Lymphocytic Leukemia ◽

Intrathecal Methotrexate ◽

And Mathematics ◽

Long Term Survivors ◽

Reading And Mathematics

Records of levels of school achievement in long-term survivors of childhood acute lymphocytic leukemia were obtained for 23 children who had received 2,400-rad cranial irradiation and intrathecal methotrexate and standard chemotherapeutic agents 8 to 10 years previously. The children had been evaluated with standardized tests of intelligence at the time of diagnosis and periodically thereafter. Declines in IQ and cognitive dysfunctions have been previously described. School placements, educational histories, attendance records, learning strengths and weaknesses, social/emotional adjustments, and grade level achievements in reading and mathematics as measured by standardized achievement tests are reported here. Children achieved less than the expected levels in both reading and mathematics given both pretreatment and most recent IQ scores. Neither sex nor initial IQ were related to achievement scores. Children experienced difficulty with attention/concentration, memory, sequencing, and comprehension when performing school tasks. Individual children showed different degrees of dysfunction, but results of this study suggest that there are patterns of specific learning disabilities rather than global retardation. A small number of children achieved greater than expected levels, indicating that individualized instruction, tutoring, and parental support may reduce some learning deficits. Early educational intervention is recommended for similarly treated patients.

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