Analysis of Kindergartners Shows Wide Differences in School Readiness Skills
Sesame Workshop Releases Educational Framework After Study Reveals More Than 40% of Children Enter Classrooms with One or More Factors That Can Negatively Affect School Success
New research shows there is still a strong relationship between socio-economic factors and how well American children fare when entering kindergarten. In fact, a new study finds 44 percent of children enter kindergarten with one or more risk factors based on their home environment. These risk factors are incrementally associated with lower school readiness scores for children than for those with no such circumstances. Despite an increase in programs to level the playing field by giving disadvantaged children opportunities for preschool education, these gaps persist.
The findings are part of the Kindergartners' Skills at School Entry report released today by Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street. The report, commissioned by the Workshop and written by Mathematica Policy Research, provides an analysis of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 focusing on the school readiness and abilities of beginning kindergartners.
"Preparing children for school has been part of Sesame Workshop's mission since the beginning," said Dr. Jennifer Kotler Clarke, Vice President, Research & Evaluation, Sesame Workshop. "There has not been an examination of children's school readiness of this magnitude in more than 10 years and it's important to us to understand the needs of children as they enter school. Given the risk factors children face, which put them at a disadvantage for school success, we are continuing to find ways to use our educational content to help change these outcomes."
The analysis examined four risk factors that have been shown to affect children's development and school achievement: single parent households, mothers with less than a high school education, households with incomes below the federal poverty line, and non-English speaking households. High-risk children (those with all four risk factors) were found to be almost a year behind their peers with no risk factors in their reading and math abilities.
The researchers also created composite readiness scores based on teacher ratings of children's academic and social skills. Based on the researchers' calculation, less than one-third of children were rated by teachers as "in-progress" or better on both reading and math skills.
"These nationally representative data show that at-risk children start kindergarten well behind their more advantaged peers," notes Jerry West, senior fellow at Mathematica and director of the study. "The evidence points to an opportunity to better support their healthy development before they enter kindergarten."
Sesame Workshop is sharing its Sesame Street Framework for School Readiness in response to the findings of the Kindergartners' Skills analysis. The Framework is a guide for content developers to use to better understand the features of a typical developmentally age-appropriate content Analysis of Kindergartners Shows Wide Differences in School Readiness Skills:
"Preparing children for school has been part of Sesame Workshop's mission since the beginning," said Dr. Jennifer Kotler Clarke, Vice President, Research & Evaluation, Sesame Workshop. "There has not been an examination of children's school readiness of this magnitude in more than 10 years and it's important to us to understand the needs of children as they enter school. Given the risk factors children face, which put them at a disadvantage for school success, we are continuing to find ways to use our educational content to help change these outcomes."
The analysis examined four risk factors that have been shown to affect children's development and school achievement: single parent households, mothers with less than a high school education, households with incomes below the federal poverty line, and non-English speaking households. High-risk children (those with all four risk factors) were found to be almost a year behind their peers with no risk factors in their reading and math abilities.
The researchers also created composite readiness scores based on teacher ratings of children's academic and social skills. Based on the researchers' calculation, less than one-third of children were rated by teachers as "in-progress" or better on both reading and math skills.
"These nationally representative data show that at-risk children start kindergarten well behind their more advantaged peers," notes Jerry West, senior fellow at Mathematica and director of the study. "The evidence points to an opportunity to better support their healthy development before they enter kindergarten."
Sesame Workshop is sharing its Sesame Street Framework for School Readiness in response to the findings of the Kindergartners' Skills analysis. The Framework is a guide for content developers to use to better understand the features of a typical developmentally age-appropriate content Analysis of Kindergartners Shows Wide Differences in School Readiness Skills: