Westat

Nicholas Zill

Alberto Sorongon

Kwang Kim

Xtria

Cheryl Clark

Administration for 

Children and Families

Maria Woolverton

Children’s Outcomes 

and Program Quality

in Head Start

This report was prepared for the Administration for Children and Families, 

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) under the 

contract 03Y0031A101D, Head Start Performance Measures Center: 

FACES and Quality Research Centers (QRC) Consortium.

FACES 2003 Research Brief

www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hs/faces/index.html

December 2006
Academic skills of children in Head Start

Most children enter Head Start with below-average 

skills. As in the previous rounds of the survey, 

cognitive assessment data from FACES 2003 showed 

that most children entered Head Start with early 

academic skills that were below national norms on 

standardized measures of vocabulary, early math, 

early reading, and early writing. Whereas the mean 

standard score for all U.S. children is 100, with a 

standard deviation of 15, mean standard scores 

for children entering Head Start in fall 2003 were 

85.6 for vocabulary, 88.4 for early math, 95.0 for 

early reading, and 86.5 for early writing.1 This is not 

surprising, in that most Head Start children come 

from families with relatively low parent education 

and income levels. However, there was considerable 

diversity in skill levels among Head Start children in 

the study.

Head Start children showed signifi cant gains in 

vocabulary, early math, and early writing skills during 

the Head Start program year. Head Start children 

showed signifi cant gains during the 2003-04 program 

year in vocabulary (+2.9 standard score points),

early math skills (+1.5 standard score points), and 

early writing skills (+ .7 standard score points).2 A 

signifi cant gain in early reading scores was found for 

4-year-olds only.

Head Start children also showed small gains in other 

literacy-related areas, such as phonemic awareness 

and print concepts. Head Start children showed 

small raw score gains on measures of phonemic 

awareness (being able to hear sound components 

in a word), a story and print concepts task, and a 

design copying task. There are no national norms 

available for these tasks.

he Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) provides longitudinal data on a 

periodic basis on the characteristics, experiences, and outcomes of children and families served 

by Head Start as well as the characteristics of the Head Start programs that serve them. Each 

round of FACES is a study with a nationally representative sample of Head Start children 

and their families. Data collection for the fi rst FACES cohort began in fall of 1997 and for the 

second cohort in fall of 2000. Data collection for the most recent FACES cohort began in the 

fall of 2003. This cohort includes a nationally representative sample of approximately 2,400 

newly entering 3- and 4-year-old children and their families from 63 Head Start programs. 

The FACES data provide information for the Head Start program on important aspects of 

outcomes, quality, and practices. This Research Brief summarizes key fi ndings related to 

children’s outcomes and program quality from FACES 2003.

1

 In FACES 2003, scores from the early math, early reading, and early writing include data from all participating children, including 3-year- 

 old children. In FACES 1997 and FACES 2000, scores from these tasks included data only from children 4-years of age or older.

2 Unless otherwise stated, all comparisons are statistically signifi cant at p < .05. Standard scores for this analysis are reported for all children, 

 regardless of age, who were assessed in English in both fall and spring.

T

Fall 2003, Spring 2004, and Fall-Spring Gain

Scores on Vocabulary Task by Race/Ethnicity

82.3

91.5

82.9 87.2

93.8

85.0

4.9 2.3 2.1

0.0

20.0

40.0

60.0

80.0

100.0

Hispanic White

(non-Hispanic)

Black

(non-Hispanic)

Time of Assessment and Race/Ethnicity

Mean Standard Score (N

orm = 100)

Fall 2003 Spring 2004 Difference

Figure 1

2
Hispanic children in Head Start showed signifi cant 

gains in vocabulary over the course of the Head 

Start year. In FACES 2003, 60 percent of Hispanic 

children had suffi cient English skills to be assessed in 

English in both fall 2003 and spring 2004. By the spring, 

these children showed substantial gains in English 

vocabulary, which were larger than those shown by 

Black children and White children (Figure 1). Children 

who lacked suffi cient English skills to be assessed in 

English and who primarily spoke Spanish at home 

were assessed in Spanish. These children showed 

signifi cant gains in Spanish vocabulary from fall 2003 

to spring 2004.

Cross-cohort comparisons of children’s gains 

in early literacy skills

Over the past few years, the national Head Start 

program has been stressing the importance of early 

literacy skills, such as vocabulary and alphabet 

knowledge. Cross-cohort analyses were conducted 

to examine whether there have been improvements 

in the gains Head Start children make during the 

program year. Cross-cohort comparisons for early 

literacy skills are conducted only with data from 

Head Start children aged 4 and older because 

in previous cohorts, 3-year-old children were not 

assessed in all areas. Cross-cohort comparisons show 

that gains in letter identifi cation and early reading 

during the Head Start year have increased across the 

three FACES cohorts. No similar increase in gains was 

found for vocabulary.

The average number of letters that Head Start 

children know by the end of the program year 

continues to increase. The average Head Start child 

age 4 and older now meets the Congressional goal 

of knowing at least 10 letters of the alphabet.3 Many 

research studies have shown that learning the letters 

of the alphabet is an important stepping stone on 

the path to becoming a profi cient reader. The mean 

number of letters that 4- and 5-year-old children in 

Head Start could identify correctly has increased 

signifi cantly since the 1997-98 program year, when 

the fi rst FACES study was conducted (see Figure 2). 

The mean number of letters correctly identifi ed by 

children of these ages at the end of the 1997-98 

program year was 7.2. The number grew to 9.4 letters 

by the end of the 2000-01 program year, when the 

second round of FACES was carried out. It grew 

further, to 10.1 letters, by the end of the 2003-04 

program year. The number of letters children could 

recognize at the start of the program year also 

increased signifi cantly across FACES cohorts, from a 

mean of 3.3 in 1997 to a mean of 4.3 in both 2000

and 2003. 

The gap between the early reading skills of Head 

Start children (4 years and older) and national 

norms for all U.S. children of the same age narrowed 

signifi cantly from fall 2003 to spring 2004 (+.7 

standard score points) (see Figure 3). This gap had 

not narrowed signifi cantly in FACES 1997 and

FACES 2000.

Head Start children (4 years and older) in FACES

2003 showed signifi cant gains in vocabulary 

knowledge from fall to spring (+3.1 standard score 

points). These gains were similar across the three 

FACES cohorts (see Figure 3). 

3

 Estimates of the number of letters known in FACES are derived from the early reading measure in the Woodcock-Johnson battery. Based 

on the 9 letters that children are asked to name on the task, a percent correct is calculated for each child from the number of letters 

correctly named. This percent correct is then applied to the 26 total letters in the alphabet to get a percentage-based estimate of the 

number of letters children know.

Fall Spring

Mean Number of Letters Identified by 4- and 5-year-olds

in Head Start at Start and End of Program Year

3.3

4.3 4.3

7.2

9.4 10.1

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

1997-98 2000-01 2003-04

Program Year

Mean Number of Letters Identified

Figure 2

3
Social skills of children in Head Start

Head Start children showed growth in their social 

skills during the Head Start year. In FACES 2003, 

Head Start children (all ages combined) showed 

signifi cant fall-spring gains on a measure of social 

skills/cooperative classroom behavior, similar to 

gains observed in the FACES 1997 and 2000 cohorts. 

Signifi cant fall-spring declines in withdrawn behavior 

rated by classroom teachers were observed in 

FACES 2003 which had not been observed in the 

previous two FACES cohorts. However, teacherrated hyperactive behaviors did not show signifi cant 

declines during the Head Start program year in 

FACES 2003, although signifi cant declines in teacherrated hyperactive behavior had been observed in 

both FACES 1997 and FACES 2000.

Program quality and teacher

qualifi cations in Head Start

FACES 2003 data showed that quality in Head

Start continues to be good. According to observer 

ratings using the Early Childhood Environment Rating 

Scale-Revised version (ECERS-R), which assesses 

the classroom’s learning materials, activities, and 

interactions, the mean Head Start classroom 

score was 4.81 on a scale of 1 (inadequate) to 7 

(excellent). Not only is the average ECERS-R score 

of Head Start classrooms higher than those of other 

center-based preschools, the distribution of quality in 

Head Start is higher than that found in many private 

or public-school preschool settings, with virtually no 

Head Start classrooms receiving scores indicating 

inadequate quality, and 28.4 percent of classrooms 

receiving scores in the high quality range.

FACES 2003 found higher teacher educational 

credentials than in previous FACES cohorts.

Consistent with Head Start’s efforts to increase the 

education level of its teachers, a larger proportion of 

teachers in FACES 2003 had an Associate’s degree 

or higher (72.1%) than in FACES 2000 (56.8%). The 

percentage of teachers with a Bachelor’s degree in 

FACES 2003 was 37.8 percent.

Head Start children and families

Head Start serves a diverse group of children. In fall 

2003, 4-year-old children made up 49.2 percent of 

the newly entering children in Head Start, while 45.7 

percent of the newly entering children were 3 years 

of age, and 5.1 percent were 5 years old. Almost all 

of the children (96.5%) were born in the United States. 

The children primarily fell into three racial/ethnic 

groups: non-Hispanic White (30.1%), non-Hispanic 

Black (30.8%), and Hispanic (30.7%). In spring 2004, 

Head Start teachers reported that 12 percent of 

Head Start children had diagnosed disabilities with 

IEPs (Individualized Education Program or Plan) or 

IFSPs (Individual Family Service Plan). 

Approximately one third of Head Start children are 

English language learners (ELL). The percentage of 

children whose parents reported speaking to the 

child primarily in a non-English language at home 

showed a gradual increase from 28.3 percent in fall 

1997 to 30.0 percent in fall 2000 and 32.6 percent 

in fall 2003. The largest group of ELL children was 

Hispanic (85.9% of ELL). 

A majority of mothers of Head Start children are in 

their twenties, single, in the workforce, and hold a 

high school diploma. Mothers of Head Start children 

had an average age of 28.1 years. Approximately 

40 percent of mothers were currently married, 41 

percent were never married, and 18 percent were 

separated or divorced. Thirty-fi ve percent of mothers 

4

Percentage of Gap Between 4-Year-Old Head Start

Children and National Norms Closed Between Fall and

Spring of Head Start Year: FACES 1997, 2000, and 2003

22%

10%

27%

28%

7%

-11%

-20%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Cohort of Head Start Children

Percentage of Fall Gap in Standard Scores Reduced by Spring

Vocabulary Early Reading

1997-98 2000-01 2003-04

Figure 3

Note: Vocabulary and early reading scores for this analysis are 

reported for children 4 years of age or older who were assessed in 

English in both fall and spring
reported being employed full-time, while 18 percent 

were working on a part-time basis. In FACES 2003, 

more than two thirds of mothers (68%) had a high 

school diploma or its equivalent, compared to 65 

percent in FACES 2000, and 73 percent in FACES 

1997. Only 4 percent had a college degree or higher, 

which is similar to FACES 2000 and FACES 1997.

A majority of fathers of Head Start children are 

single, employed full-time, and hold a high school 

diploma. The average age of fathers of Head Start 

children was 31.0 years. Less than one half of the 

fathers (42%) were currently married, one third (34%) 

reported never being married and 16.6 percent were 

seperated or divorced. A majority of the fathers (72%) 

worked full-time, and 8 percent worked part-time. In 

FACES 2003, 69 percent of fathers had a high school 

diploma or its equivalent, compared to 64 percent 

in FACES 2000 and 56 percent in FACES 1997. Only 

3 percent had a college degree or higher in FACES 

2003, which is similar to FACES 2000 and FACES 1997.

The majority of fathers do not reside with their 

children enrolled in Head Start. More than one half 

(53.6%) of the fathers did not live in the household 

with their Head Start children, and nearly one third of 

the non-household fathers (31.9%) saw their children 

fewer than 5 days during the previous year. These 

fi gures are very similar to FACES 2000, where 52.2 

percent of the fathers did not live in the household 

and 35.7 percent of non-household fathers saw their 

children fewer than 5 times a year.

Head Start families have low incomes. FACES 2003 

data showed that the median annual household 

income of Head Start families was $13,200. Also, 

60 percent of the families received WIC (special 

supplemental food program for Women, Infants, and 

Children), 53 percent received food stamps, and 19 

percent received TANF (Temporary Assistance for 

Needy Families).

5
Data collection instruments

Brief descriptions of the data collection 

instruments reported in this Research Brief are listed 

below. Please refer to the forthcoming FACES 5th 

Progress Report for detailed descriptions of all the 

instruments used in FACES 2003.

• The vocabulary test used in FACES 2003 includes 

a shortened 48-item adaptive version of Peabody 

Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) – Third Edition. This 

version was constructed using Item Response 

Theory (IRT) techniques and maintains the strong 

psychometric qualities of the original. Spanish 

vocabulary was assessed using an adaptive 

version of the Test de Vocabulario en Imagenes 

Peabody (TVIP).

• Early reading, early writing, and early math skills 

were measured in FACES 2003 using selected 

items from both revised and third editions of the 

Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery. 

IRT techniques were used to generate standard 

scores based on the norming populations for the 

revised edition (WJ-R) and the third edition (WJIII). Scores reported in this research brief use the 

norming population for the revised edition.

1. The Letter-Word Identifi cation task measures 

children’s reading skills in identifying isolated 

letters and words that appear in large type 

on the pages of the test book.

2. The Spelling/Dictation task measures 

prewriting skills, such as drawing lines and 

copying letters, writing specifi c upper- or 

lower-case letters of the alphabet, and

writing specifi c words and phrases, 

punctuation, and capitalization.

3. The Applied Problems task measures

children’s skill in analyzing and solving 

practical problems in mathematics, 

such as simple counting, addition, or

subtraction operations.

• Phonemic awareness was measured by an 

abbreviated version of the Preschool Children’s 

Test of Phonological Processing (Pre-CTOPP) 

Elision task. It uses pictures to assist children in 

determining how the meaning of a word changes 

when one of its component sounds is taken away. 

• The story and print concepts task asked children 

to identify where the name of the book is written, 

where the material to be read begins, and in what 

direction the reading proceeds. A story was read 

to the children and then they answered basic 

questions about both the content of the story and 

the mechanics of reading.

• Children’s perceptual-motor skills were measured 

by the Draw-A-Design task of McCarthy Scales 

of Children’s Abilities which asked the child to 

draw copies of a series of increasingly complex 

geometric fi gures. 

• A global rating of classroom quality based on 

learning materials, activities, and interactions 

in the classroom was obtained using the Early 

Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised 

(ECERS-R). The scale assesses six domains of 

classroom quality: space and furnishings, personal 

care routines, language and reasoning, activities, 

interaction, and program structure.

6

APPENDIX
7

FACES 1997 FACES 2000 FACES 2003

Fall Spring Fall Spring Fall Spring

Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-III • • • • • •

Woodcock-Johnson: Letter Word Identification • • • • • •

Woodcock-Johnson: Applied Problems • • • • • •

Woodcock Johnson: Dictation • • • • • •

McCarthy Draw-A-Design • • • • • •

Story and Print Concepts: Book Knowledge • • • • • •

Color Names and Counting • • • • • •

Social Awareness Task • • • •

Assessment Behavior Scale • • • • • •

Parent Report of Emerging Literacy Scale • • • •

Leiter Revised Sustained Attention Task •

Pre-LAS Simon Says • •

Pre-LAS Art Show • •

Pre CTOPP Elision • •

Test de Vocabulario en Imagenes

Peabody (TVIP) • • • • • •

Batería Woodcock-Muñoz:

Identificación de letras y palabras • • • • • •

Batería Woodcock-Muñoz: Problemas Aplicados • • • • • •

Batería Woodcock-Muñoz: Dictado • • • • • •

Teacher Report

Social Skills/Cooperative Classroom Behavior • • • • • •

Behavior Problems • • • • • •

Preschool Learning Behavior Scale • •

Parent Report

Social Skills/Positive Approaches to Learning • • • • • •

Behavior Problems • • • • • •

Child Observation Record • • • •

Independent Observer

Howes Peer Play Scale • •

Child Cognitive Measures

Child Social-Emotional Measures

The following table shows a list of all the measures used in FACES 1997, 2000, and 2003.
FACES 1997 FACES 2000 FACES 2003

Fall Spring Fall Spring Fall Spring

Child Cognitive Measures

Counts of children and adults • • • • • •

Assessment Profile: Scheduling • • • •

Assessment Profile: Learning Environment • • • • • •

Assessment Profile: Individualizing • • • •

ECERS (ECERS-R in 2000 and 2003) • • • • • •

Arnett Scale of Caregiver Behavior: Lead Teacher • • • • • •

Arnett Scale of Caregiver Behavior:

Assistant Teacher • •

Teacher Beliefs Scale • •

Classroom Measures

Pearlin Mastery Scale • • • • • •

CES-D Depression Scale • • • • • •

Combined Activities Scale • • • • • •

Weekly Activities Subscale • • • • • •

Monthly Activities Subscale • • • • • •

K-FAST • •

Parent Involvement in Head Start • • • • • •

Parent Measures

8
9

FALL 2003 SPRING 2004

Scales Number of Cases Mean SD Mean SD

Phonemic Awareness 1745 3.8 1.6 4.8 1.7

Story & Print Concepts 1759 3.0 2.1 4.6 2.4

Design Copying 1762 3.6 1.2 4.7 1.3

The following table shows the fall 2003 and spring 2004 means and standard deviations for the criterionreferenced scores from FACES 2003 for all children assessed in English in the fall and the spring.

FACES 2003 fall/spring scores reported in this Research Brief

The following table shows the fall 2003 and spring 2004 means and standard deviations for the norm-referenced 

scores from FACES 2003 for all children assessed in English in the fall and the spring.

FALL 2003 SPRING 2004

Scales (standard scores) Number of Cases Mean SD Mean SD

PPVT-III (vocabulary) 1756 85.6 11.6 88.5 11.1

WJR: Letter-Word Identification

(early reading) 1757 95.1 7.9 94.9 10.6

WJR: Applied Problems

(early math) 1730 88.4 15.0 89.9 15.1

WJR: Dictation (early writing) 1624 86.5 13.6 87.2 12.2

FALL 2003 SPRING 2004

Scales Number of Cases Mean SD Mean SD

Hispanic

Black (non-Hispanic)

White (non-Hispanic)

381 82.3 11.9 87.2 10.5

612 82.9 10.4 85.0 10.4

553 91.5 10.4 93.8 10.4

The following table shows the fall 2003 and spring 2004 means and standard deviations for the PPVT-III 

(vocabulary) scores from FACES 2003 for Hispanic, Black (non-Hispanic), and White (non-Hispanic) children 

assessed in English in the fall and the spring.
10

FALL 2003 SPRING 2004

Scales Number of Cases Mean SD Mean SD

Cooperative Classroom Behavior

Withdrawn Problem Behavior

Hyperactive Problem Behavior

2091 15.5 4.6 17.6 4.5

2074 2.0 2.2 1.8 2.2

2102 1.2 1.5 1.1 1.4

The following table shows the fall 2003 and spring 2004 means and standard deviations for scores from FACES 2003 

for children 4 years old and older who were assessed in English in the fall and the spring.

FALL 2003 SPRING 2004

Scales (standard scores) Number of Cases Mean SD Mean SD

PPVT-III (vocabulary) 949 85.8 12.8 88.9 11.6

WJR: Letter-Word Identification

(early reading) 947 93.1 8.8 93.8 11.4

Number of Letters Known * 947 4.3 - 10.1 -

The following table shows the fall 2003 and spring 2004 means and standard deviations for the social-emotional 

development ratings for all children as reported by Head Start teachers.

* Derived from the Letter-Word Identifi cation measure.

**