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Digest of Education Statistics
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Table 220.80. Mean mathematics and science scale scores and specific mathematics skills of fall 1998 first-time kindergartners, by time of assessment and selected characteristics: Selected years, fall 1998 through spring 2007
[Standard errors appear in parentheses]
Selected characteristic Mathematics Science
Mean scale score Percentage of children with specific skills, eighth grade, spring 2007 Mean scale score
Kindergarten First grade, spring 2000 Third grade, spring 2002 Fifth grade, spring 2004 Eighth grade, spring 2007 Rate and measure-ment Fractions Area and volume Third grade, spring 2002 Fifth grade, spring 2004 Eighth grade, spring 2007
Fall 1998 Spring 1999
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Total 26 (0.2) 37 (0.3) 62 (0.4) 100 (0.7) 124 (0.7) 140 (0.6) 68 (0.9) 38 (1.0) 16 (0.8) 51 (0.4) 65 (0.4) 84 (0.5)
Sex                                                
Male 26 (0.3) 37 (0.4) 63 (0.6) 103 (0.8) 126 (0.9) 141 (0.8) 70 (1.3) 40 (1.3) 18 (1.0) 53 (0.6) 67 (0.6) 85 (0.7)
Female 26 (0.3) 37 (0.4) 61 (0.5) 97 (0.9) 121 (1.0) 139 (0.8) 65 (1.3) 35 (1.4) 14 (1.0) 49 (0.6) 63 (0.6) 82 (0.6)
                                                 
Race/ethnicity                                                
White 29 (0.3) 40 (0.4) 67 (0.6) 106 (0.8) 130 (0.8) 146 (0.6) 77 (1.0) 46 (1.3) 21 (1.1) 56 (0.5) 70 (0.4) 89 (0.5)
Black 22 (0.4) 31 (0.6) 52 (0.8) 84 (1.8) 105 (1.8) 123 (1.6) 40 (2.3) 13 (1.8) 4 (1.2) 40 (1.1) 52 (1.1) 69 (1.3)
Hispanic 22 (0.4) 32 (0.5) 57 (0.9) 93 (1.1) 119 (1.1) 136 (1.0) 62 (1.7) 29 (2.1) 10 (1.1) 44 (0.7) 60 (0.7) 78 (0.8)
Asian 30 (1.0) 40 (1.2) 65 (1.7) 107 (2.7) 135 (2.4) 150 (2.3) 81 (3.1) 59 (3.8) 38 (3.7) 53 (1.5) 67 (1.6) 89 (1.1)
Other1 25 (1.0) 36 (1.3) 60 (2.1) 97 (3.3) 122 (3.6) 138 (3.2) 65 (5.2) 34 (4.7) 15 (3.2) 49 (2.0) 63 (2.2) 82 (2.6)
                                                 
Parents' highest level
     of education2
                                               
Less than high school 20 (0.4) 28 (0.6) 49 (1.1) 81 (1.4) 105 (1.9) 122 (2.1) 41 (2.9) 14 (1.9) 3 (0.8) 37 (0.9) 50 (1.0) 68 (1.2)
High school 23 (0.3) 33 (0.5) 56 (0.7) 91 (1.0) 114 (1.0) 131 (0.8) 53 (1.4) 21 (1.2) 7 (0.7) 45 (0.6) 59 (0.7) 77 (0.7)
Some college 26 (0.3) 37 (0.4) 62 (0.6) 100 (1.0) 124 (0.9) 141 (0.8) 70 (1.3) 35 (1.5) 13 (1.0) 51 (0.6) 65 (0.6) 84 (0.6)
Bachelor's or higher degree 31 (0.3) 42 (0.4) 70 (0.6) 111 (0.9) 136 (0.8) 152 (0.7) 85 (1.2) 59 (1.5) 30 (1.4) 59 (0.6) 73 (0.5) 92 (0.4)
                                                 
Primary home language2                                                
English 27 (0.2) 38 (0.3) 63 (0.4) 101 (0.7) 125 (0.8) 141 (0.6) 69 (0.9) 38 (1.0) 16 (0.8) 52 (0.4) 66 (0.5) 84 (0.5)
Non-English 21 (0.4) 30 (0.6) 55 (0.8) 91 (1.1) 117 (1.2) 135 (1.1) 58 (1.7) 30 (1.9) 13 (1.2) 41 (0.8) 57 (0.8) 77 (0.9)
                                                 
Socioeconomic status2                                                
Lowest 20 percent 20 (0.3) 28 (0.4) 50 (0.8) 83 (1.1) 105 (1.3) 123 (1.2) 42 (1.8) 14 (1.1) 4 (0.5) 38 (0.8) 51 (0.9) 70 (0.9)
Middle 60 percent 26 (0.2) 37 (0.3) 62 (0.4) 99 (0.7) 123 (0.7) 140 (0.6) 67 (0.9) 35 (1.0) 13 (0.8) 51 (0.4) 65 (0.4) 84 (0.5)
Highest 20 percent 32 (0.4) 43 (0.5) 72 (0.7) 115 (0.9) 139 (0.9) 154 (0.7) 88 (1.0) 63 (1.8) 33 (1.8) 60 (0.6) 75 (0.6) 94 (0.5)
                                                 
Grade level in spring 2007                                                
Eighth grade or above 27 (0.2) 38 (0.3) 65 (0.4) 103 (0.7) 127 (0.8) 143 (0.6) 73 (1.0) 41 (1.1) 18 (0.8) 53 (0.4) 67 (0.4) 86 (0.5)
Below eighth grade 20 (0.4) 27 (0.6) 47 (1.2) 79 (1.6) 103 (1.9) 121 (1.8) 37 (2.5) 14 (2.5) 5 (1.5) 40 (1.1) 53 (1.3) 69 (1.4)
                                                 
School type across all waves
     of the study
                                               
Public school all years 26 (0.2) 36 (0.4) 61 (0.5) 99 (0.9) 122 (0.9) 139 (0.7) 66 (1.1) 35 (1.2) 15 (0.8) 50 (0.5) 64 (0.5) 82 (0.6)
Private school all years 31 (0.6) 43 (0.8) 69 (1.0) 107 (1.7) 133 (1.5) 149 (1.3) 82 (2.4) 50 (3.0) 22 (1.9) 56 (1.0) 71 (0.9) 90 (0.8)
Change in school type
   during study
28 (0.7) 39 (0.8) 66 (1.1) 103 (1.5) 128 (1.6) 144 (1.3) 73 (2.0) 44 (2.6) 20 (2.1) 55 (1.0) 69 (1.0) 88 (0.9)
1 Includes persons of all other races and two or more races.
2 Status during kindergarten year.
NOTE: Mathematics scale ranges from 0 to 172, and science scale ranges from 0 to 108. Estimates for each assessment round include all children assessed in that round, including children assessed in Spanish. In kindergarten and first grade, the mathematics assessment was administered in Spanish for Spanish-speaking children who did not pass the English OLDS (Oral Language Development Scale). All assessments were administered in English in third grade through eighth grade. Most of the children were in first grade in 1999-2000, but 5 percent were in kindergarten or other grades (e.g., second grade, ungraded classrooms); most were in third grade in 2001-02, but 11 percent were in second grade or other grades (e.g., fourth grade, ungraded classrooms); most were in fifth grade in 2003-04, but 14 percent were in fourth grade or other grades (e.g., sixth grade, ungraded classrooms); most were in eighth grade in 2006-07, but 14 percent were in seventh grade or other grades (e.g., ninth grade or ungraded classrooms). Data were calculated using C1_7FC0 weight. Estimates differ from previously published figures because the data were recalibrated to represent the kindergarten through eighth-grade mathematics assessment item pool and the third-grade through eighth-grade science assessment item pool. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K), Longitudinal Kindergarten–Eighth Grade Full Sample Public-Use Data File, fall 1998, spring 1999, spring 2000, spring 2002, spring 2004, and spring 2007. (This table was prepared September 2009.)

2014 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest