Relationship between Comprehensive School Readiness Profiles and Longer-Term Academic Growth

Abstract

Understanding the links between school readiness and child outcomes is essential in helping educators understand crucial early childhood intervention points to help children adjust to their academic environments. Although cognitive indicators once defined school readiness, the prevailing research over the past 15 years indicates that social-emotional indicators play an important role. Whereas prior research has examined shorter-term links between social-emotional indicators and academic achievement, the present study seeks to extend the research to investigate the longer term effects. Using a subsample of data collected in a nationally representative longitudinal dataset (ECLS-K), the present study used latent growth curve modeling that incorporates school membership and complex survey sample weights on data from grades K through 8. Final results showed that the early conceptualization of kindergarten school readiness profiles that are inclusive of social-emotional skills do systematically contribute to longer-term math and reading growth through the end of eighth grade, but primarily this is simply the difference between one “comprehensive positive” profile and the other three profiles. It may be the case that the profiles are simply defining high vs. low risk, without distinction among the high risk profiles.