Table 121.

Children's reading, mathematics, and fine motor scale scores at kindergarten entry, by age of child and selected characteristics: 2006-07 and 2007-08

Age and selected characteristic	Number of children (in thousands)		Percentage distri- bution o children		Average early reading scale score1		Average mathematics scale score2		Fine motor score3
1	2		3		4		5		6
Less than 5 years old (less than 60 months)
Total	65	(10.5)	100.0	(†)	35.0	(1.96)	38.3	(1.35)	2.0	(0.18)
Sex of child
Male	37	(8.0)	57.0	(7.08)	37.9	(2.96)	39.8	(2.09)	2.1	(0.32)
Female	28	(6.0)	43.0	(7.08)	31.1	(2.57)	36.2	(1.98)	1.9	(0.20)
5 to 6 years old
Total	3,192	(28.7)	100.0	(†)	42.8	(0.36)	43.2	(0.24)	2.6	(0.03)
Sex of child
Male	1,605	(21.3)	50.3	(0.43)	41.6	(0.45)	42.8	(0.31)	2.5	(0.03)
Female	1,587	(18.4)	49.7	(0.43)	44.0	(0.42)	43.5	(0.27)	2.7	(0.04)
Race/ethnicity of child
White	1,680	(31.9)	52.8	(0.80)	45.1	(0.47)	45.5	(0.30)	2.7	(0.04)
Black	447	(14.3)	14.0	(0.43)	40.2	(0.57)	39.8	(0.48)	2.4	(0.05)
Hispanic	813	(17.8)	25.5	(0.52)	38.4	(0.59)	39.6	(0.42)	2.5	(0.05)
Asian	88	(4.5)	2.8	(0.15)	51.4	(0.80)	48.2	(0.45)	3.2	(0.05)
Pacific Islander	‡	(†)	0.2	(0.06)	‡	(†)	‡	(†)	‡	(†)
American Indian/Alaska Native	15	(1.8)	0.5	(0.05)	36.2	(1.68)	36.2	(2.36)	2.1	(0.23)
Two or more races	134	(12.3)	4.2	(0.39)	43.9	(1.50)	43.7	(0.90)	2.6	(0.10)
Primary type of nonparental care arrangement prior to kindergarten entry4
No regular nonparental arrangement	551	(22.5)	17.3	(0.72)	38.6	(0.70)	40.2	(0.53)	2.4	(0.06)
Home-based care
Relative care5	382	(23.1)	12.0	(0.70)	39.4	(0.77)	41.1	(0.55)	2.4	(0.07)
Nonrelative care6	200	(14.3)	6.3	(0.46)	43.8	(1.19)	45.4	(0.82)	2.7	(0.10)
Head Start	436	(28.0)	13.7	(0.86)	38.7	(0.72)	40.1	(0.50)	2.4	(0.06)
Other center-based care7	1,565	(32.9)	49.1	(0.89)	46.2	(0.42)	45.3	(0.27)	2.7	(0.03)
Multiple arrangements8	54	(8.3)	1.7	(0.26)	41.5	(1.58)	42.1	(1.23)	2.5	(0.20)
Mother's employment status
Full-time (35 hours or more)	1,366	(29.1)	43.1	(0.76)	43.7	(0.42)	43.6	(0.25)	2.6	(0.03)
Part-time (less than 35 hours)	594	(27.5)	18.8	(0.86)	44.6	(0.67)	45.3	(0.41)	2.7	(0.05)
Looking for work	172	(13.0)	5.4	(0.40)	36.2	(1.21)	38.3	(0.94)	2.4	(0.10)
Not in labor force	1,001	(29.2)	31.6	(0.91)	41.8	(0.50)	42.2	(0.38)	2.5	(0.04)
No mother in household	34	(5.8)	1.1	(0.18)	42.8	(2.30)	44.5	(1.87)	2.5	(0.20)
Parents' highest level of education
Less than high school	345	(15.9)	10.8	(0.47)	33.7	(0.83)	36.8	(0.59)	2.3	(0.09)
High school completion	793	(26.3)	24.9	(0.80)	38.7	(0.57)	40.0	(0.42)	2.3	(0.05)
Some college/vocational	992	(27.3)	31.1	(0.80)	42.2	(0.54)	42.6	(0.36)	2.6	(0.05)
Bachelor's degree	533	(20.2)	16.7	(0.64)	47.9	(0.53)	46.9	(0.43)	2.8	(0.06)
Any graduate education	524	(16.7)	16.4	(0.49)	51.0	(0.56)	49.4	(0.36)	3.0	(0.04)
Primary home language9
English	2,571	(28.4)	80.9	(0.69)	43.6	(0.41)	43.8	(0.26)	2.6	(0.03)
Non-English	605	(23.6)	19.1	(0.69)	39.3	(0.66)	40.5	(0.43)	2.7	(0.05)
Poverty status10
Below poverty threshold	774	(26.8)	24.3	(0.82)	36.3	(0.51)	38.3	(0.39)	2.3	(0.05)
At or above poverty threshold	2,417	(34.8)	75.7	(0.82)	44.8	(0.38)	44.7	(0.23)	2.7	(0.03)
Socioeconomic status in 200411
Lowest 20 percent	643	(22.0)	20.2	(0.65)	35.0	(0.66)	37.7	(0.47)	2.2	(0.06)
Middle 60 percent	1,924	(34.5)	60.3	(0.93)	42.7	(0.43)	42.9	(0.28)	2.6	(0.03)
Highest 20 percent	624	(20.9)	19.5	(0.65)	51.2	(0.52)	49.5	(0.33)	3.0	(0.04)
More than 6 years old (73 months or older)
Total	640	(29.1)	100.0	(†)	50.4	(0.64)	48.9	(0.49)	2.8	(0.06)
Sex of child
Male	352	(20.2)	54.9	(1.87)	49.6	(0.89)	48.8	(0.66)	2.7	(0.08)
Female	288	(17.6)	45.1	(1.87)	51.4	(0.82)	48.9	(0.57)	2.9	(0.06)
Socioeconomic status in 200411
Lowest 20 percent	111	(12.8)	17.4	(1.80)	43.2	(2.05)	42.5	(1.20)	2.5	(0.13)
Middle 60 percent	392	(24.1)	61.2	(2.08)	49.5	(0.60)	48.5	(0.52)	2.8	(0.07)
Highest 20 percent	137	(11.4)	21.5	(1.78)	58.7	(1.11)	54.9	(0.72)	3.1	(0.11)

†Not applicable.

‡Reporting standards not met.

1 Reflects performance on language and literacy items (e.g., conventions of print, letter recognition, understanding of letter-sound relationships, phonological awareness, sight word recognition, and understanding words in the context of simple sentences). Potential score ranges from 0 to 85.

2 Includes number sense, geometry, counting, operations, and patterns. Potential score ranges from 0 to 71.

3 Measures the ability to use fine motor skills in drawing basic forms and shapes. Potential score ranges from 0 to 4.

4 The type of nonparental care in which the child spent the most hours.

5 Care provided in the child's home or in another private home by a relative (excluding parents).

6 Care provided in the child's home or in another private home by a person unrelated to the child.

7 Care provided in places such as early learning centers, nursery schools, and preschools, excluding Head Start.

8 Children who spent an equal amount of time in each of two or more arrangements.

9 Primary home language was asked of the parent interview respondent.

10 Poverty status based on Census Bureau guidelines from 2006 (for 2006-07 kindergarten entrants) and 2007 (for 2007-08 kindergarten entrants), which identify a dollar amount determined to meet a household's needs, given its size and composition. In 2006, a family of four was considered to live below the poverty threshold if its income was less than or equal to $20,614.

11 Socioeconomic status (SES) was measured by a composite score based on parental education and occupations, and family income.

NOTE: Estimates weighted by WKR0. Estimates pertain to a sample of children who were born in 2001. About 75 percent of the children born in 2001 entered kindergarten in the 2006-07 school year, and the other 25 percent entered kindergarten in the 2007-08 school year; estimates in this table combine data collected in these two school years. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding and survey item nonresponse. Standard errors appear in parentheses.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort (ECLS-B), Longitudinal 9-Month–Kindergarten 2007 Restricted-Use Data File. (This table was prepared May 2010.)