School Readiness and Later Achievement Review Essay Example

into account were receptive vocabulary and the child's temperament at age 3. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (NICHD SECCYD) included births in 1991 from multiple locations, although it is not a nationally representative sample, it closely aligns with census records. At age 4, participants underwent achievement tests and attention/impulsivity tests. In a laboratory setting, teacher reports were used to assess attention problems, internalizing issues, and social skills of 5-year-olds during their kindergarten year. Key control variables considered were cognitive ability, language skills, impulsivity, as well as internalizing and externalizing language problems.

An average of 950 children in first, third, and fifth grade were included in the data sets. The Infant Health and Development Program (IHDP) study assessed the later achievement of 985 low birth weight (LBW) premature infants (excluding extremely low birth weight infants) using questionnaires, home visits, and laboratory tests. Key control variables were cognitive ability, sustained attention, and behavior problems at age 3.

The Montreal Longitudinal-Experimental Preschool Study (MLEPS) collected data from 767 children, including direct cognitive assessments, number knowledge and receptive vocabulary tests, and surveys of parents and teachers. Key control variables were number knowledge and vocabulary.

The 1970 British Birth Cohort Study (BCS) was a nationally representative study of 9,000 to 10,000 children born within a one-week period in 1970. It evaluated vocabulary and copying skills tests as well as maternal reports of attention, externalizing behavior, and internalizing behavior at five years of age. Key control variables included measures of basic skills and behavior at 22 to 42 months.

The analysis and results of the six studies were summarized through a meta-analysis of

the standardized regression coefficients. This analysis revealed that only three school-entry measures, namely reading/language, math, and attention, predict reading and math achievement. Contrary to expectations, socioemotional skills do not have a significant impact on later achievement. Additionally, rudimentary mathematics plays a more significant role than reading or attention. The statistical data indicates that when math was included as a specific school-entry measure, reading increased by .02 compared to focusing solely on reading. Factors such as the ability to measure attention and socioemotional skills, potential inaccuracies in maternal reports compared to teacher reports, potential overcontrolling of attention and socioemotional skills in models, the potential significance of socioemotional skills in school-related outcomes rather than test scores, limitations of measurements in middle childhood without including changes into adolescence, narrow range of socioemotional measures, and potential bias due to participant attrition need to be considered when interpreting the study's findings.

The study primarily focuses on achievement during middle childhood but also shows that achievement continues into adolescence and young adulthood. An important finding highlights the potential importance of basic mathematics skills in determining levels of achievement. To better understand how school readiness affects success in middle childhood, further analysis based on race and socio-economic status would be beneficial. It is worth mentioning that including data from the BCS dataset, which only looked at children born in 1970, seems inconsistent with the other studies conducted from the late 80s to mid-90s.

Over the past 15-20 years, teaching methods have evolved, rendering it difficult to compare the data in this study with other datasets. The results suggest that parents and pre-kindergarten teachers should prioritize basic math lessons or organize activities aimed at enhancing

math cognition instead of solely focusing on reading.