Impact of transitional Kindergarten on Grade 3 Achievement as Measured by Smarter Balanced Assessment Test

• In Event: 15.059 - Fairmont Royal York Roundtable Session One
  In Roundtable Session: 15.059-6 - Evaluation of Early Childhood Programs

Abstract

The purpose of this causal-comparative study was to examine the difference in reading and mathematics achievement at third grade between students who participated in transitional kindergarten (TK) and students who did not participate in TK in four districts in Southern California after controlling for English learner status, socioeconomic status (SES), gender, and ethnicity. TK participants scored 22.549 points higher on the SBAC ELA test than nonparticipants. While not statistically significant, TK participants scored 8.502 points higher on the SBAC math assessment than nonparticipants. This positive result was seen for all students regardless of their demographic characteristics. TK students in this study outscored the statewide mean. Results align with past research demonstrating positive effects of prekindergarten education on academic achievement.

Authors

• Jennifer De Anda, Riverside Unified School District

• Sunny Liu, University of La Verne

• MD Haque, Univeristy of La Verne