Poster #96 - Investigating the “Gift of Time”: Predictors and Outcomes of Delayed School Entry and Kindergarten Retention

• In Event: Poster Session 18

Abstract

Increased rigor in early schooling raises the question of how to ensure children are prepared for school (Bassok et al., 2016; Graue, 2009). One way to address concerns about school readiness is by altering a child’s academic progression through delayed kindergarten entry or kindergarten retention. Children who delay kindergarten entry wait one additional year to enroll in school despite being eligible based on age. Children who are retained in kindergarten enroll in school on time but repeat their kindergarten year. Both of these interventions, often referred to as the “gift of time,” are grounded in the assumption that children who are not deemed ready to start formal schooling or progress to the 1st grade will benefit from an extra year to mature or develop grade-appropriate skills (Carlton & Winsler, 1999; Frey, 2005; Graue & DiPerna, 2000). However, there is evidence that delayed entry occurs more often with children from more affluent families, whereas retention occurs more often with disadvantaged children. From an equity standpoint, it is important to understand how interventions used with different groups of children are related to later academic success. Much empirical work has studied the outcomes of delayed kindergarten entry and retention separately, but little research has examined these interventions together.

We examined predictors and outcomes of these interventions within a large (N = 26,207), ethnically diverse (57% Latinx, 35% Black, 7% White/Asian/Other) sample of students who experienced delayed entry, kindergarten retention, or progressed to 1st grade on-time. In this sample, 284 (1.1%) experienced delayed entry, 1,004 (3.8%) kindergarten retention, and 24,919 (95.1%) on-time progression. Multinomial regression analyses were used to compare baseline characteristics of groups of kindergartners (delayed entry, retained, on-time) prior to school entry (see Table 1). Results suggest that both delayed-entry and retained students were younger and had poorer school readiness skills prior to school entry compared to on-time students. Delayed-entry students were more likely to be White compared to both retained and on-time students. Finally, children who delayed entry were more likely to have attended center-based pre-K through subsidies compared to their retained and on-time peers. Though prior research suggests that the differences between delayed entrants and kindergarten-retained students might be stark, this was not the case in the present study.

A series of regression analyses was conducted to explore outcomes throughout elementary school (kindergarten, 3rd grade, 5th grade; see Table 2), controlling for background variables. Though delayed-entry and retained students performed better in kindergarten (second time for retained students) compared to typically progressing students, this advantage did not persist in 3rd and 5th grade. At no point in elementary school did retained or delayed-entry students perform differently from each other. Although students who delayed entry or were retained in kindergarten performed more poorly than their peers later in elementary school, they were less likely to be retained in later grades compared to on-time students. Overall, results indicate that altering the kindergarten progression does not provide children with long-term achievement benefits compared to typically progressing peers, and neither intervention seems more advantageous.

Authors

• Jordan E Greenburg, Lindsey Wilson College
  Presenting Author

• Adam Winsler, George Mason University