School-Readiness Variables and Elementary Academic Achievement: A Growth Analysis of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten 2011

• In Event: Factors Contributing to Young Children's Learning and Development

Abstract

This study investigated the relations between 13 school-readiness variables with fall kindergarten academic achievement and growth in elementary school students. Despite school readiness being a multi-variable construct, variables are often studied separately and never together, which raises the question, what variables make children most ready to succeed academically in school? Using hierarchical linear growth modeling, this study used the ECLS-K:2011 data set, a national probability sample of more than 18,000 students, to examine the relationships of school-readiness variables with academic achievement in fall kindergarten and academic growth from grades kindergarten to fourth. Results indicated, in order of importance, students’ cognitive knowledge, working memory, socioeconomic status, cognitive flexibility, and behavior had the strongest relationships to elementary academic achievement and growth.

Author

• Kimberly Kalkbrenner, University of San Francisco