Scaling adaptive forms for growth tracking in early academic skills

Abstract Objective: This study examined longitudinal associations between performance on the Rey–Osterrieth Complex Figure–Developmental Scoring System (ROCF-DSS) at 8 years of age and academic outcomes at 16 years of age in 133 children with dextro-transposition of the great arteries (d-TGA). Method: The ROCF-DSS was administered at the age of 8 and the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test, First and Second Edition (WIAT/WIAT-II) at the ages of 8 and 16, respectively. ROCF-DSS protocols were classified by Organization (Organized/Disorganized) and Style (Part-oriented/Holistic). Two-way univariate (ROCF-DSS Organization × Style) ANCOVAs were computed with 16-year academic outcomes as the dependent variables and socioeconomic status (SES) as the covariate. Results: The Organization × Style interaction was not statistically significant. However, ROCF-DSS Organization at 8 years was significantly associated with Reading, Math, Associative, and Assembled academic skills at 16 years, with better organization predicting better academic performance. Conclusions: Performance on the ROCF-DSS, a complex visual-spatial problem-solving task, in children with d-TGA can forecast academic performance in both reading and mathematics nearly a decade later. These findings may have implications for identifying risk in children with other medical and neurodevelopmental disorders affecting brain development.

Download Full-text

Nonparental Caregivers, Parents, and Early Academic Achievement Among Children from Latino/a Immigrant Households

Sociological Perspectives ◽

10.1177/0731121419851093 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 62 (6) ◽

pp. 884-906

Author(s):

Lilla K. Pivnick

Keyword(s):

Academic Achievement ◽

Social Capital ◽

Early Childhood ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Birth Cohort ◽

Math Achievement ◽

Academic Skills ◽

Ecological Systems ◽

Regression Analyses ◽

Early Academic Achievement

Drawing on ecological systems and social capital perspectives, this study uses the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Birth Cohort to investigate links between early nonparental caregiver beliefs about early academic skills and children’s math and reading achievement in kindergarten with special attention to the children from Latino/a immigrant households. Regression analyses revealed that nonparental caregiver beliefs were associated with academic achievement at kindergarten entry and that types of alignment or misalignment between nonparental caregiver and parental beliefs were differentially associated with math achievement but not reading. Notably, the association between nonparental caregiver beliefs and children’s academic achievement was more consequential for children from Latino/a immigrant households. Results suggest that having nonparental caregivers with low early academic skills beliefs may be especially detrimental for children from Latino/a immigrant households.

Download Full-text

Childhood Social Skills as Predictors of Middle School Academic Adjustment

The Journal of Early Adolescence ◽

10.1177/0272431615624566 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 37 (6) ◽

pp. 825-851 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Gordon Emmett Hall ◽

James Clyde DiPerna

Keyword(s):

Middle School ◽

Academic Achievement ◽

Social Skills ◽

Academic Adjustment ◽

Approaches To Learning ◽

Academic Skills ◽

Fifth Grade ◽

Eighth Grade ◽

Achievement Data ◽

Kindergarten Class

The present study used multiple regression analyses to examine the relationships between fifth-grade social skills and eighth-grade academic achievement. Data were drawn from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten Class of 1998-1999 (ECLS-K). Results indicated no relationship between positive or negative social behavior in fifth grade and academic achievement or teacher-rated academic skills in eighth grade. However, consistent with previous studies, fifth-grade approaches to learning were found to be positive predictors of both academic achievement and teacher-rated academic skills in eighth grade. In addition, these results suggest that socioeconomic status plays a significant and potentially unexplored avenue for understanding these outcomes. These results further illuminate the way behaviors in elementary school relate to academic adjustment to middle school.

Download Full-text