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Digest of Education Statistics
2000 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest

Table 50. General knowledge, reading, and mathematics scores and classroom behavior of kindergarten students, by child and family characteristics: Fall 1998
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
                                      |       |                                          Student achievement                                     |
                                      |       |__________________________________________________________________________________________________|  Percent of students
                                      |Number,|          |           Reading                   |           Mathematics                           |whose teachers say they
   Child and family characteristics   |  in   |General   |_____________________________________|_________________________________________________|"often" or "very often"
                                      | thou- |know-     |          |  Percent passing each    |          |  Percent passing each                |__________________________
                                      | sands |ledge\1\  |          |    proficiency level\3\  |          |    proficiency level\3\              |Persist |  Are   |   Pay
                                      |       |mean      |Mean      |__________________________|Mean      |______________________________________|at a    | eager  | atten-
                                      |       |t-score\2\|t-score\2\|Letter  |Begin-  |Ending  |t-score\2\|Number  |Relative|Ordinal | Add       |task    |to learn|  tion
                                      |       |          |          |recog-  |ning    |sounds  |          |and     |size    |sequence| and       |        |        |
                                      |       |          |          |nition  |sounds  |        |          |shape   |        |        |subtract   |        |        |
______________________________________|_______|__________|__________|________|________|________|__________|________|________|________|___________|________|________|________
                  1                   |   2   |  3       |  4       | 5      | 6      | 7      |  8       |   9    |  10    |   11   |    12     |  13    |   14   |   15
______________________________________|_______|__________|__________|________|________|________|__________|________|________|________|___________|________|________|________
  Total ..............................| 3,678 |  50 (0.3)|  50 (0.2)|66 (0.8)|29 (0.9)|17 (0.7)|  50 (0.2)|94 (0.3)|58 (0.7)|20 (0.7)|    4 (0.2)|71 (0.4)|75 (0.3)|66 (0.5)
                                      |_______|__________|__________|________|________|________|__________|________|________|________|___________|________|________|________
Sex                                   |       |          |          |        |        |        |          |        |        |        |           |        |        |
  Male ...............................| 1,868 |  50 (0.3)|  49 (0.2)|62 (0.8)|26 (0.9)|15 (0.7)|  50 (0.2)|93 (0.5)|57 (0.9)|21 (0.8)|    5 (0.3)|65 (0.6)|71 (0.4)|58 (0.6)
  Female .............................| 1,811 |  50 (0.3)|  51 (0.2)|70 (0.9)|32 (1.1)|19 (0.8)|  50 (0.2)|95 (0.3)|59 (0.9)|20 (0.7)|    4 (0.2)|78 (0.5)|78 (0.3)|74 (0.5)
                                      |       |          |          |        |        |        |          |        |        |        |           |        |        |
Child's birth date                    |       |          |          |        |        |        |          |        |        |        |           |        |        |
  Born January to August, 1992 .......|   129 |  56 (0.4)|  53 (0.5)|76 (2.4)|38 (2.5)|24 (2.0)|  55 (0.4)|97 (0.9)|74 (1.8)|37 (2.0)|   10 (1.3)|79 (1.9)|79 (1.0)|70 (1.8)
  Born September to December, 1992 ...|   870 |  53 (0.3)|  52 (0.3)|73 (1.1)|36 (1.3)|22 (1.1)|  53 (0.3)|96 (0.3)|67 (1.0)|29 (1.2)|    7 (0.5)|78 (0.8)|80 (0.5)|73 (0.7)
  Born January to April, 1993 ........| 1,166 |  51 (0.3)|  51 (0.2)|67 (1.0)|31 (1.0)|17 (0.9)|  51 (0.2)|95 (0.5)|60 (0.9)|21 (0.8)|    4 (0.3)|73 (0.6)|77 (0.4)|68 (0.7)
  Born May to August, 1993 ...........| 1,178 |  48 (0.3)|  48 (0.3)|60 (1.0)|23 (1.1)|13 (0.7)|  48 (0.3)|92 (0.6)|51 (1.0)|14 (0.7)|    2 (0.3)|66 (0.6)|70 (0.5)|61 (0.6)
  Born September to December 1993 ....|   327 |  46 (0.4)|  47 (0.3)|56 (1.7)|20 (1.4)|11 (1.0)|  46 (0.3)|89 (1.2)|42 (1.7)|10 (1.0)|    2 (0.3)|63 (1.2)|66 (0.9)|57 (1.2)
                                      |       |          |          |        |        |        |          |        |        |        |           |        |        |
Mother's education                    |       |          |          |        |        |        |          |        |        |        |           |        |        |
  Less than high school ...........,,,|   519 |  43 (0.3)|  43 (0.3)|38 (1.5)| 9 (0.9)| 4 (0.6)|  43 (0.3)|84 (1.0)|32 (1.2)| 6 (0.6)|    1 (0.3)|61 (1.1)|62 (1.0)|55 (1.2)
  High school diploma or equivalent ..| 1,116 |  48 (0.3)|  48 (0.2)|57 (1.1)|20 (1.1)|11 (0.8)|  48 (0.2)|92 (0.5)|50 (0.9)|13 (0.7)|    2 (0.2)|70 (0.7)|72 (0.6)|64 (0.7)
  Some college, vocational, technical | 1,153 |  51 (0.6)|  51 (0.5)|69 (1.0)|30 (1.1)|17 (0.9)|  51 (0.5)|96 (0.4)|61 (0.9)|20 (0.9)|    4 (0.3)|73 (0.8)|78 (0.4)|68 (0.5)
  Bachelor's or higher degree ........|   798 |  56 (0.2)|  56 (0.2)|86 (0.8)|50 (1.2)|32 (1.1)|  56 (0.2)|99 (0.2)|79 (0.9)|37 (1.0)|    9 (0.5)|79 (0.7)|83 (0.4)|75 (0.7)
                                      |       |          |          |        |        |        |          |        |        |        |           |        |        |
Family type                           |       |          |          |        |        |        |          |        |        |        |           |        |        |
  Single mother ......................|   790 |  46 (0.4)|  47 (0.3)|53 (1.3)|18 (1.2)|10 (0.8)|  46 (0.3)|90 (0.7)|44 (1.3)|11 (0.8)|    2 (0.3)|63 (0.8)|67 (0.7)|56 (1.0)
  Single father ......................|    66 |  48 (0.7)|  48 (0.7)|58 (3.5)|21 (3.0)|11 (2.0)|  48 (0.7)|91 (2.3)|51 (3.4)|16 (2.6)|    3 (1.1)|61 (2.8)|67 (1.6)|55 (2.5)
  Two parent .........................| 2,753 |  52 (0.2)|  51 (0.2)|70 (0.7)|33 (1.0)|19 (0.8)|  51 (0.2)|95 (0.3)|63 (0.7)|23 (0.7)|    5 (0.3)|74 (0.4)|77 (0.3)|69 (0.4)
                                      |       |          |          |        |        |        |          |        |        |        |           |        |        |
Welfare recipient\4\                  |       |          |          |        |        |        |          |        |        |        |           |        |        |
  Utilized AFDC ......................|   428 |  43 (0.3)|  44 (0.2)|41 (1.2)|11 (0.9)| 5 (0.2)|  44 (0.2)|85 (0.7)|33 (1.0)| 6 (0.5)|    1 (0.2)|59 (1.2)|62 (0.8)|53 (1.2)
  Never utilized AFDC ................| 3,226 |  51 (0.2)|  50 (0.2)|69 (0.8)|31 (1.1)|18 (0.6)|  51 (0.2)|95 (0.2)|61 (0.7)|22 (0.8)|    5 (0.3)|73 (0.4)|76 (0.3)|68 (0.4)
                                      |       |          |          |        |        |        |          |        |        |        |           |        |        |
Primary language spoken at home       |       |          |          |        |        |        |          |        |        |        |           |        |        |
  Non-English ........................|   325 |  43 (0.4)|  46 (0.5)|49 (1.9)|20 (0.9)|12 (1.4)|  47 (0.5)|89 (1.2)|45 (2.1)|13 (1.5)|    3 (0.9)|69 (1.3)|68 (1.2)|63 (2.5)
  English ............................| 3,344 |  51 (0.3)|  50 (0.2)|67 (0.8)|30 (1.0)|17 (0.7)|  50 (0.2)|94 (0.3)|59 (0.8)|21 (0.7)|    4 (0.2)|72 (0.4)|75 (0.3)|66 (0.9)
                                      |       |          |          |        |        |        |          |        |        |        |           |        |        |
Child's race/ethnicity                |       |          |          |        |        |        |          |        |        |        |           |        |        |
  White, non-Hispanic ................| 2,118 |  53 (0.2)|  52 (0.2)|73 (0.9)|34 (1.1)|20 (0.8)|  52 (0.2)|96 (0.2)|66 (0.8)|26 (0.8)|    5 (0.3)|75 (0.5)|78 (0.3)|70 (0.5)
  Black, non-Hispanic ................|   570 |  44 (0.5)|  47 (0.4)|55 (1.6)|19 (1.7)|10 (1.2)|  46 (0.4)|90 (0.8)|42 (1.5)| 9 (1.0)|    1 (0.2)|62 (1.0)|66 (0.9)|55 (1.2)
  Asian ..............................|   108 |  48 (0.6)|  55 (0.6)|79 (1.7)|43 (1.5)|29 (2.2)|  54 (0.5)|98 (0.7)|70 (1.5)|31 (0.9)|    9 (0.3)|81 (1.5)|80 (1.4)|71 (1.9)
  Hispanic ...........................|   704 |  46 (0.3)|  46 (0.4)|49 (1.7)|19 (2.4)|10 (1.2)|  47 (0.3)|90 (0.7)|44 (2.4)|12 (2.1)|    2 (1.2)|67 (0.9)|70 (0.7)|62 (0.9)
  Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander ...|    21 |  45 (1.2)|  48 (1.2)|55 (4.1)|24 (4.8)|14 (3.6)|  47 (1.2)|91 (2.0)|48 (4.0)|11 (4.2)|    2 (1.9)|64 (5.0)|68 (4.6)|59 (6.6)
  American Indian/Alaska Native ......|    64 |  44 (1.5)|  42 (1.6)|34 (5.3)|11 (3.5)| 6 (1.6)|  43 (1.5)|80 (4.2)|34 (6.2)| 8 (2.3)|    1 (0.3)|64 (1.6)|72 (1.4)|52 (1.7)
  More than one race, non-Hispanic ...|    88 |  50 (0.5)|  49 (0.6)|61 (2.5)|27 (2.4)|16 (2.0)|  49 (0.7)|94 (1.5)|54 (3.4)|17 (2.6)|    4 (1.3)|73 (2.9)|72 (1.3)|67 (1.8)
                                      |       |          |          |        |        |        |          |        |        |        |           |        |        |
Maternal education, by child's        |       |          |          |        |        |        |          |        |        |        |           |        |        |
  race/ethnicity                      |       |          |          |        |        |        |          |        |        |        |           |        |        |
 High school diploma/equivalent or    |       |          |          |        |        |        |          |        |        |        |           |        |        |
    more                              |       |          |          |        |        |        |          |        |        |        |           |        |        |
    White, non-Hispanic ..............| 1,925 |  54 (0.2)|  53 (0.2)|75 (0.9)|36 (1.1)|21 (0.8)|  53 (0.2)|97 (0.3)|68 (0.7)|27 (0.8)|    6 (0.3)|77 (0.5)|80 (0.3)|72 (0.5)
    Black, non-Hispanic ..............|   459 |  44 (0.5)|  48 (0.4)|59 (1.5)|22 (1.9)|12 (1.5)|  47 (0.4)|91 (0.8)|45 (1.6)|10 (1.2)|    1 (0.3)|64 (0.9)|69 (0.7)|58 (1.0)
    Asian ............................|    87 |  49 (0.6)|  56 (0.6)|82 (2.3)|47 (2.3)|32 (2.0)|  55 (0.6)|97 (1.9)|73 (2.9)|34 (2.0)|   10 (1.1)|82 (1.7)|82 (1.0)|72 (1.8)
    Hispanic .........................|   446 |  48 (0.4)|  48 (0.5)|55 (1.8)|23 (1.6)|13 (1.3)|  48 (0.3)|93 (0.6)|49 (1.6)|14 (1.1)|    2 (0.4)|69 (1.1)|73 (0.6)|64 (1.0)
                                      |       |          |          |        |        |        |          |        |        |        |           |        |        |
  Less than high school diploma or    |       |          |          |        |        |        |          |        |        |        |           |        |        |
    equivalent                        |       |          |          |        |        |        |          |        |        |        |           |        |        |
    White, non-Hispanic ..............|   143 |  47 (0.3)|  45 (0.4)|47 (2.2)|12 (1.3)| 6 (1.3)|  45 (0.4)|87 (1.3)|40 (1.8)| 9 (1.3)|    1 (0.4)|61 (1.8)|65 (1.2)|56 (1.6)
    Black, non-Hispanic ..............|    97 |  40 (0.6)|  43 (0.5)|37 (2.7)| 7 (1.5)| 3 (1.1)|  42 (0.5)|83 (1.5)|27 (2.4)| 4 (1.2)|(\5\) (0.7)|50 (3.0)|53 (2.4)|42 (2.9)
    Asian ............................|    15 |  41 (1.0)|  48 (0.8)|60 (4.5)|20 (3.8)| 9 (2.9)|  50 (0.8)|94 (5.4)|58 (5.1)|16 (2.1)|    4 (1.4)|82 (4.8)|77 (4.6)|68 (5.9)
    Hispanic .........................|   240 |  42 (0.4)|  41 (0.5)|29 (2.3)| 6 (1.8)| 3 (1.2)|  42 (0.5)|82 (1.7)|27 (2.0)| 5 (0.9)|    1 (0.3)|65 (1.6)|64 (1.4)|59 (1.7)
______________________________________|_______|__________|__________|________|________|________|__________|________|________|________|___________|________|________|________

\1\The general knowledge assessment was a composite of science and social studies material.
\2\The standardized t-scores are transformations of ability estimates, rescaled to a mean of 50 and standard deviation of 10 using cross-sectional sample weights for fall kindergarten. For example, a t-score of 55 represents an achievement level that is half a standard deviation higher than the mean for the fall kindergarten population.
\3\Student was assumed to have mastered a particular level of proficiency if at least three of the four items in the subject cluster were answered correctly.
\4\Refers to the utilization of Aid for Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) since the child was born.
\5\Less than .05 percent.

NOTE: Standard errors appear in parentheses. Detail may not sum to totals due to rounding and/or missing data.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Early childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99, America's Kindergartners. (This table was prepared November 2000).


2000 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest