Children’s reading and mathematics mean scale scores for fall 1998 first-time kindergartners from kindergarten through 3rd grade, by selected characteristics: Fall 1998, spring 1999, spring 2000, and spring 2002

Students’ Reading and Mathematics Achievement Through 3rd Grade

Table 8-1. Children’s reading and mathematics mean scale scores for fall 1998 first-time kindergartners from kindergarten through 3rd grade, by selected characteristics: Fall 1998, spring 1999, spring 2000, and spring 2002

Characteristic	Fall kindergarten	Spring kindergarten	Spring 1st grade	Spring 3rd grade	Total gain from fall kindergarten to spring 3rd grade

	Reading
Total	27	39	69	108	81
Sex
Male	26	38	67	107	80
Female	28	39	70	110	83

Race/ethnicity¹
Asian/Pacific Islander	30	43	75	111	81
Black	25	34	61	98	73
White	28	40	71	112	84
Hispanic	24	36	65	105	81
Other	25	36	63	101	76

Number of family risk factors²
0 factors	29	41	73	113	84
1 factor	25	36	65	105	79
2 or more factors	22	32	58	95	73

	Mathematics
Total	22	32	55	85	63
Sex
Male	22	32	56	86	65
Female	22	32	55	83	62

Race/ethnicity¹
Asian/Pacific Islander	23	34	56	88	65
Black	18	26	47	73	55
White	23	34	58	89	65
Hispanic	19	29	52	82	63
Other	20	29	51	80	61

Number of family risk factors²
0 factors	24	34	59	89	65
1 factor	20	29	51	81	61
2 or more factors	17	25	47	74	57

¹Black includes African American, Pacific Islander includes Native Hawaiian, and Hispanic includes Latino. Racial categories exclude Hispanic origin.
²Family risk factors include living below the poverty level, primary home language was non-English, mother’s highest education was less than a high school diploma/GED, and living in a single-parent household, as measured in kindergarten. See supplemental note 1 for more information on mother’s education and poverty.
NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Estimates reflect the sample of children assessed in English in all assessment years (approximately 19 percent of Asian children and approximately 30 percent of Hispanic children were not assessed). The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998–99 (ECLS-K) reading and mathematics assessments were not administered in spring 2001, when most of the children were in 2nd grade. Although most of the sample was in 3rd grade in spring 2002, 10 percent were in 2nd grade, and about 1 percent were enrolled in other grades. See supplemental note 3 for more information on ECLS-K.
SOURCE: Rathbun, A, and West, J. (2004). From Kindergarten Through Third Grade: Children’s Beginning School Experiences (NCES 2004–007), tables A-4 and A-5. Data from U.S. Department of Education, NCES, Early Child Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998–99 (ECLS-K), Longitudinal Kindergarten-First Grade Public-Use data file and Third Grade Restricted-Use data file, Fall 1998, Spring 1999, Spring 2000, and Spring 2002.

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