PDF《An Uneven Start:》

Statistics and Research Division Policy Information Center POLICY INFORMATION REPORT An Uneven Start: Indicators of Inequality in School Readiness 88502-009741 ? CL32M6 ? Printed in U.

S.A. I.N.

992997 1 CONTENTS Preface

2 Acknowledgments

2 Executive Summary

3 Introduction

6 Reading

9 Recognizing the Letters of the Alphabet

10 Understanding the Beginning Sounds of Words

14 Understanding the Ending Sounds of Words

18 Recognizing Common Words by Sight

22 Reading Words in Context.26 Mathematics

31 Identifying Numbers and Shapes

32 Understanding Relative Size

36 Understanding Ordinal Sequence

40 Solving Addition/Subtraction Problems

44 Solving Multiplication/Division Problems

48 Home Reading Experiences

53 Parents Reading to Children

54 Children Looking at Picture Books Outside of School

58 Conclusions

61 Appendices

64 This report was written by: Richard J. Coley Educational Testing Service The views expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the officers and trustees of Educational Testing Service. Additional copies of this report can be ordered for $15.00 (prepaid) from: Policy Information Center Mail Stop 04-R Educational Testing Service Rosedale Road Princeton, NJ 08541-0001 (609) 734-5694 [email protected] Copies can also be downloaded from: www.ets.org/research/pic Copyright ?

2002 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. Educational Testing Service is an Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer. Educational Testing Service, ETS, and the ETS logo are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service. The modernized ETS logo is a trademark of Educational Testing Service. March

2002 2 PREFACE As we begin 2002, the ETS Policy Information Center is releasing two important reports that focus on literacy in America. In The Twin Challenges of Mediocrity and Inequal- ity: Literacy in the U.S. from an International Perspective, Andy Sum, Irwin Kirsch and Robert Taggart present a compelling perspective on adult literacy in the United States in comparison with other countries. Not only is our adult population some- where in the middle of the pack of other developed countries, but we have a much wider distribution of skill levels than most other countries. That is, the United States has adults functioning at the highest literacy levels at the same time that we have many in the population functioning at the lowest levels. If we look at demographic trends, and the relative performance of our youngest adult cohorts, there is no sign that this state of affairs will improve. Indeed, without significant action, we are likely to find ourselves with lower levels of literacy overall, compounded with greater inequality within our society. In An Uneven Start: Indicators of Inequality in School Readiness, Richard Coley presents an analysis that can help guide us to action in improving the future literacy of our citizenry. By examining data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99, Coley provides a sobering view, but one that we can address in concrete and effective ways. This report describes the vast inequities that are apparent even when children enter school. Largely but not only related to socioeconomic status, we see a distribution of skills among 5-year- olds and 6-year-olds that mirrors the distribution of skills in our adult population. And, as you read this report, remember that this analysis does not even include students who have limited English proficiency skills, an increasing segment of our population. Without intervention, the future is already being scripted, and it looks to be very consistent with the present. But Coley goes beyond simply documenting differences in reading and mathematics literacy by looking at discrete skills and home practices associated with literacy development. The connections are obvious. We see significant differences in who reads how much and, not surprisingly, the patterns are consistent with literacy development levels. Of course, we know that outside reading is related to reading achievement in the later years. We clearly need to institute programs The data analyzed in this report are from the Early Childhood Longitudi- nal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99, conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), U.S. Department of Educa- tion. The report was reviewed by Jerry ACKNOWLEDGMENTS that will encourage reading by and to young children who do not currently have access to such opportunity. From this cross-sectional analysis, we begin to discern a developmental picture of skill development. There are certain skills that most kindergartners possess, but there are many others, such as being able to add and subtract, for which there is wide variation in skill attainment, variation that is often associated with gender, class and race/ ethnicity. These are the skills that we need to develop in all our young children. There are still other skills that only small segments of the kindergarten population possess. It will certainly be interesting to probe the relationship between early and advanced acquisition and later literacy skill as the ECLS continues. This report makes clear that the current federal emphasis on early reading development is well placed. If we, as a country, are successful in designing and implementing effective programs, then we not only have the possibility of improving substantially the lot of significant segments of our society but of improving opportunity, capacity, and equality for our entire nation. Drew Gitomer Senior Vice President, Statistics and Research West of NCES, Kristin Denton of the Education Statistics Services Institute, W. Steven Barnett of Rutgers Univer- sity, and Ted Chittenden, Judy Pollack, and Harold Wenglinsky of Educational Testing Service. Ting Lu provided data analysis, Lynn Jenkins was the editor, Carla Cooper provided desktop publishing, and Sue Beym designed the cover. Any errors of fact or judgment are the responsibility of the author.