U.S. Department of Education

Institute of Education Sciences

NCES 2006-038

Fifth Grade

Findings From the Fifth 

Grade Follow-up of the Early 

Childhood Longitudinal Study, 

Kindergarten Class of 1998–99 

(ECLS-K)

E.D. TAB
Fifth Grade

Findings From the Fifth-Grade 

Follow-up of the Early Childhood 

Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten 

Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K) 

E.D. TAB 

March 2006 

U.S. Department of Education 

Institute of Education Sciences 

NCES 2006-038 

Dan Princiotta 

Kristin Denton Flanagan 

Education Statistics Services Institute 

Elvira Germino Hausken 

Project Officer 

National Center for 

Education Statistics 
U.S. Department of Education 

Margaret Spellings 

Secretary

Institute of Education Sciences 

Grover J. Whitehurst 

Director

National Center for Education Statistics

Mark Schneider 

Commissioner

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information contained herein is in the public domain. 

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 National Center for Education Statistics 

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March 2006 

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Suggested Citation 

Princiotta, D., Flanagan, K. D., and Germino Hausken, E. (2006). Fifth Grade: Findings From The FifthGrade Follow-up of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K). 

(NCES 2006-038) U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education 

Statistics. 

For ordering information on this report, write to 

 U.S. Department of Education 

 ED Pubs 

 P.O. Box 1398 

 Jessup, MD 20794-1398 

or call toll free 1-877-4ED-Pubs or order online at http://www.edpubs.org. 

Content Contact

Elvira Germino Hausken 

(202) 502-7352 

elvira.hausken@ed.gov
iii

Foreword 

This E.D. TAB presents findings from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten 

Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K) spring 2004 data collection, which included five survey 

components: direct student assessments, parent interviews, self-administered questionnaires from 

principals and teachers, and abstracts of student records. This report is based on the collection of 

data from over 9,700 students and their parents, teachers, and schools. 

The data used in this report are from the ECLS-K Longitudinal Kindergarten—Third Grade 

Public-Use Data File and the Fifth-Grade Restricted-Use Data File. Both of these data files are 

available to researchers for their own use in electronic codebook (ECB) format on CD-ROM (US 

Department of Education NCES 2004-089 and NCES 2006-033). 

We hope that the information provided in the report will be useful to a wide range of interested 

readers. Further, we hope that the results reported here will encourage researchers and others to 

make full use of the ECLS-K data for analysis, or to help answer questions about children's 

development during the elementary school years. 

Mark Schneider 

Commissioner 

National Center for Education Statistics 
vii
v

Acknowledgments 

We wish to recognize the more than 20,000 parents and children who participated during the first 

6 years of the study. We thank the teachers and administrators of the more than 4,500 schools we 

visited across the United States for allowing us to work with their children and parents, and for 

providing us with information about their students and schools. We are especially appreciative of 

the assistance we received from the chief state school officers, district superintendents and staff, 

and private school officials. 

We also thank Jerry West, formerly the Program Director of the Early Childhood and Household 

Studies Program of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and currently with 

Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., for his leadership and dedication to the ECLS-K project. We 

appreciate the support provided by Amy Rathbun and Jill Walston of the Education Statistics 

Services Institute (ESSI) in the planning and development of the ECLS-K and this report. We 

also recognize the efforts of the ECLS-K project staff, past and present (presented in alphabetical 

order, by organization): Jonaki Bose and Karen Manship, formerly with NCES; Frank Avenilla, 

DeeAnn Brimhall, and Sandy Eyster of ESSI; Emily Rosenthal and Alexa Van Brunt, formerly 

with ESSI; the entire ECLS-K project team at Westat (the main contractor in support of the 

ECLS-K), Don Rock, and Judy Pollack, ETS. 

We appreciate the review comments provided by (alphabetically): Ruth Atchison, ESSI; Lisa 

Bridges, IES; Kevin Bromer, ESSI; David Miller, ESSI; Stephen Mistler, ESSI; Larry Ogle, 

NCES; Val Plisko, NCES; Michelle Robinson, ESSI; Marilyn Seastrom, NCES; Alison Slade, 

ESSI; Anne Sweet, IES; Todd Thomas, ESSI; and Andrew White, NCES. 

 

We wish to acknowledge the support that we have received from: the Head Start Bureau of the 

Administration on Children, Youth, and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human 

Services; the Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; the National Institute 

for Child Health and Human Development, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; and 

the Office of English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic 

Achievement for Limited English Proficient Students, U.S. Department of Education’s Office of 

Special Education Programs. 

A special thank you to Kendra Chandler Webb (age 9, 1994), who designed the ECLS logo. 
vi
vii

Contents 

Page

Foreword .............................................................................................................................. iii

Acknowledgments................................................................................................................ v

List of Tables........................................................................................................................ ix

Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 1

 The Current Study ........................................................................................................... 2

 Contents and Organization of the E.D. TAB................................................................... 2

Selected Findings ................................................................................................................. 5

 Reading Achievement in Fifth Grade.............................................................................. 5

 Mathematics Achievement in Fifth Grade ...................................................................... 9

 Science Achievement in Fifth Grade............................................................................... 14

 

References ............................................................................................................................ 17

Tables ................................................................................................................................... 19

Appendix A. Survey Methodology and Glossary ................................................................ A-1

Appendix B. Standard Error Tables ..................................................................................... B-1

ix

List of Tables 

Table Page

 

1. Percentage distribution of child, family, and school characteristics: 1998, 1999, 

2000, 2002, and 2004................................................................................................. 21

 

2. Mean reading scale scores, and percentage distribution of spring fifth-grade 

reading scale scores, by child, family, and school characteristics: Spring fifth 

grade, 2004................................................................................................................. 23

 

3. Percentage of children who demonstrate certain specific reading knowledge and 

skills, by child, family, and school characteristics: Spring fifth grade, 

2004.............................................................................................. 25

 

4. Mean mathematics scale scores, and percentage distribution of spring fifth-grade 

mathematics scale scores, by child, family, and school characteristics: Spring fifth 

grade, 2004................................................................................................................. 27

 

5. Percentage of children who demonstrate certain specific mathematics knowledge 

and skills, by child, family, and school characteristics: Spring fifth grade, 2004 ..... 29

 

6. Mean science scale scores, and percentage distribution of spring fifth-grade 

science scale scores, by child, family, and school characteristics: Spring fifth 

grade, 2004................................................................................................................. 31

 

 

Appendix B Tables 

B-1. Standard errors for the percentage distribution of child, family, and school 

characteristics: 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, and 2004.................................................... B-3

 

B-2. Standard errors for mean reading scale scores, and percentage distribution of 

spring fifth-grade reading scale scores, by child, family, and school characteristics: 

Spring fifth grade, 2004 ............................................................................................. B-5

 

B-3. Standard errors for the percentage of children who demonstrate certain specific 

reading knowledge and skills, by child, family, and school characteristics: Spring 

fifth grade, 2004......................................................................................................... B-7

 

B-4. Standard errors for mean mathematics scale scores, and percentage distribution of 

spring fifth-grade mathematics scale scores, by child, family, and school 

characteristics: Spring fifth grade, 2004 .................................................................... B-9

 
x

B-5. Standard errors for the percentage of children who demonstrate certain specific 

mathematics knowledge and skills, by child, family, and school characteristics: 

Spring fifth grade, 2004....................................................................... B-11

 

B-6. Standard errors for mean science scale scores, and percentage distribution of 

spring fifth-grade science scale scores, by child, family, and school characteristics: 

Spring fifth grade, 2004 ............................................................................................. B-13
1 

Introduction 

The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998–99 (ECLS-K) is following 

a nationally representative cohort of children from kindergarten and into the later grades. The 

ECLS-K focuses on children’s school experiences beginning with kindergarten. It is a multisource, multi-method study that includes interviews with parents; collection of data from 

principals and teachers; and direct assessments of children. The ECLS-K has been developed 

under the sponsorship of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), part of the U.S. 

Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences.1

The purpose of this E.D. TAB is to introduce new NCES survey data through the presentation of 

selected descriptive information. The E.D. TAB is purely descriptive in nature. Readers are 

cautioned not to draw causal inferences based solely on the bivariate results presented in this 

E.D. TAB. It is important to note that many of the variables examined in this report are related 

to one another, and complex interactions and relationships have not been explored here. The 

variables examined here are also just a few of the variables that can be examined in these data 

and were selected to demonstrate the range of information that helped shape the design and now 

is available from the study. The selected findings are examples of comparisons that can be made 

using the data and are not designed to emphasize any particular issue. Release of the E.D. TAB 

is intended to encourage more in-depth analysis of the data, using more sophisticated statistical 

methods. 

This E.D. TAB presents findings from the fifth-grade ECLS-K data collection.2

 Findings are 

based on a sample of 9,796 members of the 1998-99 kindergarten cohort, and are representative 

of the 3.8 million students in school in spring 2004 who were in kindergarten in fall 1998.3

Findings are based on all students who participated in the ECLS-K, not just those at grade level; 

in the spring of 2004 most students (86 percent) were in fifth grade, some (14 percent) were in a 

lower grade, and few (1 percent) were in a higher grade (table 1). 

The ECLS program includes two longitudinal studies, the ECLS-K and a separate study of a 

birth cohort (ECLS-B) that follows a national sample of children born in the U.S. in the year 

2001 from birth through kindergarten entry. 

 

1

Several other federal agencies provide support for this study, including the Head Start Bureau of the Administration on Children, 

Youth, and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of 

Agriculture; the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development; and the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of 

Special Education Programs, Office of English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic Achievement for 

Limited English Proficient Students; and the Policy and Program Studies Service. 2

This E.D. Tab is a purely descriptive analysis. All differences discussed are statistically significant at the .05 level as measured 

by two-tailed Student’s t tests; this means a difference is discussed only if the probability that it is due to chance (i.e., sampling 

variability) is less than 1 in 20. In an effort to focus on substantive differences, percentage point differences are only discussed if 

they are 5 points or greater, unless percentages fall below 5 or above 95 percent, and mean score differences are only discussed if 

the associated Cohen’s d is .2 or greater. For more information, please see Appendix A. Survey Methodology and Glossary. 3

Since the sample of children fielded in 2004 was not freshened with fifth-graders who did not have a chance to be sampled in 

kindergarten (for example, because they were out of the country during their kindergarten year), this sample of children does not 

represent all fifth-graders in 2004. The sample includes only those children who participated in any part of the assessment, such 

as height or weight measurements, in each of the following data collections: fall and spring of kindergarten, spring of first grade, 

and spring of fifth grade. 
2 

The Current Study 

The ECLS-K selected a nationally representative sample of kindergartners in the fall of 1998 

and, to date, has followed these children through the spring of fifth grade. The focus of the 

current report is findings from the sixth wave of the ECLS-K data, when most of the ECLS-K 

children were in the spring of their fifth-grade year. 

The full ECLS-K base-year sample is composed of 22,782 children who attended 944 schools 

with kindergarten programs during the 1998–99 school year. The base-year ECLS-K sample is 

nationally representative of the 3.8 million children enrolled in kindergartens in the United States 

during the 1998–99 school year. 

The base-year (i.e., the kindergarten year) data were collected in the fall and spring of the 1998–

99 school year. Two more waves of data were collected in the fall and spring of the 1999–2000 

school year when most, but not all, of the base-year children were in first grade.4

 A fifth wave of 

data was collected in the spring of the 2001–02 school year when most, but not all, of the 

sampled children were in third grade. A sixth wave of data was collected in the spring of the 

2003–04 school year when most, but not all, of the sampled children were in fifth grade. 

The weighted school response rate5 for the kindergarten year was 74 percent. In that year, the 

child and parent completion rates were 92 percent and 89 percent, respectively. In the spring of 

2000 (first grade), 88 percent of children and 85 percent of the parents who were eligible for 

first-grade data collection participated in the study. In the spring of 2002 (third grade), 80 

percent of the children and 77 percent of the parents who were eligible for the third-grade data 

collection participated in the study. Finally, in the spring of 2004 (fifth grade), about 85 percent 

of children and 89 percent of parents who were eligible for the fifth-grade data collection 

participated (U.S. Department of Education 2006). 

For more technical information on issues such as sampling design, eligibility, and participation, 

please see Appendix A. Survey Methodology and Glossary. 

Contents and Organization of the E.D. TAB 

The information presented in this report was selected to describe the academic achievement of 

the cohort of students. The results are organized as follows: (1) Reading Achievement in Fifth 

Grade, (2) Mathematics Achievement in Fifth Grade, and (3) Science Achievement in Fifth 

Grade. Children’s spring fifth-grade achievement are described by similar sets of child, family, 

and school characteristics. The child, family, and school characteristics used in this report 

include the following:6

 

4

Though the majority of base-year children were in first grade during the 1999–2000 school year, about 5 percent of the sampled 

children were retained in kindergarten and less than 1 percent of others were in second grade during the 1999–2000 school year.

The fall first-grade data collection was limited to a 30-percent subsample of schools. Approximately 27 percent of the base-year 

students who were eligible to participate in year 2 attended the 30-percent subsample of schools. 5

Weighted by the base weight (the inverse of the probability of selection). 6

For more information please see Appendix A. Survey Methodology and Glossary. 
3 

• child’s sex; 

• child’s race/ethnicity; 

• poverty status, spring 2004; 

• poverty status, fall 1998 through spring 2004; 

• mother’s highest level of education, spring 2004; 

• family type, spring 2004; 

• family type, fall 1998 through spring 2004; 

• primary home language at kindergarten entry; 

• school type, spring 2004; 

• school type, fall 1998 through spring 2004; 

• grade level of child, spring 2004; 

• fall kindergarten reading achievement; 

• fall kindergarten mathematics achievement; 

• fall kindergarten general knowledge achievement; 

• number of places child has lived, fall 1998 through spring 2004; and 

• number of schools child has attended, fall 1998 through spring 2004. 

The percentage distribution of students according to these characteristics is presented in table 1. 

5 

Selected Findings 

Reading Achievement in Fifth Grade 

The ECLS-K reading achievement scale score provides an overall measure of reading 

achievement by which students from different subpopulations can be compared. In spring 2004, 

the reading scale scores had a potential range of 0 to 186 (M=138; se=.56). In addition to an 

overall reading achievement score, the ECLS-K provides information on student performance 

with respect to nine reading proficiency levels.7 This report focuses on the five highest 

proficiency levels, which reflect a progression of knowledge and skills at the fifth-grade (from 

easiest to most difficult): (1) understanding words in context, (2) making inferences using cues 

that were directly stated with key words in the text (literal inference), (3) identifying clues used 

to make inferences (deriving meaning), (4) demonstrating understanding of author’s craft and 

making connections between a problem in the narrative and similar life problems (interpreting 

beyond text), and (5) comprehending biographical and expository text (evaluating nonfiction).8

 

Overall Reading Achievement 

• Child’s race/ethnicity. White and Asian students scored higher, on average, than Black 

or Hispanic students (table 2). There were variations, however, within racial and ethnic 

groups. For example, although 43 percent of White students scored in the highest third of 

the distribution of reading achievement scores, 23 percent scored in the lowest third. 

Among Black students, 17 percent scored in the highest third, while 55 percent scored in 

the lowest third. 

• Poverty status, spring 2004. Students living in households below the poverty level 

threshold scored lower, on average, than students living in households at or above the 

poverty threshold. Sixty-one percent of students in poverty scored in the lowest third of 

the distribution of reading achievement scores, compared with 25 percent of students in 

households at or above the poverty threshold. 

• Poverty status, fall 1998 through spring 2004. Students living in poverty for all rounds 

of data collection from fall 1998 through spring 2004 scored lower, on average, than 

students who moved into and out of poverty during the same time period. 

• Mother’s highest level of education, spring 2004. On average, students whose mothers’ 

highest level of education was less than high school scored lower than other students, 

while students whose mothers had a bachelor’s degree or higher scored higher than other. 

Among students whose mothers had less than a high school diploma or equivalent, 7 

percent scored in the top third of reading achievement scores. In comparison, 58 percent 

of students whose mothers had a bachelor’s degree or higher scored in the top third. 

 

7

For more information on how reading achievement was measured, please see Appendix A. Survey Methodology and Glossary. 8

The four reading proficiency levels excluded from this report include letter recognition (level 1), identifying beginning sounds 

(level 2), identifying ending sounds (level 3), and recognizing sight words (level 4). 
6 

• Family type, spring 2004. On average, students living in two-parent or single-parent 

families outperformed those living in other types of families (i.e., living with related or 

unrelated guardians). Also, students in single-parent families were less likely than 

students in two-parent families to score in the top third of the distribution of reading 

scores (22 percent of students in single-parent families, compared with 39 percent of 

students in two-parent families).

• Family type, fall 1998 through spring 2004. Students living in single-parent families 

for all rounds of data collection were less likely to score in the top third than were 

students whose family type changed from two-parent to single-parent sometime between 

fall 1998 and spring 2004 (20 percent, compared with 31 percent). 

• Primary home language at kindergarten entry. On average, students whose primary 

home language was English when they entered kindergarten9

 outperformed those whose 

primary home language was not English when they entered kindergarten. Among 

students whose primary home language was English, 30 percent scored in the bottom 

third and 36 percent scored in the top third of the fifth-grade reading achievement 

distribution. Among students whose primary home language was not English, 53 percent 

scored in the bottom third and 16 percent scored in the top third. 

• School type, spring 2004. Students attending private schools scored higher, on average, 

than students in public schools. While public school students were fairly evenly arrayed 

across the distribution of reading scores, private school students were concentrated 

toward the upper end of the distribution with 52 percent of private school students 

scoring in the top third of the distribution. 

• School type, fall 1998 through spring 2004. Students who attended private school and 

then transferred to public school by spring 2004 were more likely to score in the highest 

third than students who attended public school during all rounds of data collection.10

• Grade level of child, spring 2004. Students enrolled in a grade below fifth grade, their 

modal grade level in 2004, scored lower, on average, than students enrolled in fifth grade. 

Three-quarters of below-grade-level students (75 percent) scored in the bottom third of 

the reading achievement score distribution, compared with 27 percent of students at grade 

level. 

• Fall kindergarten reading knowledge and skills. Students’ kindergarten year (fall 

1998) reading achievement scores were positively associated with their spring 2004 

reading achievement scores. Sixty-five percent scored in the highest third in the fall of 

1998 also scored in the highest third in 2004. Fifty-three percent of students who scored 

in the lowest third in the fall of 1998 scored in the lowest third in 2004. In general, 

 

9

The ECLS-K collected information about children’s home language during the kindergarten year of the study. 10Differences in fifth-graders’ achievement relative to the types of schools they attended should be interpreted with caution, as

children also demonstrated differences in achievement by the type of school they attended in the fall of kindergarten (West, 

Denton, and Reaney 2001). 
7 

students who scored in the lowest third in fall 1998 scored lower than others in 2004, 

while students who scored in the highest third in fall 1998 scored higher than others in 

2004.

• Number of places child has lived, fall 1998 through spring 2004. High student 

mobility, as measured by living in four or more places from kindergarten through fifth 

grade or by changing schools three or more times, was, to a certain extent, associated 

with where students fell in the reading achievement score distribution. Students who had 

lived in four or more places from kindergarten through fifth grade were less likely to 

score in the highest third (21 percent) than were students who had lived in two places (37 

percent) or in one place (39 percent). 

• Number of schools child has attended, fall 1998 through spring 2004. Students who 

changed schools three or more times from fall 1998 through spring 2004 were more 

likely than students who changed schools fewer times (or never changed schools) to score 

in the lowest third (55 percent of students who changed schools three or more times, 

compared with 37 percent who changed twice, 31 percent who changed once, and 31 

percent who never changed). 

Specific Reading Knowledge and Skills 

• Overall, 97 percent of students were proficient in understanding words in context, 87 

percent in making literal inferences, 70 percent in deriving meaning, 44 percent in 

making interpretations beyond the text, and 7 percent in evaluating nonfiction (table 3). 

• The following statements describe differences between subpopulations of students in 

each of the five reading proficiency areas. 

o White and Asian students were more likely to demonstrate proficiency than Black 

or Hispanic students. 

o Students living in poverty were less likely to demonstrate proficiency than 

students living at or above the poverty threshold. 

o Students who were persistently in poverty were less likely to demonstrate 

proficiency than students whose households were never in poverty (i.e., who were 

consistently at or above poverty). 

o Students whose mothers’ highest level of education was less than high school 

were less likely to demonstrate proficiency than students whose mothers had 

higher levels of education. 

o Students from two-parent families were more likely to demonstrate proficiency 

than students from single-parent and other family types (i.e., related and/or 

unrelated guardians). Students from single-parent families were more likely to 
8 

demonstrate proficiency than students from other family types in the four most 

advanced reading proficiency areas shown in table 3. 

o Students who lived in two-parent families for all rounds outperformed students 

whose families changed from single-parent to two-parent from kindergarten 

through fifth grade. 

o Students whose primary home language was English were more likely to 

demonstrate proficiency than students whose primary home language was not 

English. 

o Students enrolled in private schools were more likely to demonstrate proficiency 

than students enrolled in public schools. 

o Students enrolled below modal grade level were less likely to demonstrate 

proficiency than students enrolled in fifth grade. 

o Students who scored in the lowest third of reading achievement scores in fall 

kindergarten were less likely than others to demonstrate proficiency, while 

students who scored in the highest third were more likely to do so. 

• Although students in certain subpopulations were more or less likely, in the aggregate, to 

demonstrate proficiency in the reading skills shown in table 3, for each of the reading 

skills there were students in higher achieving subpopulations who did not demonstrate 

proficiency and students in the lower achieving subpopulations who demonstrated 

proficiency. For example, of students whose primary home language was not English 

when they entered kindergarten, 95 percent were proficient in understanding words in 

context, 79 percent in making literal inferences, 55 percent in deriving meaning, 32 

percent in interpreting beyond the text, and 3 percent in evaluating nonfiction. 
9 

Mathematics Achievement in Fifth Grade 

In spring 2004, the ECLS-K overall mathematics scale scores had a potential range from 0 to 153 

(M=112; se=.61). In addition to an overall mathematics achievement score, the ECLS-K 

provides more specific information on mathematics proficiency in nine areas of mathematics 

knowledge and skills.11 This report focuses on the five highest proficiency levels, which reflect a 

progression of knowledge and skills at the fifth-grade level. These five levels are as follows 

(from easiest to most difficult): (1) solving simple multiplication and division problems and 

recognizing more complex number patterns, (2) demonstrating understanding of place value in 

integers to the hundreds place, (3) using knowledge of measurement and rate to solve word 

problems, (4) solving problems using fractions, and (5) solving word problems using area and 

volume.12

Overall Mathematics Achievement 

• Child’s sex. There were differences by sex with respect to the distribution of 

mathematics achievement scores (table 4). A higher percentage of male students (37 

percent) scored in the highest third of the distribution than did female students (30 

percent). Female students were more likely than male students to score in the lowest third 

(37 percent, compared with 30 percent). 

• Children’s race/ethnicity. The average mathematics scale scores for Black students 

were lower than those of White or Asian students. In addition, while the reading scores of 

Black and Hispanics were not substantively different from one another, Black students' 

average mathematics scale scores were lower than those of Hispanic students. Eleven 

percent of Black students scored in the highest third of the distribution of mathematics 

scores, while about 62 percent scored in the lowest third of the distribution. Twenty-three 

percent of Hispanic students scored in the highest third, while 41 percent scored in the 

lowest. 

• Poverty status, spring 2004. Students living in households below the poverty threshold 

scored lower, on average, than students living in households at or above the poverty 

threshold. Fifty-seven percent of students in poverty scored in the lowest third of the 

distribution of mathematics achievement scores, compared with 26 percent of students 

living in households at or above the poverty threshold. 

• Poverty status, fall 1998 through spring 2004. Students living in poverty for all rounds 

of data collection from fall 1998 through spring 2004 scored lower, on average, than 

students who moved into and out of poverty during the same time period. Both of these 

groups scored lower than students living at or above the poverty threshold for all rounds. 

 

11For more information on how mathematics achievement was measured, please see Appendix A. Survey Methodology and 

Glossary. 12The four mathematics proficiency levels excluded from this report include counting, numbers, and shapes (level 1), relative size 

(level 2), ordinality and sequence (level 3), and addition/subtraction (level 4). 
10 

• Mother’s highest level of education, spring 2004. On average, students whose mothers’ 

highest level of education was less than high school scored lower than other students, 

while students whose mothers had a bachelor’s degree or higher scored higher than other 

students. Among students whose mothers had less than a high school diploma or 

equivalent, 10 percent scored in the top third of mathematics achievement scores. In 

comparison, 58 percent of students whose mothers had a bachelor’s degree or higher 

scored in the top third. 

• Family type, spring 2004. On average, students living in two-parent families 

outperformed those living with related or unrelated guardian(s) (i.e., “other” family type). 

• Family type, fall 1998 through spring 2004. Students living in two-parent families for 

all rounds of data collection were more likely to score in the top third than were students 

whose families changed from single-parent to two-parent sometime between fall 1998 

and spring 2004 (45 percent, compared with 18 percent). However, 21 percent of children 

who were in two-parent families for all rounds scored in the bottom third of the 

mathematics achievement score distribution. 

• Primary home language at kindergarten entry. Among those students whose primary 

home language was English, 32 percent scored in the bottom third and 35 percent scored 

in the top third. Among students whose primary home language was not English, 43 

percent scored in the bottom third and 23 percent scored in the top third. Compared with 

students whose primary language was English, students whose primary language was not 

English were more likely to score in the bottom third and less likely to score in the top 

third. 

• School type, spring 2004. While public school students were spread fairly evenly across 

the mathematics score distribution, private school students were less likely than public 

school students to score in the lowest third and more likely than public school students to 

score in the highest third. 

• School type, fall 1998 through spring 2004. Compared with students who attended 

public school for all rounds, students who attended private school for all rounds were less 

likely to score in the lowest third and more likely to score in the upper third, as were 

students who moved from private to public school between kindergarten and fifth grade. 

• Grade level of child, spring 2004. Students enrolled below the modal grade level scored 

lower, on average, than students enrolled in fifth grade. Sixty-nine percent of students 

below the modal grade scored in the bottom third of the distribution of mathematics 

achievement scores, compared with about 28 percent of students at grade level. 

• Fall kindergarten mathematics knowledge and skills. Students’ mathematics 

achievement scores from the fall of 1998 (their kindergarten year) were associated with 

their fifth-grade mathematics achievement scores. Of students who scored in the highest 

third in 1998, 67 percent scored in the highest third in 2004. In general, in terms of 

average overall achievement, students who scored in the lowest third in 1998 scored 
11 

lower than others in 2004, while students who scored in the highest third in 1998 scored 

higher than others in 2004. 

• Number of places child has lived, fall 1998 through spring 2004. High student 

mobility, as measured by living in four or more places from fall 1998 through spring 

2004 was, to a certain extent, associated with where students fell in the mathematics 

achievement score distribution. Compared with students who had resided in one place 

from kindergarten through fifth grade, students who had lived in four or more places 

were less likely to score in the highest third and more likely to score in the lowest third. 

• Number of schools child has attended, fall 1998 through spring 2004. Students who 

changed schools three or more times from fall 1998 through spring 2004 were more 

likely than students who changed schools one time or not at all to score in the lowest 

third (52 percent of students who changed schools three or more times, compared with 32 

percent who changed once and 30 percent who never changed). 

Specific Mathematics Knowledge and Skills 

• Overall, 92 percent of students demonstrated proficiency in multiplication and division, 

74 percent in place value, 43 percent in rate and measurement, 13 percent in fractions, 

and 2 percent in area and volume (table 5). 

• The following statements describe differences between subpopulations of students in 

each of the five reading proficiency areas. 

o Male students were more likely to demonstrate proficiency than female students 

in the four highest mathematics proficiencies (i.e., place value, rate and 

measurement, fractions, and area and volume) shown in table 5. 

o White and Asian students were more likely to demonstrate proficiency in each of 

the specific mathematics proficiencies than were Black or Hispanic students, and 

Black students were less likely to demonstrate proficiency than were Hispanic 

students. Asian students outperformed White students on fractions and on area 

and volume. 

o Compared with students living at or above the poverty threshold, students living 

in poverty were less likely to demonstrate proficiency in each of the mathematics 

levels. 

o From fall 1998 through spring 2004, students who lived continuously in 

households below the poverty threshold were less likely to demonstrate 

proficiency than those students who lived persistently in households at or above 

the poverty threshold. 
12 

o In every proficiency level, students whose mothers’ highest level of education 

was a bachelor’s degree or higher were more likely to demonstrate proficiency, 

compared with students in each of the other maternal education categories. 

o For each of the five mathematics proficiencies, students in two-parent families 

were more likely to demonstrate proficiency than students living with related 

and/or un-related guardian(s) (i.e., “other” family type). Compared with students 

in single-parent families, students in two-parent families were more likely to 

demonstrate proficiency in place value, rate and measurement, fractions, and area 

and volume. 

o For each mathematics proficiency, students who lived in two-parent families for 

all rounds outperformed those who lived in single-parent families for all rounds, 

those who lived in other family types for all rounds, and those whose family type 

changed two or more times. 

o Compared with students whose primary home language in kindergarten was not 

English, students whose primary home language was English in kindergarten 

were more likely, in the spring of 2004, to demonstrate proficiency in place value, 

rate and measurement, fractions, and area and volume. 

o In all but the highest mathematics proficiency level (i.e., area and volume), 

private school students were more likely to demonstrate proficiency than public 

school students. 

o Students who moved from public to private school over the course of their 

elementary education were less likely to demonstrate proficiency than students 

who attended private schools across all rounds of the study in the multiplication 

and division and place value proficiency levels. 

o In each mathematics proficiency level, students enrolled below grade level were 

less likely to demonstrate proficiency than students enrolled in fifth grade. 

o For each proficiency level, students who scored in the lowest third of mathematics 

achievement scores in kindergarten were less likely than others to demonstrate 

proficiency, while students who scored in the highest third were more likely to do 

so. 

o Students who lived in four or more places from fall 1998 through spring 2004 

were less likely to demonstrate proficiency in place value, rate and measurement, 

fractions, and area and volume, than students who lived in one place. 

o Students who changed schools three or more times were less likely to demonstrate 

proficiency in the place value, rate and measurement, and proficiency levels than 

both students who changed schools only once and students who remained in the 

same school across all rounds of data collection. 
13 

• Although students in certain subpopulations were more or less likely, in the aggregate, to 

demonstrate proficiency in the mathematics skills presented in table 5, for each of the 

mathematics skills, there were individuals in higher achieving subpopulations who do not 

demonstrated proficiency, and there were individuals in lower achieving subpopulations 

who demonstrated proficiency. While female students were less likely than male students 

to demonstrate proficiency in four of the five mathematics proficiencies, 91 percent of 

females demonstrated proficiency in multiplication and division, 70 percent in place 

values, 39 percent in rate and measurement, 10 percent in fractions, and 1 percent in area 

and volume. 
14 

Science Achievement in Fifth Grade 

The fifth-grade science assessment measured understanding of the physical and natural world 

and their ability to draw inferences, comprehend relationships, interpret scientific data, formulate 

hypotheses, and identify the best plan to investigate a given question.13 In spring 2004, the 

ECLS-K science assessment scale scores had a potential range from 0 to 92 (M=57; se=.36). The 

content of the science assessment did not lend itself to the formation of proficiency levels. 

Therefore, this E.D. TAB presents information on children’s overall science knowledge and 

skills. 

Overall Science Achievement 

• Child’s sex. A higher percentage of male students (37 percent) scored in the highest third 

of the science score distribution than did female students (29 percent) (table 6). Female 

students were more likely than male students to score in the lowest third (38 percent, 

compared with 29 percent). 

• Child’s race/ethnicity. Black students’ average science scale scores were lower than 

those of White or Asian students. As in mathematics achievement, Black students’ 

average science scale scores were lower than those of Hispanic students. Asian students 

were more likely than White students to score in the lowest third in science. Thirty-three 

percent of Asian students scored in the lowest third in science, compared with 20 percent 

of White students. 

• Poverty status, spring 2004. Students living in poverty households scored lower, on 

average, than students living in households at or above the poverty threshold. Sixty-two 

percent of students in poverty scored in the lowest third of the science achievement score 

distribution, compared with 24 percent of students at or above the poverty thresholds. 

• Poverty status, fall 1998 through spring 2004. Students living in poverty for all rounds 

of data collection from fall 1998 through spring 2004 scored lower, on average, than 

students who moved into and out of poverty during the same time period. Both of these 

groups scored lower than students living at or above poverty for all rounds. 

• Mother’s highest level of education, spring 2004. On average, students whose mothers’ 

highest level of education was less than high school scored lower than other students, 

while students whose mothers had a bachelor’s degree or higher scored higher than other 

students. Among students whose mothers had less than a high school diploma or 

equivalent, 8 percent scored in the top third of science achievement scores. In 

comparison, 60 percent of students whose mothers had a bachelor’s degree or higher 

scored in the top third. 

 

13For more information on how science achievement was measured, please see Appendix A. Survey Methodology and Glossary. 
15 

• Family type, spring 2004. On average, students living in two-parent families 

outperformed those living in single-parent or other family types (i.e., related and/or 

unrelated guardians). 

• Family type, fall 1998 through spring 2004. Students living in two-parent families for 

all rounds of data collection were more likely to score in the top third than were students 

whose family type changed from single-parent to two-parent sometime between fall 1998 

through spring 2004 (45 percent compared with 27 percent). However, 21 percent of 

children who were in two-parent families for all rounds scored in the bottom third of the 

science achievement score distribution. 

• Primary home language at kindergarten entry. Students’ average fifth-grade scale 

scores in science were greater, on average, among students whose primary home 

language was English, compared with those whose primary home language was not 

English, when they entered kindergarten. Among students whose primary home language 

was English, 29 percent scored in the bottom third and 36 percent scored in the top third. 

Among students whose primary home language was not English, 57 percent scored in the 

bottom third and 15 percent scored in the top third. 

• School type, spring 2004. The average private school student science score did not differ 

substantively from the average public school student science score. However, while 

public school students were fairly evenly distributed across the science score distribution, 

private school students were concentrated toward the upper end of the distribution, and 

more likely to score in the upper third of the distribution of scores; 51 percent of private 

school students scored in the top third of the distribution of science achievement scores, 

compared with 31 percent of public school students. 

• School type, fall 1998 through spring 2004. Students who moved from public school to 

private school were more likely than students who attended private school across all 

rounds of the study to score in the lowest third of the science score distribution (36 

percent, compared with 16 percent). Students who moved from public school to private 

school were more likely to score in the highest third than were students who attended 

public school throughout the elementary grades (50 percent compared with 30 percent). 

• Grade level, spring 2004. Students enrolled below the modal grade scored lower, on 

average, than students enrolled in fifth grade. Sixty-seven percent of below-grade-level 

students scored in the bottom third of the science achievement score distribution, 

compared with 28 percent of students at grade level. 

• Fall kindergarten general knowledge achievement. In the fall of 1998 (at the start of 

their kindergarten year), students were administered a general knowledge assessment that 

measured their knowledge of natural sciences and social studies on a single scale. 

Students’ general knowledge achievement scores from fall 1998 were positively 

associated with their spring 2004 science achievement scores. In general, students who 

scored in the highest third of the general knowledge assessment in 1998 scored higher 

than others on the science assessment in 2004. Similarly, students who scored in the 
16 

lowest third of the general knowledge assessment in 1998 scored lower than others on the 

science assessment in 2004. Among students who scored in the lowest third in the fall of 

1998, 63 percent scored in the lowest third of scores on the 2004 science assessment, 29 

percent scored in the middle third, and 8 percent scored in the highest third. Among 

students who scored in the highest third in 1998, 4 percent scored in the lowest third of 

scores on the 2004 science assessment, 29 percent scored in the middle third, and 67 

percent scored in the highest third. 

• Number of places student has lived, fall 1998 through spring 2004. Students who had 

lived in four or more places from fall 1998 through spring 2004 were more likely to score 

in the lowest third (42 percent) than were students who had lived in one place (27 

percent). 

• Number of schools student has attended, fall 1998 through spring 2004. Students 

who changed schools three or more times from fall 1998 through spring 2004 were less 

likely than students who changed schools fewer times (or never changed schools) to score 

in the highest third (17 percent of students who changed schools three or more times, 

compared with 31 percent who changed twice, 34 percent who changed once, and 35 

percent who never changed). 
17 

References 

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2006). Early Childhood 

Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998–99: Fifth-Grade Restricted-Use Data 

Files and Electronic Codebook (NCES 2006-033). Washington, DC: U.S. Government 

Printing Office. 

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2004). Early Childhood 

Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998–99: Longitudinal Kindergarten–ThirdGrade Public-Use Data Files and Electronic Codebook (NCES 2004-089). Washington, 

DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. 

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2003). Early Childhood 

Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998–99: Third-Grade Restricted-Use Data 

Files and Electronic Codebook (NCES 2003-003). Washington, DC: U.S. Government 

Printing Office. 

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2002). Early Childhood 

Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998–99: First-Grade Public-Use Data Files 

and Electronic Codebook (NCES 2002-134). Washington, DC: U.S. Government 

Printing Office. 

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2001). Early Childhood 

Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998–99: Base Year Public-Use Data Files 

and Electronic Codebook (NCES 2001-029). Washington, DC: U.S. Government 

Printing Office. 

West, J., Denton, K., and Germino Hausken, E. (2000). America’s Kindergartners (NCES 2000-

070). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. 

Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. 

West, J., Denton, K., and Reaney, L. (2001). Children’s Reading and Mathematics Achievement 

in Kindergarten and First Grade (NCES 2002-125). U.S. Department of Education, 

National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing 

Office. 

19 

Tables

21 

Characteristic

Percent of 

children

 Total 100.0

Child's sex

 Male 51.5

 Female 48.5

Child's race/ethnicity1

 White, non-Hispanic 57.7

 Black, non-Hispanic 16.0

 Hispanic 18.9

 Asian, non-Hispanic 2.8

 Other, non-Hispanic 4.6

Poverty status, spring 2004 

 Below poverty threshold 20.5

 At or above poverty threshold 79.5

Poverty status, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 Below, all rounds 7.4

 At or above, all rounds 69.8

 In and out of poverty 22.8

Mother's highest level of education, spring 2004

 Less than high school 11.3

 High school diploma or equivalent 25.4

 Some college or vocational technical degree 36.3

 Bachelor's degree or higher 27.0

Family type, spring 2004

 Two parents 73.6

 Single parent 24.4

 Other2 2.1

Family type, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 Two parents, all rounds 67.7

 Single parent, all rounds 10.7

 Other, all rounds2 0.8

 Two parents to single parent 7.8

 Single parent to two parents 5.3

 Multiple changes 7.7

Primary home language at kindergarten entry

 English 88.2

 Not English 11.8

Table 1. Percentage distribution of child, family, and school characteristics: 1998, 1999, 

Table 1. 2000, 2002, and 2004

See notes at end of table.
22 

Characteristic

Percent of 

children

School type, spring 2004

 Public 90.1

 Private 9.9

School type, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 Public school, all rounds 80.6

 Private school, all rounds 7.0

 Public school to private school 2.7

 Private school to public school 7.6

 Multiple changes 2.1

Grade level of child, spring 2004 

 Below grade level 14.1

 Fifth grade 85.6

 Above grade level 0.3 !

Number of places child has lived, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 One place 59.5

 Two places 28.6

 Three places 8.2

 Four or more places 3.8

Number of schools child has attended, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 Same school, every round 33.9

 One change, across rounds 41.9

 Two changes, across rounds 20.1

 Three or more changes, across rounds 4.0

! Interpret with caution. Standard error is more than one third as large as estimate.

1

The following are the five composite race/ethnicity categories presented in this report: 

White non-Hispanic, Black non-Hispanic, Hispanic, Asian, and Other, non-Hispanic (which 

includes Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islanders, American Indians, Alaska Natives, and nonHispanic children of more than one race).

2

Other refers to related and unrelated guardian(s).

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Estimates were weighted by 

C1_6FC0.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Early 

Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K), Longitudinal 

Kindergarten—Third-Grade Public-Use Data File, and Fifth-Grade Restricted-Use Data File.

Table 1. Percentage distribution of child, family, and school characteristics: 1998, 1999, 

Table 1. 2000, 2002, and 2004⎯Continued
23 

Lowest

 third

Middle 

third

Highest 

third

 Total 137.6 33.3 33.3 33.4

Child's sex

 Male 136.0 35.0 33.6 31.4

 Female 139.2 31.5 33.0 35.4

Child's race/ethnicity1

 White, non-Hispanic 143.4 23.1 34.2 42.7

 Black, non-Hispanic 125.7 55.5 28.0 16.6

 Hispanic 130.0 45.7 34.4 19.9

 Asian, non-Hispanic 141.8 26.4 34.8 38.8

 Other, non-Hispanic 133.1 38.1 35.9 26.0

Poverty status, spring 2004

 Below poverty threshold 121.5 60.9 25.9 13.2

 At or above poverty threshold 142.6 24.5 35.5 40.0

Poverty status, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 Below, all rounds 117.8 67.3 24.9 7.8

 At or above, all rounds 145.6 19.2 35.3 45.5

 In and out of poverty 129.7 46.8 33.8 19.5

Mother's highest level of education, spring 2004

 Less than high school 118.0 66.2 26.4 7.4

 High school diploma or equivalent 132.7 41.6 33.3 25.2

 Some college or vocational technical degree 138.3 31.4 36.3 32.3

 Bachelor's degree or higher 151.9 9.7 32.0 58.3

Family type, spring 2004

 Two parents 141.0 27.5 33.4 39.1

 Single parent 131.6 43.4 34.2 22.4

 Other2 122.8 55.0 30.2 14.7

Family type, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 Two parents, all rounds 144.3 21.9 33.4 44.7

 Single parent, all rounds 132.0 43.1 36.5 20.4

 Other, all rounds2 125.7 45.5 31.2 23.3 !

 Two parents to single parent 138.5 26.4 42.9 30.7

 Single parent to two parents 133.2 41.7 33.3 25.1

 Multiple changes 132.5 43.2 32.1 24.6

Primary home language at kindergarten entry

 English 139.3 30.2 33.6 36.3

 Not English 127.1 52.6 31.8 15.6

See notes at end of table.

Characteristic

Percentage distribution of 

Mean fifth- fifth-grade scale scores

grade scale 

score

Table 2. Mean reading scale scores, and percentage distribution of spring fifth-grade reading scale scores, by child, family, and school 

Table 2. characteristics: Spring fifth grade, 2004
24 

Lowest

 third

Middle 

third

Highest 

third

School type, spring 2004

 Public 136.4 35.1 33.6 31.3

 Private 147.8 16.4 31.8 51.8

School type, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 Public school, all rounds 135.5 36.8 33.4 29.8

 Private school, all rounds 149.8 12.8 33.3 54.0

 Public school to private school 141.1 27.7 29.2 43.2

 Private school to public school 145.4 18.8 36.1 45.2

 Multiple changes 138.6 27.1 ! 38.6 34.3

Grade level of child, spring 2004

 Below grade level 113.3 75.2 18.3 6.5

 Fifth grade 141.4 26.6 35.9 37.5

 Above grade level 165.0 3.2 ! 4.4 ! 92.4

Fall kindergarten reading achievement, overall scale score

 Lowest third 124.6 53.3 34.5 12.2

 Middle third 137.5 32.6 38.8 28.6

 Highest third 154.4 7.1 28.1 64.8

Number of places child has lived, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 One place 141.2 27.0 33.6 39.4

 Two places 139.3 30.1 33.4 36.5

 Three places 136.9 35.0 34.8 30.2

 Four or more places 132.7 40.2 39.0 20.8

Number of schools child has attended, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 Same school, every round 138.9 30.6 34.2 35.2

 One change, across rounds 138.3 31.5 34.4 34.1

 Two changes, across rounds 135.5 37.5 31.8 30.7

 Three or more changes, across rounds 129.0 54.8 21.8 23.4

! Interpret with caution. Standard error is more than one third as large as estimate.

1

The following are the five composite race/ethnicity categories presented in this report: White non-Hispanic, Black non-Hispanic, 

Hispanic, Asian, and Other, non-Hispanic (which includes Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islanders, American Indians, Alaska Natives, and 

non-Hispanic children of more than one race).

2

Other refers to related and unrelated guardian(s).

NOTE: The ECLS-K fifth grade overall reading scale score had a potential range of 0 to 186. Detail may not sum to totals because of 

rounding. Estimates were weighted by C1_6FC0.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten 

Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K), Longitudinal Kindergarten—Third-Grade Public-Use Data File, and Fifth-Grade Restricted-Use Data File.

Table 2. Mean reading scale scores, and percentage distribution of spring fifth-grade reading scale scores, by child, family, and school 

Table 2. characteristics: Spring fifth grade, 2004⎯Continued

Characteristic

Mean fifthgrade scale 

score

Percentage distribution of 

fifth-grade scale scores
25 

Characteristic

Understanding 

words in context

Making literal 

inference

Deriving 

meaning from 

text

Interpreting 

beyond text

Evaluating 

nonfiction

 Total 97.1 86.5 70.5 44.4 7.3

Child's sex

 Male 96.6 85.1 68.3 42.9 7.1

 Female 97.6 88.1 72.8 46.0 7.5

Child's race/ethnicity1

 White, non-Hispanic 98.0 90.6 78.8 51.0 9.9

 Black, non-Hispanic 95.0 78.1 53.5 31.1 2.2

 Hispanic 96.1 81.7 59.8 35.5 3.6

 Asian, non-Hispanic 97.7 89.7 77.1 49.1 8.2

 Other, non-Hispanic 95.8 82.0 64.4 40.2 6.4

Poverty status, spring 2004

 Below poverty threshold 93.4 73.6 47.6 27.7 1.8

 At or above poverty threshold 98.2 90.5 77.7 49.7 9.0

Poverty status, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 Below, all rounds 93.1 70.9 40.8 23.3 0.7

 At or above, all rounds 98.6 92.4 81.8 53.3 10.6

 In and out of poverty 95.9 81.4 59.8 35.1 3.4

Mother's highest level of education, spring 2004

 Less than high school 92.7 70.7 42.5 24.0 0.7

 High school diploma or equivalent 96.4 83.3 63.8 38.7 4.8

 Some college or vocational technical degree 97.6 88.3 72.6 44.4 5.6

 Bachelor's degree or higher 99.2 95.4 89.1 61.4 15.9

Family type, spring 2004

 Two parents 97.6 88.7 75.1 48.3 8.9

 Single parent 96.4 83.0 62.4 37.0 4.0

 Other2 92.9 74.9 50.5 29.3 1.1

Family type, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 Two parents, all rounds 98.1 90.9 79.5 52.2 10.6

 Single parent, all rounds 96.8 84.5 63.4 36.6 4.4

 Other, all rounds2 92.9 75.4 56.5 33.6 1.2 !

 Two parents to single parent 97.7 88.1 73.4 44.6 5.6

 Single parent to two parents 96.9 85.1 65.6 38.3 3.0

 Multiple changes 96.6 83.3 62.4 38.4 4.6

Primary home language at kindergarten entry

 English 97.3 87.7 73.0 46.4 8.0

 Not English 95.4 79.4 55.1 32.3 3.2

See notes at end of table.

Table 3. Percentage of children who demonstrate certain specific reading knowledge and skills, by child, family, and school characteristics: 

Table 3. Spring fifth grade, 2004
26 

Characteristic

Understanding 

words in context

Making literal 

inference

Deriving 

meaning from 

text

Interpreting 

beyond text

Evaluating 

nonfiction

School type, spring 2004

 Public 96.9 85.8 69.0 43.0 6.6

 Private 98.5 93.0 83.8 56.5 13.5

School type, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 Public school, all rounds 96.7 85.1 67.6 42.1 6.4

 Private school, all rounds 99.1 95.1 87.6 58.3 11.8

 Public school to private school 96.9 87.1 72.5 49.6 14.9

 Private school to public school 98.5 92.4 82.2 53.0 10.0

 Multiple changes 97.7 90.1 76.4 43.7 3.6 !

Grade level of child, spring 2004

 Below grade level 91.1 65.3 34.5 20.2 0.9 !

 Fifth grade 98.0 89.9 76.2 48.2 8.2

 Above grade level 99.8 98.7 96.9 79.8 38.5 !

Fall kindergarten reading achievement, overall 

scale score

 Lowest third 94.5 77.2 53.1 29.9 1.8

 Middle third 97.9 88.6 72.1 42.7 4.6

 Highest third 99.4 96.6 91.9 64.6 16.7

Number of places child has lived, fall 1998 through 

spring 2004

 One place 97.8 89.0 75.1 48.4 9.0

 Two places 97.3 87.8 72.9 46.4 8.2

 Three places 97.3 86.8 70.4 43.0 5.4

 Four or more places 96.7 84.0 65.7 38.0 4.3

Number of schools child has attended, fall 1998 

through spring 2004

 Same school, every round 97.3 87.6 72.6 45.8 7.2

 One change, across rounds 97.1 87.0 71.6 45.2 7.9

 Two changes, across rounds 96.7 84.9 67.1 42.2 6.9

 Three or more changes, across rounds 96.0 80.4 57.7 34.6 3.8 !

! Interpret with caution. Standard error is more than one third as large as estimate.

1

The following are the five composite race/ethnicity categories presented in this report: White non-Hispanic, Black non-Hispanic, Hispanic, 

Asian, and Other, non-Hispanic (which includes Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islanders, American Indians, Alaska Natives, and non-Hispanic 

children of more than one race).

2

Other refers to related and unrelated guardian(s).

NOTE: Estimates were weighted by C1_6FC0.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 

1998-99 (ECLS-K), Longitudinal Kindergarten—Third-Grade Public-Use Data File, and Fifth-Grade Restricted-Use Data File.

Table 3. Percentage of children who demonstrate certain specific reading knowledge and skills, by child, family, and school characteristics: 

Table 3. Spring fifth grade, 2004⎯Continued
27 

Lowest 

third

Middle 

third

Highest 

third

 Total 111.9 33.3 33.4 33.3

Child's sex

 Male 114.1 29.8 33.3 37.0

 Female 109.6 37.0 33.5 29.5

Child's race/ethnicity1

 White, non-Hispanic 117.3 22.9 34.4 42.7

 Black, non-Hispanic 97.9 61.8 27.2 11.0

 Hispanic 107.4 40.6 36.4 22.9

 Asian, non-Hispanic 119.7 20.4 31.5 48.1

 Other, non-Hispanic 106.4 42.2 31.6 26.2

Poverty status, spring 2004

 Below poverty threshold 98.7 56.9 30.7 12.4

 At or above poverty threshold 116.1 25.8 34.3 39.9

Poverty status, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 Below, all rounds 94.7 66.0 25.8 8.2

 At or above, all rounds 119.0 21.0 33.5 45.6

 In and out of poverty 105.7 42.7 37.2 20.1

Mother's highest level of education, spring 2004

 Less than high school 95.4 62.4 27.3 10.3

 High school diploma or equivalent 107.1 40.0 37.2 22.8

 Some college or vocational technical degree 112.8 31.6 36.1 32.3

 Bachelor's degree or higher 124.6 13.1 28.5 58.4

Family type, spring 2004

 Two parents 115.3 26.4 34.3 39.3

 Single parent 105.3 47.7 31.1 21.2

 Other2 99.0 53.7 36.7 9.6

Family type, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 Two parents, all rounds 118.3 21.4 33.1 45.5

 Single parent, all rounds 105.6 49.5 32.3 18.2

 Other, all rounds2 97.6 54.3 34.8 10.9 !

 Two parents to single parent 112.7 33.0 32.4 34.7

 Single parent to two parents 108.3 40.1 41.7 18.2

 Multiple changes 106.5 37.6 41.6 20.7

Primary home language at kindergarten entry

 English 112.9 31.6 33.2 35.2

 Not English 106.1 43.2 33.4 23.4

See notes at end of table.

Table 4. Mean mathematics scale scores, and percentage distribution of spring fifth-grade mathematics scale scores, 

Table 4. by child, family, and school characteristics: Spring fifth grade, 2004

Percentage distribution of 

fifth-grade scale scores Mean fifthgrade scale 

Characteristic score
28 

Lowest 

third

Middle 

third

Highest 

third

School type, spring 2004

 Public 111.2 34.5 33.4 32.1

 Private 118.5 22.1 32.7 45.2

School type, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 Public school, all rounds 110.5 35.9 33.0 31.1

 Private school, all rounds 120.2 16.5 36.8 46.7

 Public school to private school 113.4 38.1 20.2 41.8

 Private school to public school 119.4 19.9 33.7 46.4

 Multiple changes 108.6 38.9 44.5 16.6 !

Grade level of child, spring 2004

 Below grade level 92.5 68.8 23.3 7.9

 Fifth grade 115.0 27.6 35.1 37.3

 Above grade level 133.6 2.7 ! 25.4 ! 71.9

Fall kindergarten mathematics achievement, overall scale 

score

 Lowest third 95.2 64.0 28.9 7.2

 Middle third 112.3 30.1 43.7 26.2

 Highest third 128.3 5.8 27.4 66.8

Number of places child has lived, fall 1998 through spring 

2004

 One place 115.8 26.9 32.8 40.3

 Two places 112.7 31.9 33.4 34.6

 Three places 111.3 30.7 41.2 28.1

 Four or more places 105.7 42.3 32.8 24.9

Number of schools child has attended, fall 1998 through 

spring 2004

 Same school, every round 113.4 29.7 34.7 35.5

 One change, across rounds 112.5 32.1 34.1 33.8

 Two changes, across rounds 110.2 38.0 29.5 32.5

 Three or more changes, across rounds 102.0 51.6 33.9 14.5

Percentage distribution of 

fifth-grade scale scores

! Interpret with caution. Standard error is more than one third as large as estimate.

1

The following are the five composite race/ethnicity categories presented in this report: White non-Hispanic, Black nonHispanic, Hispanic, Asian, and Other, non-Hispanic (which includes Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islanders, American Indians, 

Alaska Natives, and non-Hispanic children of more than one race).

2

Other refers to related and unrelated guardian(s).

NOTE: The ECLS-K fifth grade overall mathematics scale score had a potential range of 0 to 153. Detail may not sum to 

totals because of rounding. Estimates were weighted by C1_6FC0.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, 

Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K), Longitudinal Kindergarten—Third-Grade Public-Use Data File, and Fifth-Grade 

Restricted-Use Data File.

Table 4. Mean mathematics scale scores, and percentage distribution of spring fifth-grade mathematics scale scores, 

Table 4. by child, family, and school characteristics: Spring fifth grade, 2004⎯Continued

Characteristic

Mean fifthgrade scale 

score
29 

Characteristic

Multiplication and 

division

Place 

value

Rate and 

measurement Fractions

Area and 

volume

 Total 92.4 73.5 42.9 13.2 1.8

Child's sex

 Male 93.3 76.6 46.7 16.1 2.4

 Female 91.5 70.3 39.0 10.2 1.2

Child's race/ethnicity1

 White, non-Hispanic 95.3 81.6 52.4 17.7 2.5

 Black, non-Hispanic 84.2 52.1 19.3 2.7 0.3 !

 Hispanic 91.1 67.6 33.7 7.3 0.8

 Asian, non-Hispanic 95.2 83.4 57.5 23.8 3.7

 Other, non-Hispanic 87.6 64.0 35.4 11.9 1.3

Poverty status, spring 2004

 Below poverty threshold 84.2 53.1 21.6 3.5 0.3

 At or above poverty threshold 95.0 80.1 49.8 16.3 2.2

Poverty status, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 Below, all rounds 81.1 44.8 16.1 3.0 ! 0.2

 At or above, all rounds 96.2 84.0 55.1 19.2 2.7

 In and out of poverty 89.6 65.6 31.3 6.2 0.6

Mother's highest level of education, spring 2004

 Less than high school 80.2 47.0 18.5 3.5 0.5

 High school diploma or equivalent 90.3 67.5 33.9 7.2 0.8

 Some college or vocational technical degree 94.4 76.2 42.9 10.8 1.3

 Bachelor's degree or higher 98.3 90.4 65.8 28.4 4.0

Family type, spring 2004

 Two parents 94.1 78.7 48.9 16.3 2.2

 Single parent 89.6 63.4 30.9 6.7 0.8

 Other2 81.2 58.6 23.5 2.0 ! 0.1

Family type, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 Two parents, all rounds 95.5 82.8 54.4 19.3 2.6

 Single parent, all rounds 90.5 64.8 30.1 6.0 1.0 !

 Other, all rounds2 76.7 56.9 24.5 2.7 ! 0.2 !

 Two parents to single parent 93.6 74.4 43.7 13.3 1.6

 Single parent to two parents 93.0 69.7 32.3 9.6 1.6 !

 Multiple changes 89.3 66.7 34.2 6.4 0.7

Primary home language at kindergarten entry

 English 92.9 75.0 44.7 14.1 1.9

 Not English 89.2 64.8 33.0 8.6 1.2

See notes at end of table.

Table 5. Percentage of children who demonstrate certain specific mathematics knowledge and skills, by child, family, and 

Table 5. school characteristics: Spring fifth grade, 2004
30 

Characteristic

Multiplication and 

division

Place 

value

Rate and 

measurement Fractions

Area and 

volume

School type, spring 2004

 Public 92.0 72.5 41.7 12.6 1.7

 Private 96.1 83.3 54.3 18.2 2.4

School type, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 Public school, all rounds 91.5 71.3 40.7 11.9 1.6

 Private school, all rounds 97.9 87.4 57.0 15.4 2.0

 Public school to private school 91.1 71.6 46.9 22.9 3.0

 Private school to public school 96.3 83.8 56.0 22.1 2.7

 Multiple changes 95.4 76.2 26.0 4.8 ! 1.6 !

Grade level of child, spring 2004

 Below grade level 78.1 41.4 14.0 3.4 ! 0.3 !

 Fifth grade 94.7 78.6 47.5 14.7 2.0

 Above grade level 99.7 96.5 79.9 60.0 ! 10.2 !

Fall kindergarten mathematics achievement, overall 

scale score

 Lowest third 82.1 47.2 15.4 1.7 0.1

 Middle third 95.6 77.6 39.3 7.5 0.6

 Highest third 99.5 95.7 74.0 30.5 4.7

Number of places child has lived, fall 1998 through 

spring 2004

 One place 94.5 79.0 49.7 17.0 2.5

 Two places 92.7 74.7 44.7 13.5 1.5

 Three places 93.1 75.0 40.1 9.7 0.8

 Four or more places 88.5 65.2 32.3 7.2 0.8 !

Number of schools child has attended, fall 1998 

through spring 2004

 Same school, every round 93.2 76.1 45.9 13.2 1.7

 One change, across rounds 92.7 74.3 43.9 14.3 1.9

 Two changes, across rounds 91.7 70.3 39.8 12.1 1.7

 Three or more changes, across rounds 86.6 59.7 23.9 6.8 ! 1.6 !

! Interpret with caution. Standard error is more than one third as large as estimate.

1

The following are the five composite race/ethnicity categories presented in this report: White non-Hispanic, Black non-Hispanic, 

Hispanic, Asian, and Other, non-Hispanic (which includes Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islanders, American Indians, Alaska Natives, and 

non-Hispanic children of more than one race).

2

Other refers to related and unrelated guardian(s).

NOTE: Estimates were weighted by C1_6FC0.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, 

Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K), Longitudinal Kindergarten—Third-Grade Public-Use Data File, and Fifth-Grade RestrictedUse Data File.

Table 5. Percentage of children who demonstrate certain specific mathematics knowledge and skills, by child, family, and 

Table 5. school characteristics: Spring fifth grade, 2004⎯Continued
31 

Lowest 

third

Middle 

third

Highest 

third

 Total 56.7 33.3 33.3 33.3

Child's sex

 Male 58.5 29.2 33.3 37.5

 Female 54.7 37.7 33.4 29.0

Child's race/ethnicity1

 White, non-Hispanic 61.6 19.6 35.2 45.2

 Black, non-Hispanic 45.9 63.0 26.6 10.4

 Hispanic 51.4 47.8 34.7 17.5

 Asian, non-Hispanic 57.9 32.5 27.1 40.4

 Other, non-Hispanic 53.2 43.1 31.4 25.6

Poverty status, spring 2004

 Below poverty threshold 46.4 62.3 26.8 10.9

 At or above poverty threshold 59.8 24.4 35.0 40.6

Poverty status, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 Below, all rounds 43.4 70.7 22.7 6.6

 At or above, all rounds 61.9 18.8 34.4 46.8

 In and out of poverty 52.0 45.3 36.7 18.0

Mother's highest level of education, spring 2004

 Less than high school 44.7 67.0 25.4 7.6

 High school diploma or equivalent 53.6 42.1 32.6 25.3

 Some college or vocational technical degree 57.2 29.7 39.6 30.8

 Bachelor's degree or higher 65.3 11.5 28.5 60.1

Family type, spring 2004

 Two parents 58.9 27.4 33.4 39.3

 Single parent 52.2 45.1 33.0 21.9

 Other2 47.5 51.5 34.8 13.7

Family type, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 Two parents, all rounds 61.0 21.3 33.9 44.8

 Single parent, all rounds 52.5 41.8 36.5 21.7

 Other, all rounds2 49.0 52.2 23.8 24.1 !

 Two parents to single parent 57.5 32.7 30.8 36.5

 Single parent to two parents 54.4 41.6 31.3 27.1

 Multiple changes 54.6 41.6 32.9 25.6

Primary home language at kindergarten entry

 English 57.9 29.4 34.4 36.2

 Not English 49.1 57.1 27.6 15.3

See notes at end of table. 

Table 6. Mean science scale scores, and percentage distribution of spring fifth-grade science scale scores, by child, 

Table 6. family, and school characteristics: Spring fifth grade, 2004

Characteristic

Mean fifthgrade scale 

score

Percentage distribution of 

fifth-grade scale scores
32 

Lowest 

third

Middle 

third

Highest 

third

School type, spring 2004

 Public 56.1 34.8 33.8 31.5

 Private 62.1 21.2 28.1 50.7

School type, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 Public school, all rounds 55.6 36.2 33.5 30.3

 Private school, all rounds 62.7 16.4 34.0 49.6

 Public school to private school 59.1 35.6 14.0 50.4

 Private school to public school 60.6 25.4 29.9 44.7

 Multiple changes 58.6 15.2 ! 63.1 21.7 !

Grade level of child, spring 2004

 Below grade level 45.3 67.0 23.3 9.7

 Fifth grade 58.5 28.0 35.0 37.0

 Above grade level 72.6 3.2 ! 10.5 ! 86.4

Fall kindergarten general knowledge achievement, overall 

scale score

 Lowest third 46.6 62.7 28.9 8.4

 Middle third 58.3 25.3 44.8 30.0

 Highest third 67.9 4.0 28.9 67.1

Number of places child has lived, fall 1998 through spring 

2004

 One place 59.0 26.9 33.6 39.5

 Two places 58.1 29.6 32.3 38.1

 Three places 56.7 33.3 36.1 30.6

 Four or more places 54.0 42.2 40.0 17.8

Number of schools child has attended, fall 1998 through 

spring 2004

 Same school, every round 57.6 30.4 34.2 35.4

 One change, across rounds 56.8 33.5 32.2 34.3

 Two changes, across rounds 55.6 36.9 32.1 31.0

 Three or more changes, across rounds 52.7 38.8 43.7 17.4

Characteristic

Mean fifthgrade scale 

score

Percentage distribution of 

fifth-grade scale scores

! Interpret with caution. Standard error is more than one third as large as estimate.

1

The following are the five composite race/ethnicity categories presented in this report: White non-Hispanic, Black nonHispanic, Hispanic, Asian, and Other, non-Hispanic (which includes Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islanders, American Indians, 

Alaska Natives, and non-Hispanic children of more than one race).

2

Other refers to related and unrelated guardian(s).

NOTE: The ECLS-K fifth grade overall science scale score had a potential range of 0 to 92. Detail may not sum to totals 

because of rounding. Estimates were weighted by C1_6FC0.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, 

Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K), Longitudinal Kindergarten—Third-Grade Public-Use Data File, and Fifth-Grade 

Restricted-Use Data File.

Table 6. Mean science scale scores, and percentage distribution of spring fifth-grade science scale scores, by child, 

Table 6. family, and school characteristics: Spring fifth grade, 2004⎯Continued
A-1 

Appendix A 

Survey Methodology and Glossary 

Survey Methodology 

The National Center for Education Statistics in the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. 

Department of Education, has sponsored the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten 

Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K) to provide detailed information on children’s school achievement 

and experiences. Estimates in this report are based on information collected by Westat. The 

children participating in the ECLS-K are followed longitudinally from kindergarten and into the 

later grades. Estimates in this report are based on data collected from and about children when 

they entered kindergarten for the first time in the fall of 1998, in the spring of 2000 (when most 

of the children were in first grade), in the spring of 2002 (when most were third-graders), and in 

the spring of 2004 (when most children were in fifth grade). 

Sample Design 

A nationally representative sample of 22,782 children enrolled in 944 kindergarten programs 

during the 1998–99 school year participated in the ECLS-K. The children attended both public 

and private kindergartens that offered full-day and part-day programs. The sample includes 

children from different racial/ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds and includes oversamples 

of Asian/Pacific Islander children, private kindergartens, and private kindergartners. 

Sampling for the ECLS-K involved a dual-frame, multistage sampling design. The first stage of 

sampling involved the selection of 100 primary sampling units (PSU) from a national sample of 

PSUs. The PSUs were counties and county groups. Public and private schools were then selected 

within the PSUs, and children were sampled from the selected schools. Public schools were 

selected from the NCES 1995–96 Common Core of Data (CCD) Universe File, which is a public 

school frame, and private schools were selected from a private school frame developed from the 

1995–96 Private School Survey (PSS), another NCES survey.14 Approximately 23 

kindergartners were selected in each of the sampled schools. In the spring of first grade, the 

sample was freshened to obtain a nationally representative sample of first-graders by bringing 

into the study first-graders who were not enrolled in kindergarten during the 1998–99 school 

year and therefore did not have an opportunity for selection in the base year. 

In the first grade data collection, while all students still enrolled in their base-year schools were 

recontacted, a 50-percent subsample of base-year students who had transferred from their 

kindergarten school was followed. For information on freshening procedures and subsampling of 

transfer children (i.e., movers), refer to the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten 

Class of 1998-99, First-Grade Public-Use Data Files and Electronic Codebook (U.S. 

Department of Education 2002). The third-grade data collection targeted base-year respondents 

 

14During the spring of 1998, Westat identified new schools that were not found on either frame. A sample of these schools was 

included in the ECLS-K school sample. 
A-2 

and children sampled in first grade through the freshening operation. Sample freshening was not 

implemented in third or fifth grade; hence no new students entered the sample. As in the firstgrade data collection, for the third-grade collection, a subsample of students who had transferred 

from their school was followed, and all others were followed at 50 percent. In third grade, 

however, the subsampling rate applied to transferred children was slightly higher: children 

whose home language was not English (also known as children belonging to the language 

minority group) and who moved for the first time in third grade were followed at 100 percent. 

For a detailed description of the third-grade sample, see the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, 

Kindergarten Class of 1998–99 (ECLS-K) Third Grade Public-Use Data Files and Electronic 

Code Book (U.S. Department of Education 2003). 

In fifth grade, the sample that was fielded was reduced by excluding certain special groups of 

children from data collection, and by setting differential sampling rates for movers in different 

categories. Specifically, children in four groups were not fielded for the fifth-grade survey, 

irrespective of other subsampling procedures that were implemented. The groups were (1) 

children who became ineligible in an earlier round because they died or moved out of the 

country, (2) children who were subsampled out in previous rounds because they were movers, 

(3) children whose parents emphatically refused to cooperate (hard refusals), and (4) children 

eligible for the third-grade sample for whom there were neither first-grade nor third-grade data. 

Of the remaining children, those who moved from their original schools during fifth grade or 

earlier were subsampled for follow-up. Children whose home language was not English 

(language minority) continued to be a special domain of analytic interest, and were subsampled 

at higher rates. 

Of the remaining children, those who moved from their original schools during fifth grade or 

earlier were subsampled for follow-up. In order to contain the cost of data collection, the rate of 

subsampling was lower in fifth grade than it had been in previous years. The subsampling rates 

maximize the amount of longitudinal data available for key analytic groups. Children whose 

home language is not English (language minority) continued to be a special domain of analytic 

interest, and were subsampled at higher rates. Children were subsampled at different rates 

depending on the longitudinal data available for those children. 

For base-year respondents, the sampling rates for following movers are as follows: 

• 0.33 for non-language minority (LM) movers with full longitudinal data; 

• 0.25 for non-LM movers with third-grade but not first-grade data; 

• 0.15 for non-LM movers with first-grade but not third-grade data; 

• 0.75 for LM movers with full longitudinal data; 

• 0.50 for LM movers with third-grade but not first-grade data; and 

• 0.25 for LM movers with first-grade but not third-grade data.

The subsampling rate for children added to the sample in spring 2000 when it was freshened who 

were movers in spring 2004 (or earlier) are as follows: 

• 0.33 for non-LM movers with full longitudinal data; 

• 0.15 for non-LM movers with third-grade but not first-grade data; 
A-3 

• 0.15 for non-LM movers with first-grade but not third-grade data; 

• 0.75 for LM movers with full longitudinal data; 

• 0.25 for LM movers with third-grade but not first-grade data; and 

• 0.25 for LM movers with first-grade but not third-grade data. 

These rates are different than those used in third grade where movers were subsampled 

uniformly at a rate of 0.5, and language minority children were followed at 100 percent (unless 

they were already subsampled out in first grade). The mover follow-up activities that originally 

targeted a 50 percent subsample of children in base year schools resulted in a 54 percent 

subsample with the addition of language minority children in third grade. For fifth grade, these 

mover follow-up activities targeted a 42 percent subsample of movers who were eligible to be 

fielded in fifth grade and resulted in a 41 percent subsample. See the Early Childhood 

Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998–99 Fifth-Grade Data Files and Electronic Code 

Book (U.S. Department of Education 2006) for a more detailed description of the fifth-grade 

sample. 

Fall kindergarten data were obtained from September to December 1998, with 80 percent of the 

assessments conducted between early October and mid-November. The spring kindergarten data 

were obtained from March to June 1999, with 80 percent of the assessments conducted between 

mid-April and late May. Spring first-grade data were obtained from March to July 2000, and 

spring third-grade data were obtained from March to July 2002, with 80 percent of the 

assessments at each round conducted between early April and late May. Spring fifth-grade data 

were collected from February through June 2004, with over 75 percent of the child assessments 

completed by the end of April. 

Response Rates 

A total of 944 of the 1,277 originally sampled schools participated during the base year of the 

study. This translates into a weighted response rate (weighted by the base weight) of 74 percent 

for the base year of the study. The school response rate during the spring of the base year (74.2 

percent) was higher than during the fall (69.4 percent); this was because some of the schools that 

originally declined to participate decided to participate in the spring. Nearly all (99.4 percent) of 

the schools that participated in the fall of the base year also participated in the spring. 

The weighted child base-year survey completion rate was 92 percent (i.e., 92 percent of the 

children were assessed at least once during kindergarten). The weighted parent base-year 

completion rate was 89 percent (i.e., a parent interview was completed at least once during 

kindergarten). Thus, the weighted overall base-year response rate for children was 68.1 percent 

(74 percent x 92 percent) and the weighted base-year response rate for the parent interview was 

65.9 percent (74 percent x 89 percent). About 95 percent of the children and 94 percent of the 

parents who participated in the fall of kindergarten also participated in the spring. About 88 

percent of the children and 85 percent of the parents who were eligible for the spring first-grade 

data collection participated. In the spring of 2002 (third grade), about 80 percent of the children 

and 77 percent of the parents who were eligible for the spring third-grade data collection 

participated. Finally, about 85 percent of children and 89 percent of parents eligible for the 
A-4 

spring fifth-grade data collection (spring 2004) participated (U.S. Department of Education 

2006). 

A nonresponse bias analysis was conducted to determine if substantial bias was introduced as a 

result of the base-year school nonresponse. For information on the nonresponse bias analysis, 

refer to the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998–99 Base Year 

Public-Use Data Files and Electronic Codebook (U.S. Department of Education 2001) and the 

Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998–99 First-Grade Public-Use 

Data Files and Electronic Codebook (U.S. Department of Education 2002). Findings from these 

analyses suggest that there is not a substantial bias due to nonresponse. 

The item nonresponse rates for the variables used in this report are low, ranging from 0 to about 

1.5 percent for the analysis sample. A few of the variables were fully imputed and have no 

missing data (e.g., mother’s education). More information on item missing data can be found in 

the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998–99 Fifth-Grade RestrictedUse Child File (U.S. Department of Education 2006). 

Data Reliability 

Estimates produced using data from the ECLS–K are subject to two types of error, sampling and 

nonsampling errors. Nonsampling errors are errors made in the collection and processing of 

data. Sampling errors occur because the data are collected from a sample rather than a census of 

the population. A detailed discussion of these types of errors can be found in America’s 

Kindergartners (West, Denton, and Germino Hausken 2000). 

Standard Errors and Weights 

As in previous years, the ECLS-K data are weighted to compensate for unequal probabilities of 

selection at each sampling stage and to adjust for the effects of school, child, teacher, and parent 

nonresponse. However, unlike the kindergarten and first-grade years, the sample was not 

freshened after the first grade year with third- or fifth-graders who did not have a chance to be 

sampled in kindergarten or first grade. Therefore, estimates from the ECLS-K third- and fifthgrade data are representative of the population cohort rather than all third-graders in 2001–02 or 

all fifth-graders in 2003–04. In addition, the teachers and schools are not representative of thirdgrade teachers and schools in 2001–02, or of fifth-grade teachers and schools in 2003–04. A 

brief description of the weighting process follows. The first stage of the weighting process 

assigns weights to the sampled primary sampling units (PSUs) that are equal to the inverse of the 

PSU probability of selection.15 The second stage of the weighting process assigns weights to the 

schools sampled within PSUs. The base weight for each sampled school is the PSU weight 

multiplied by the inverse of the probability of selecting the school. The base weights for eligible 

schools are adjusted for nonresponse. These adjustments are made separately for public and 

private schools. 

 

15The approach used to develop weights for the ECLS-K is described in the ECLS-K Data Files and Electronic Codebooks (U.S. 

Department of Education 2001, U.S. Department of Education 2002, U.S. Department of Education 2003, and U.S. Department 

of Education 2006). 
A-5 

The base weight for each child in the sample is the school nonresponse adjusted weight for the 

school the child attends, multiplied by a post-stratified within-school student weight (total 

number of students in the school, divided by the number of students sampled in the school). The 

child panel weight (C1_6FC0), which is the weight used to produce the estimates found in this 

report, is the base-year child weight adjusted for nonresponse to the child assessments at each 

round of data collection. Only those cases with child assessment data in both fall and spring of 

kindergarten, spring of first grade, spring of third grade, and spring of fifth grade are included in 

this weighting procedure.16 Again, these adjustments are made separately for public and private 

schools. This weight sums to the population of all children who attended kindergarten in the fall 

of 1998. 

In addition to properly weighting the responses, special procedures for estimating the statistical 

significance of the estimates were employed, because the data were collected using a complex 

sample design. Complex sample designs, like that used in the ECLS-K, result in data that violate 

the assumptions that are normally required to assess the statistical significance of results. 

Frequently, standard errors of estimates based on complex samples are larger than those based on 

simple random samples. Replication methods of variance estimation were used to reflect the 

multistage sample design used in the ECLS-K. Using SAS-callable SUDAAN statistical 

software,17 the jackknife replication method (JK2) was used with 90 ECLS-K replicate weights 

to compute approximately unbiased estimates of the standard errors of the estimates in the report. 

The jackknife method was used to estimate the precision of the estimates of the reported national 

percentages and means. 

Statistical Procedures

Comparisons made in the text were tested for statistical significance at the p<.05 level to ensure 

that the differences are larger than might be expected due to sampling variation. When 

comparing estimates between categorical groups (e.g., sex, race/ethnicity), t statistics were 

calculated. The formula used to compute the t statistic was 

2

2

2

1

1 2

SE SE

Est Est

t

+

− =

where Est1 and Est2 are the estimates being compared and SE1 and SE2 are their corresponding 

standard errors. Due to the large sample size, many differences (no matter how substantively 

minor) are statistically significant. In this report, we define “substantive differences” as 

percentage differences of 5 points or greater, unless percentages fall below 5 or above 95 

 

16Children received a valid child assessment weight if they participated in any part of the child assessment, such as the height and 

weight measurements, at each time period. Thus, children who were unable to take the cognitive assessments because of their 

disability or language status could still have a valid child assessment weight. 

17SUDAAN statistical software is designed to calculate estimates and appropriate standard errors for multistage, stratified, and 

unequal probability sample designs. 
A-6 

percent, or mean score differences with a Cohen’s d of .2 or greater. The formula used to 

compute the d statistic was 

1 2

2

2 2 2

2

1 1 1

1 2

( 1)( ) ( 1)( )

n n

n SE n n SE n

Est Est d

+

− + −

− =

where Est1 and Est2 are the mean scores being compared, SE1 and SE2 are their corresponding 

standard errors, and n1 and n2 are their corresponding unweighted sample sizes. Differences were 

only discussed if they were both statistically significant and substantive. 

Glossary: Constructs and Variables Used in Analysis 

Direct Cognitive Assessment: Reading, Mathematics, and 

Science 

The direct cognitive assessments were individually administered at all six time points. A twostage cognitive assessment approach was used to maximize the accuracy of measurement and 

reduce administration time by using the children’s responses from a brief first-stage routing test 

to select a second-stage form of the appropriate level of difficulty. 

The kindergarten-first grade (K-1) cognitive assessment focused on three general content areas: 

(1) reading; (2) mathematics; and (3) knowledge of the social and physical world, referred to as 

“general knowledge.” The K-1 assessment did not ask the children to write anything or to 

explain their reasoning; rather, children pointed to their answers or responded orally to complete 

the tasks. The assessment battery was administered using small easels with the items printed on 

one side and administration instructions for the assessor on the other side. Assessors entered 

children's responses on a laptop computer. 

The third- and fifth-grade direct cognitive assessments, as in previous years, included reading 

and mathematics domains. By third grade, however, children’s knowledge of the world is more 

categorized into science and social studies domains. With limited time available for direct 

assessment, the assessments after first grade included only the science domain. Easels were used 

to administer items in reading, mathematics, and science. The students also completed 

workbooks with open-ended mathematics questions. The reading passages were in a booklet 

format to allow the student to refer back to the story when answering the questions. The assessor 

read all questions. While the child read the response options in the reading assessment, all the 

response options were read to the child in the mathematics and science assessments. 

The ECLS-K fifth-grade direct cognitive assessment battery was designed to assess children’s 

academic achievement in spring of fifth grade, and to provide a means of measuring growth 
A-7 

since kindergarten entry.18 Therefore, the cognitive assessments (the K-1 assessment and the 

third- and fifth-grade assessments) were designed to have overlapping items, i.e., items that were 

included in at least two rounds of data collection. 

Reading. The K-1 reading assessment included questions designed to measure basic skills (print 

familiarity, letter recognition, beginning and ending sounds, creating rhyming words, “sight” 

word recognition), vocabulary (receptive vocabulary), and comprehension (listening 

comprehension, words in context). Comprehension items measured skills in initial 

understanding, developing interpretation, personal reflection, and demonstrating critical stance. 

The third-grade reading assessment included items designed to measure phonemic awareness, 

single word decoding, vocabulary (reading), and passage comprehension. Comprehension 

measured skills in initial understanding, developing interpretation, personal reflection, and 

demonstrating a critical stance. The passage reading section examined sentence, paragraph, and 

story comprehension and was composed of a variety of literary genres including poetry, letters, 

informational text, and narrative text. 

In the fifth grade, items were added to the reading assessment. These items were more difficult 

and contributed to the formation of a proficiency level where children demonstrated their ability 

to comprehend biographical and expository text (evaluating nonfiction). Children were required 

to identify the tone of a remark, the author’s purpose for a selection, and evidence for and against 

theories discussed in the text. 

In addition to serving as an overall indicator of children’s reading knowledge and skills (i.e., an 

overall scale score), the third- and fifth-grade reading battery links with the kindergarten and 

first-grade reading battery, creating the information on the following specific reading skills (i.e., 

proficiency scores): (1) identifying upper- and lower-case letters of the alphabet by name (letter 

knowledge); (2) associating letters with sounds at the beginning of words (beginning sounds); (3) 

associating letters with sounds at the end of words (ending sounds); (4) recognizing common 

“sight” words (sight words); (5) reading words in context (words in context); (6) making 

inferences using cues that were directly stated with key words in text (literal inference); (7) 

identifying clues used to make inferences (extrapolation); (8) demonstrating understanding of 

author’s craft and making connections between a problem in the narrative and similar life 

problems (evaluation); and (9) comprehension of biographical and expository text (evaluating 

nonfiction). 

This E.D. TAB presents information on children’s overall reading knowledge and skills. 

Additionally, this E.D. TAB presents information on the children’s specific reading skills 

associated with fifth grade (proficiency levels 5 through 9—words in context; literal inference; 

deriving meaning, interpreting beyond text; and evaluating nonfiction). Skill levels 1 through 4 

(letter knowledge, beginning sounds, ending sounds, and sight words) are achieved by nearly all 

normally-developing children by the time they enter fifth grade and thus are not addressed in this 

report. 

 

18For more information on the ECLS-K direct cognitive assessment please see the User’s Manuals on the Early Childhood 

Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998–99 Fifth-Grade Restricted-Use Child File (U.S. Department of Education 2006). 
A-8 

Mathematics. The K-1 mathematics assessment was designed to measure skills in conceptual 

knowledge, procedural knowledge, and problem solving. The third- and fifth-grade mathematics 

assessments addressed the following content strands: number sense, properties, and operations; 

measurement; geometry and spatial sense; data analysis, statistics, and probability; and patterns, 

algebra, and functions. The cognitive processes (conceptual, procedural, and problem solving) 

were assessed in each of the strands. Some of the items drew upon knowledge from more than 

one strand. For example, an item might require that a child apply knowledge about geometry, 

measurement, and number operations to answer the question correctly. 

In addition to serving as an overall indicator of children’s mathematics knowledge and skills 

(i.e., an overall scale score), the third- and fifth-grade mathematics battery links with the 

kindergarten and first-grade mathematics battery, creating the information on the following 

specific mathematics skills (i.e., proficiency scores): (1) identifying some one-digit numerals, 

recognizing geometric shapes, and one-to-one counting up to 10 objects (number and shape); (2) 

reading all one-digit numerals, counting beyond 10, recognizing a sequence of patterns, and 

using nonstandard units of length to compare the size of objects (relative size); (3) reading twodigit numerals, recognizing the next number in a sequence, identifying the ordinal position of an 

object, and solving a simple word problem (ordinality and sequence); (4) solving simple addition 

and subtraction problems (addition and subtraction); (5) solving simple multiplication and 

division problems and recognizing more complex number patterns (multiplication and division); 

(6) demonstrating understanding of place value in integers to the hundreds place (place value); 

(7) using knowledge of measurement and rate to solve word problems (rate and measurement); 

(8) solving problems using fractions (fractions); and (9) solving word problems involving area 

and volume (area and volume). 

This E.D. TAB presents information on children’s overall mathematics knowledge and skills. 

Additionally, this E.D. TAB presents information on specific mathematics skills that are 

expected to develop between the spring of third grade and the spring of fifth grade (proficiency 

levels 5 through 9—multiplication and division; place value; rate and measurement; fractions; 

and area and volume). 

Science. The third- and fifth-grade batteries differed from the K-1 battery. The K-1 battery 

included a measure of general knowledge whereas the third- and fifth-grade batteries included a 

measure of science. The K-1 general knowledge assessment battery consisted of items that 

measured knowledge in the natural sciences and social studies in a single scale. The third- and 

fifth-grade science assessment placed equal emphasis on life science, earth and space science, 

and physical science. Similar to the K-1 assessment of general knowledge, children needed to 

demonstrate understanding of the physical and natural world, draw inferences, and comprehend 

relationships. The content of the science assessment did not lend itself to the formation of 

proficiency levels. Therefore, this E.D. TAB presents information on children’s overall science 

knowledge and skills. 

Child and Family Characteristics

A number of variables used in this report were derived by combining information from one or 

more questions in the ECLS-K study instruments. The name of the source variable as presented 
A-9 

on the ECLS–K Public-Use Data File is shown after the description in all capital letters within 

brackets. More information on the derivation of key variables is described in Chapter 7 of the 

Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99, Fifth-Grade Data File and 

Electronic Codebook (U.S. Department of Education 2006). 

• Child’s sex [R6GENDER]. This composite is mainly taken from information confirmed 

in the fall kindergarten parent interview. If the parent interview indicated a sex different 

from the field management system, then the parent interview information took priority. 

• Child’s race/ethnicity [W5RACETH]. In spring of fifth grade, the race of the focal 

child was no longer collected in the parent interview; thus, race information is based on 

race collected in previous parent interviews and the FMS. The race/ethnicity composite 

on the ECLS-K fifth-grade restricted-use data file was constructed from two parentreported variables: ethnicity and race. Following the 1997 Office of Management and 

Budget guidelines, respondents were allowed to indicate that their child belonged to more 

than one of the following race categories: White, Black or African American, American 

Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander. In addition, 

each respondent was asked to identify whether the child was Hispanic. The following are 

the five composite race/ethnicity categories presented in this report: White non-Hispanic, 

Black non-Hispanic, Hispanic, Asian, and Other, non-Hispanic (which includes Native 

Hawaiian, Pacific Islanders, American Indians, Alaska Natives, and non-Hispanic 

children of more than one race). When race/ethnicity differences are presented in this 

report, White refers to White, non-Hispanic, and Black refers to Black, non-Hispanic. 

• Poverty status, spring 2004 [W5POVRTY]. The federal poverty level status composite 

variable is derived from household income and the total number of household members. 

Federal poverty thresholds are used to define households below the poverty level. 

Households whose income fell below the appropriate threshold based on Census 

information from 2003 were classified as living in poverty. For example, if a household 

contained two members, and the household income was lower than $12,015, then the 

household was considered to be below the poverty threshold. 

• Poverty status, fall 1998 through spring 2004 [derived from WKPOV_R, 

W1POVRTY, W3POVRTY, and W5POVRTY]. This composite variable classified 

children into three categories: (1) below the poverty threshold, all rounds; (2) at or above 

the poverty threshold, all rounds; and (3) in and out of poverty across rounds. The 

composite was derived from poverty status variables for kindergarten, first grade, third 

grade, and fifth grade. The poverty status variables were created using federal poverty 

thresholds and derived from household income and the number of household members. 

• Mother’s highest level of education, spring 2004 [W5MOMED]. This composite is 

derived from parent interview information on the mother’s educational attainment, and is 

imputed using hot-deck procedures if missing. For this report, the composite was 

collapsed into a four-category variable: less than high school, high school diploma or 

equivalent, some college or vocational technical degree, and bachelor’s degree or higher. 
A-10 

The 260 children without mothers in the household in the fifth-grade year do not have 

values for this variable. 

• Family type, spring 2004 [P6HFAMIL]. This composite is derived from parent 

interview information on the number of parents and siblings in the home. For this report, 

the composite was collapsed into a three-category variable: two-parent household, singleparent household, and other household. Other households include related and/or unrelated 

guardians.

• Family type, fall 1998 through spring 2004 [derived from P1HFAMIL, P2HFAMIL, 

P4HFAMIL, P5HFAMIL, and P6HFAMIL]. This composite variable classified 

children into six categories: (1) two parents, all rounds; (2) single parent, all rounds; (3) 

other parent type, all rounds (related or unrelated guardians(s); (4) two parents to single 

parent; (5) single parent to two parents; and (6) multiple changes. The composite was 

derived from family type variables for fall kindergarten, spring kindergarten, spring first 

grade, spring third grade, and spring fifth grade, which indicated whether a child lived in 

a home with two parents, a single parent, or some other type of parent at the time of data 

collection. 

• Primary home language at kindergarten entry [WKLANGST]. This composite is 

derived from the fall kindergarten parent interview on information on the different 

languages spoken in the home. Children are classified into two categories for this 

variable: English language and non-English language. 

• School type, spring 2004 [S6PUPRI]. This variable indicates whether a child attended a 

public or private school in the spring of fifth grade. Public schools included Bureau of 

Indian Affairs and tribal schools, public schools of choice (e.g., charter schools), and 

public schools with magnet programs. Private schools included Catholic schools, other 

religious private schools, and nonreligious private schools. 

• School type, fall 1998 through spring 2004 [derived from S2KPUPRI, S4PUPRI, 

S5PUPRI, S6PUPRI]. This composite variable classified children into five categories: 

(1) public school all years, (2) private school all years, (3) public school to private school, 

(4) private school to public school, and (5) multiple changes in school type across rounds. 

The composite was derived from school type variables from the kindergarten, first grade, 

third grade, and fifth-grade data collections, which indicated whether a child attended a 

public or private school. Public schools included Bureau of Indian Affairs and tribal 

schools, public schools of choice (e.g., charter schools), and public schools with magnet 

programs. Private schools included Catholic schools, other religious private schools, and 

nonreligious private schools. 

• Grade level of child, spring 2004 [T6GLVL]. Grade level of child, spring 2004 

[T6GLVL]. To create the grade-level composite (T6GLVL), five possible sources of 

information were used: (1) reading teacher questionnaire (Q1 G6GRENRL for grade 

level); (2) special education teacher part B (Q2 E6ENRGR for grade level); (3) child 

assessment introductory section (AIQ.030 C6INGRAD; completed by interviewer); (4) 
A-11 

child assessment closing section (ACQ.005 C6FIFTH and ACQ.010 C6GRADE, 

completed by interviewer); and (5) FMS information about grade level. If conflicts 

existed among these five sources, the grade level indicated by the majority of the 

nonmissing sources was used for T6GLVL. 

• Number of places child has lived, fall 1998 through spring 2004 [derived from 

P4NUMPLA, P5NUMPLA, and P6NUMPLA]. This composite variable classified 

children into four categories according to the number of places they had lived from 

kindergarten through fifth grade: (1) one place, (2) two places, (3) three places, and (4) 

four or more places (the “four or more places” category also included children who never 

lived in one place for at least 4 months from kindergarten through fifth grade). In first 

grade, parents were asked how many places the child had lived for 4 months or more 

since kindergarten. In third and fifth grade, parents were asked how many places the child 

had lived for 4 months or more since the prior round of information was collected.

• Number of schools child has attended, fall 1998 through spring 2004 [derived from 

S1_ID, S2_ID, S4_ID, S5_ID, and S6_ID]. This composite variable classified children 

into four categories according to how many times they changed schools from 

kindergarten through fifth grade: (1) same school, every round; (2) one change; (3) two 

changes; and (4) three or more changes. In the ECLS-K, each school is assigned a unique 

school identification number. S1_ID (fall kindergarten), S2_ID (spring kindergarten), 

S4_ID (first grade), S5_ID (third grade), and S6_ID (fifth grade) are the school 

identification numbers associated with the child for each round of data collection. If a 

child changed schools, the school identification number changed. Because information 

was collected in fall kindergarten, spring kindergarten, fall first grade, spring first grade, 

spring third grade, and spring fifth grade, this variable might slightly underestimate the 

number of changes in a child’s school. That is, we did not collect information in second 

or fourth grade, and information was not collected on the “total number” of school 

changes from either the parent or the school records. Therefore, calculating school 

mobility in this way is a close approximation. 

B-1 

Appendix B 

Standard Error Tables 

B-3 

Characteristic

Percent of 

children

 Total †

Child's sex

 Male 0.35

 Female 0.35

Child's race/ethnicity

 White, non-Hispanic 1.44

 Black, non-Hispanic 0.84

 Hispanic 1.06

 Asian, non-Hispanic 0.20

 Other, non-Hispanic 0.93

Poverty status, spring 2004 

 Below poverty threshold 1.09

 At or above poverty threshold 1.09

Poverty status, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 Below, all rounds 0.70

 At or above, all rounds 1.30

 In and out of poverty 1.04

Mother's highest level of education, spring 2004

 Less than high school 0.79

 High school diploma or equivalent 0.82

 Some college or vocational technical degree 1.02

 Bachelor's degree or higher 0.94

Family type, spring 2004

 Two parents 1.07

 Single parent 1.05

 Other 0.33

Family type, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 Two parents, all rounds 1.33

 Single parent, all rounds 0.81

 Other, all rounds 0.15

 Two parents to single parent 0.62

 Single parent to two parents 0.52

 Multiple changes 0.66

Primary home language at kindergarten entry

 English 0.73

 Not English 0.73

Table B-1. Standard errors for the percentage distribution of child, family, and school 

Table B-1. characteristics: 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, and 2004

See notes at end of table.
B-4 

Characteristic

Percent of 

children

School type, spring 2004

 Public 0.77

 Private 0.77

School type, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 Public school, all rounds 0.88

 Private school, all rounds 0.59

 Public school to private school 0.37

 Private school to public school 0.57

 Multiple changes 0.42

Grade level of child, spring 2004 

 Below grade level 1.10

 Fifth grade 1.09

 Above grade level 0.12

Number of places child has lived, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 One place 1.01

 Two places 0.96

 Three places 0.74

 Four or more places 0.45

Number of schools child has attended, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 Same school, every round 1.31

 One change, across rounds 1.29

 Two changes, across rounds 1.21

 Three or more changes, across rounds 0.65

† Not Applicable.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Early 

Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K), Longitudinal 

Kindergarten —Third-Grade Public-Use Data File, and Fifth-Grade Restricted-Use Data 

File.

Table B-1. Standard errors for the percentage distribution of child, family, and school 

Table B-1. characteristics: 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, and 2004⎯Continued
B-5 

Lowest

 third

Middle 

third

Highest 

third

 Total 0.56 1.05 0.87 0.98

Child's sex

 Male 0.76 1.42 1.21 1.31

 Female 0.80 1.47 1.20 1.59

Child's race/ethnicity

 White, non-Hispanic 0.70 1.28 1.23 1.37

 Black, non-Hispanic 1.17 2.55 2.07 2.37

 Hispanic 0.81 1.56 1.74 1.59

 Asian, non-Hispanic 1.60 3.06 2.81 3.34

 Other, non-Hispanic 4.48 8.04 5.07 5.14

Poverty status, spring 2004

 Below poverty threshold 1.30 2.21 1.69 1.69

 At or above poverty threshold 0.47 1.01 1.04 1.09

Poverty status, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 Below, all rounds 1.46 3.11 2.99 1.78

 At or above, all rounds 0.55 1.04 1.24 1.28

 In and out of poverty 1.26 2.39 2.15 2.06

Mother's highest level of education, spring 2004

 Less than high school 1.28 2.12 1.97 1.72

 High school diploma or equivalent 1.03 1.98 1.84 1.71

 Some college or vocational technical degree 0.77 1.68 1.86 1.83

 Bachelor's degree or higher 0.70 1.04 1.95 1.99

Family type, spring 2004

 Two parents 0.63 1.15 1.05 1.20

 Single parent 0.96 2.12 2.20 1.78

 Other 3.36 6.98 7.17 4.20

Family type, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 Two parents, all rounds 0.63 1.06 1.22 1.42

 Single parent, all rounds 1.65 3.60 3.51 3.11

 Other, all rounds 6.77 10.67 7.75 11.24

 Two parents to single parent 1.74 3.34 4.30 3.71

 Single parent to two parents 2.17 5.17 5.30 4.34

 Multiple changes 2.45 4.46 4.15 4.84

Primary home language at kindergarten entry

 English 0.59 1.05 1.00 1.09

 Not English 1.12 2.36 1.69 1.58

Characteristic

Percentage distribution of 

fifth-grade scale scores Mean fifthgrade scale 

score

Table B-2. Standard errors for mean reading scale scores, and percentage distribution of spring fifth-grade reading scale scores, by 

Table B-2. child, family, and school characteristics: Spring fifth grade, 2004
B-6 

Lowest

 third

Middle 

third

Highest 

third

School type, spring 2004

 Public 0.63 1.21 0.94 1.11

 Private 1.42 2.29 2.23 2.79

School type, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 Public school, all rounds 0.66 1.25 0.94 1.17

 Private school, all rounds 0.84 1.40 2.18 2.44

 Public school to private school 3.87 6.78 5.39 6.38

 Private school to public school 2.02 3.11 4.68 4.94

 Multiple changes 4.52 9.38 9.05 10.75

Grade level of child, spring 2004

 Below grade level 1.62 3.71 3.32 1.69

 Fifth grade 0.57 1.15 0.88 1.06

 Above grade level 3.71 3.25 3.23 4.98

Fall kindergarten reading achievement, overall scale score

 Lowest third 1.00 2.19 1.99 1.29

 Middle third 0.74 1.71 1.58 1.52

 Highest third 0.54 0.84 1.53 1.60

Number of places child has lived, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 One place 0.71 1.34 1.26 1.43

 Two places 0.97 2.02 2.31 2.09

 Three places 2.30 5.23 4.27 4.56

 Four or more places 3.47 7.10 6.68 6.37

Number of schools child has attended, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 Same school, every round 0.86 1.42 0.77 1.21

 One change, across rounds 0.77 1.70 1.42 1.64

 Two changes, across rounds 1.37 2.54 2.71 3.09

 Three or more changes, across rounds 3.88 8.17 7.21 6.71

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten 

Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K), Longitudinal Kindergarten—Third-Grade Public-Use Data File, and Fifth-Grade Restricted-Use Data File.

Table B-2. Standard errors for mean reading scale scores, and percentage distribution of spring fifth-grade reading scale scores, by 

Table B-2. child, family, and school characteristics: Spring fifth grade, 2004⎯Continued

Characteristic

Mean fifthgrade scale 

score

Percentage distribution of 

fifth-grade scale scores
B-7 

Characteristic

Understanding

words in 

context

Making literal 

inference

Deriving

meaning from 

text

Interpreting

beyond text

Evaluating

nonfiction

 Total 0.16 0.47 0.82 0.61 0.36

Child's sex

 Male 0.24 0.67 1.06 0.81 0.51

 Female 0.20 0.60 1.15 0.92 0.53

Child's race/ethnicity

 White, non-Hispanic 0.18 0.51 0.93 0.82 0.59

 Black, non-Hispanic 0.38 1.14 1.77 1.25 0.55

 Hispanic 0.26 0.76 1.28 0.84 0.55

 Asian, non-Hispanic 0.51 1.25 2.09 1.85 1.16

 Other, non-Hispanic 1.22 4.10 6.84 4.39 1.61

Poverty status, spring 2004

 Below poverty threshold 0.52 1.35 1.87 1.19 0.52

 At or above poverty threshold 0.10 0.34 0.66 0.58 0.43

Poverty status, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 Below, all rounds 0.61 1.84 2.38 1.22 0.23

 At or above, all rounds 0.10 0.35 0.71 0.70 0.54

 In and out of poverty 0.43 1.19 1.85 1.33 0.83

Mother's highest level of education, spring 2004

 Less than high school 0.64 1.48 1.90 1.11 0.18

 High school diploma or equivalent 0.33 0.96 1.55 1.10 0.78

 Some college or vocational technical degree 0.20 0.63 1.18 0.89 0.41

 Bachelor's degree or higher 0.11 0.33 0.75 0.97 1.01

Family type, spring 2004

 Two parents 0.16 0.50 0.88 0.72 0.49

 Single parent 0.29 0.95 1.49 1.02 0.53

 Other 1.92 3.83 5.09 2.76 0.35

Family type, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 Two parents, all rounds 0.15 0.40 0.78 0.78 0.63

 Single parent, all rounds 0.42 1.37 2.50 1.90 1.17

 Other, all rounds 2.71 7.07 9.24 6.39 0.47

 Two parents to single parent 0.36 1.57 2.70 2.00 0.91

 Single parent to two parents 0.56 1.85 3.29 2.39 0.64

 Multiple changes 0.54 2.08 3.43 2.79 1.50

Primary home language at kindergarten entry

 English 0.17 0.49 0.84 0.66 0.42

 Not English 0.41 1.02 1.79 1.16 0.44

Table B-3. Standard errors for the percentage of children who demonstrate certain specific reading knowledge and skills, by child, family, 

Table B-3. and school characteristics: Spring fifth grade, 2004
B-8 

Characteristic

Understanding

words in 

context

Making literal 

inference

Deriving

meaning from 

text

Interpreting

beyond text

Evaluating

nonfiction

School type, spring 2004

 Public 0.17 0.52 0.92 0.69 0.38

 Private 0.30 0.90 1.76 1.72 1.51

School type, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 Public school, all rounds 0.18 0.54 0.97 0.73 0.39

 Private school, all rounds 0.11 0.36 0.86 1.18 1.06

 Public school to private school 1.01 2.78 5.25 4.45 4.10

 Private school to public school 0.35 1.12 2.31 2.65 2.21

 Multiple changes 1.28 3.32 6.08 5.35 1.63

Grade level of child, spring 2004

 Below grade level 0.62 1.87 2.60 1.41 0.37

 Fifth grade 0.12 0.41 0.84 0.66 0.41

 Above grade level 0.12 0.74 2.34 5.19 13.55

Fall kindergarten reading achievement, overall scale 

score

 Lowest third 0.43 1.09 1.65 0.88 0.38

 Middle third 0.16 0.59 1.15 0.88 0.56

 Highest third 0.05 0.23 0.57 0.74 0.85

Number of places child has lived, fall 1998 through 

spring 2004

 One place 0.16 0.51 0.99 0.84 0.62

 Two places 0.28 0.81 1.37 1.11 0.96

 Three places 0.52 1.95 3.46 2.62 1.21

 Four or more places 0.88 3.43 5.15 3.56 1.43

Number of schools child has attended, fall 1998 

through spring 2004

 Same school, every round 0.25 0.75 1.21 0.88 0.38

 One change, across rounds 0.21 0.61 1.20 0.89 0.57

 Two changes, across rounds 0.36 1.04 1.85 1.63 1.09

 Three or more changes, across rounds 0.98 3.72 5.89 4.08 1.57

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 

1998-99 (ECLS-K), Longitudinal Kindergarten—Third-Grade Public-Use Data File, and Fifth-Grade Restricted-Use Data File.

Table B-3. Standard errors for the percentage of children who demonstrate certain specific reading knowledge and skills, by child, family, 

Table B-3. and school characteristics: Spring fifth grade, 2004⎯Continued
B-9 

Lowest 

third

Middle 

third

Highest 

third

 Total 0.61 1.24 0.84 1.21

Child's sex

 Male 0.74 1.45 1.20 1.53

 Female 0.81 1.74 1.23 1.55

Child's race/ethnicity

 White, non-Hispanic 0.81 1.61 1.20 1.77

 Black, non-Hispanic 1.13 2.32 2.04 1.62

 Hispanic 0.77 1.64 1.48 1.67

 Asian, non-Hispanic 1.32 2.63 3.01 2.80

 Other, non-Hispanic 3.51 6.95 4.39 4.35

Poverty status, spring 2004

 Below poverty threshold 1.05 2.63 2.08 1.35

 At or above poverty threshold 0.55 1.15 1.03 1.27

Poverty status, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 Below, all rounds 1.27 2.95 2.51 1.46

 At or above, all rounds 0.70 1.40 1.01 1.56

 In and out of poverty 1.07 2.48 2.24 2.07

Mother's highest level of education, spring 2004

 Less than high school 1.31 3.04 2.72 1.30

 High school diploma or equivalent 0.88 1.98 1.70 1.67

 Some college or vocational technical degree 0.83 1.98 1.61 1.66

 Bachelor's degree or higher 0.77 1.54 1.80 2.19

Family type, spring 2004

 Two parents 0.65 1.37 1.01 1.46

 Single parent 0.89 1.96 1.74 1.53

 Other 3.00 6.87 6.96 2.84

Family type, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 Two parents, all rounds 0.70 1.41 1.16 1.66

 Single parent, all rounds 1.55 3.30 3.06 2.61

 Other, all rounds 5.58 10.14 10.23 4.37

 Two parents to single parent 1.48 3.53 3.68 3.77

 Single parent to two parents 2.06 4.62 4.32 3.29

 Multiple changes 2.05 4.24 4.46 3.65

Primary home language at kindergarten entry

 English 0.68 1.37 0.91 1.35

 Not English 1.05 2.11 2.02 1.93

Table B-4. Standard errors for mean mathematics scale scores, and percentage distribution of spring fifth-grade 

Table B-4. mathematics scale scores, by child, family, and school characteristics: Spring fifth grade, 2004

Percentage distribution of 

fifth-grade scale scores Mean fifthgrade scale 

Characteristic score
B-10 

Lowest 

third

Middle 

third

Highest 

third

School type, spring 2004

 Public 0.66 1.39 0.88 1.30

 Private 1.46 2.76 1.61 2.80

School type, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 Public school, all rounds 0.70 1.48 0.85 1.41

 Private school, all rounds 0.88 2.19 1.72 2.28

 Public school to private school 4.47 7.52 4.24 7.85

 Private school to public school 1.63 3.45 4.21 4.45

 Multiple changes 2.73 8.41 8.32 7.13

Grade level of child, spring 2004

 Below grade level 1.70 3.60 2.27 2.24

 Fifth grade 0.68 1.41 0.93 1.40

 Above grade level 5.74 2.42 22.07 21.86

Fall kindergarten mathematics achievement, overall scale 

score

 Lowest third 0.74 1.62 1.40 0.76

 Middle third 0.67 1.73 1.57 1.73

 Highest third 0.44 0.78 1.61 1.60

Number of places child has lived, fall 1998 through spring 

2004

 One place 0.68 1.31 1.21 1.55

 Two places 1.04 2.20 1.79 2.15

 Three places 2.03 5.05 4.49 4.37

 Four or more places 2.82 5.64 5.96 4.81

Number of schools child has attended, fall 1998 through 

spring 2004

 Same school, every round 0.86 1.44 0.86 1.27

 One change, across rounds 0.76 1.69 1.41 1.71

 Two changes, across rounds 1.24 2.78 2.31 2.45

 Three or more changes, across rounds 3.29 7.84 6.34 4.41

Mean fifthgrade scale 

score

Percentage distribution of 

fifth-grade scale scores

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, 

Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K), Longitudinal Kindergarten—Third-Grade Public-Use Data File, and Fifth-Grade 

Restricted-Use Data File.

Table B-4. Standard errors for mean mathematics scale scores, and percentage distribution of spring fifth-grade 

Table B-4. mathematics scale scores, by child, family, and school characteristics: Spring fifth grade, 2004⎯Continued

Characteristic
B-11 

Characteristic

Multiplication and 

division

Place 

value

Rate and 

measurement Fractions

Area and 

volume

 Total 0.47 0.96 1.04 0.63 0.14

Child's sex

 Male 0.58 1.12 1.29 0.92 0.22

 Female 0.66 1.32 1.40 0.80 0.14

Child's race/ethnicity

 White, non-Hispanic 0.49 1.18 1.48 1.09 0.24

 Black, non-Hispanic 1.54 1.92 1.50 0.69 0.16

 Hispanic 0.63 1.22 1.53 0.79 0.10

 Asian, non-Hispanic 1.06 1.97 2.52 1.98 0.56

 Other, non-Hispanic 3.22 5.78 4.76 2.68 0.32

Poverty status, spring 2004

 Below poverty threshold 1.13 1.98 1.43 0.58 0.06

 At or above poverty threshold 0.39 0.79 1.06 0.79 0.18

Poverty status, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 Below, all rounds 1.82 2.35 1.70 1.06 0.08

 At or above, all rounds 0.43 0.97 1.33 1.00 0.24

 In and out of poverty 1.06 1.91 1.77 0.71 0.08

Mother's highest level of education, spring 2004

 Less than high school 1.78 2.52 1.56 0.57 0.15

 High school diploma or equivalent 0.85 1.41 1.50 0.78 0.15

 Some college or vocational technical degree 0.59 1.37 1.51 0.90 0.18

 Bachelor's degree or higher 0.28 0.91 1.69 1.92 0.45

Family type, spring 2004

 Two parents 0.42 0.96 1.26 0.80 0.18

 Single parent 0.91 1.58 1.34 0.78 0.15

 Other 4.58 4.97 3.33 0.66 0.04

Family type, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 Two parents, all rounds 0.43 0.99 1.39 0.98 0.23

 Single parent, all rounds 1.56 2.64 2.47 1.43 0.37

 Other, all rounds 8.13 9.08 5.36 1.35 0.06

 Two parents to single parent 1.23 2.49 2.99 2.11 0.27

 Single parent to two parents 1.57 3.36 3.73 2.48 0.89

 Multiple changes 2.14 3.74 3.13 1.52 0.22

Primary home language at kindergarten entry

 English 0.52 1.07 1.17 0.75 0.16

 Not English 1.01 1.66 1.74 1.02 0.18

Table B-5. Standard errors for the percentage of children who demonstrate certain specific mathematics knowledge and skills, by

Table B-5. child, family, and school characteristics: Spring fifth grade, 2004
B-12 

Characteristic

Multiplication and 

division

Place 

value

Rate and 

measurement Fractions

Area and 

volume

School type, spring 2004

 Public 0.51 1.06 1.12 0.66 0.15

 Private 0.97 2.12 2.64 1.99 0.36

School type, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 Public school, all rounds 0.53 1.10 1.23 0.70 0.14

 Private school, all rounds 0.27 1.35 1.99 1.57 0.34

 Public school to private school 3.32 6.35 7.42 5.73 0.88

 Private school to public school 0.80 2.43 3.29 3.69 0.48

 Multiple changes 2.33 4.23 5.97 2.81 1.32

Grade level of child, spring 2004

 Below grade level 1.78 3.05 2.34 1.34 0.13

 Fifth grade 0.44 1.05 1.23 0.74 0.16

 Above grade level 0.20 2.11 12.97 20.60 4.84

Fall kindergarten mathematics achievement, overall 

scale score

 Lowest third 0.99 1.37 0.86 0.31 0.03

 Middle third 0.46 1.13 1.38 0.78 0.07

 Highest third 0.07 0.40 1.02 1.38 0.39

Number of places child has lived, fall 1998 through 

spring 2004

 One place 0.47 0.97 1.28 1.05 0.25

 Two places 0.79 1.63 1.86 1.35 0.21

 Three places 1.52 3.54 3.71 1.88 0.15

 Four or more places 3.47 5.01 3.94 1.81 0.30

Number of schools child has attended, fall 1998 through 

spring 2004

 Same school, every round 0.74 1.32 1.27 0.76 0.14

 One change, across rounds 0.55 1.27 1.41 0.89 0.23

 Two changes, across rounds 1.07 2.22 2.12 1.50 0.38

 Three or more changes, across rounds 3.42 5.91 4.70 2.81 1.24

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten 

Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K), Longitudinal Kindergarten—Third-Grade Public-Use Data File, and Fifth-Grade Restricted-Use Data File.

Table B-5. Standard errors for the percentage of children who demonstrate certain specific mathematics knowledge and skills, by

Table B-5. child, family, and school characteristics: Spring fifth grade, 2004⎯Continued
B-13 

Lowest 

third

Middle 

third

Highest 

third

 Total 0.36 1.22 0.91 0.93

Child's sex

 Male 0.51 1.55 1.12 1.34

 Female 0.52 1.72 1.42 1.36

Child's race/ethnicity

 White, non-Hispanic 0.41 1.32 1.23 1.25

 Black, non-Hispanic 0.76 2.52 2.39 1.57

 Hispanic 0.49 1.63 1.86 1.60

 Asian, non-Hispanic 1.01 3.10 2.49 2.95

 Other, non-Hispanic 2.25 8.41 4.64 5.61

Poverty status, spring 2004

 Below poverty threshold 0.70 2.35 1.80 1.35

 At or above poverty threshold 0.29 1.03 1.01 1.09

Poverty status, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 Below, all rounds 0.88 3.09 2.83 1.24

 At or above, all rounds 0.34 1.05 1.26 1.39

 In and out of poverty 0.76 2.54 2.66 2.21

Mother's highest level of education, spring 2004

 Less than high school 0.81 2.66 2.33 1.24

 High school diploma or equivalent 0.63 2.12 1.78 1.86

 Some college or vocational technical degree 0.49 1.81 1.68 1.55

 Bachelor's degree or higher 0.49 1.30 1.68 1.93

Family type, spring 2004

 Two parents 0.37 1.22 1.09 1.25

 Single parent 0.66 2.29 2.08 1.65

 Other 1.93 6.57 7.36 4.42

Family type, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 Two parents, all rounds 0.37 1.08 1.27 1.43

 Single parent, all rounds 1.24 4.29 3.83 3.14

 Other, all rounds 4.57 10.24 6.75 11.25

 Two parents to single parent 1.16 3.82 3.52 3.75

 Single parent to two parents 1.31 5.02 5.34 4.48

 Multiple changes 1.43 4.77 3.63 4.19

Primary home language at kindergarten entry

 English 0.40 1.33 1.02 1.06

 Not English 0.66 1.98 1.42 1.50

Table B-6. Standard errors for mean science scale scores, and percentage distribution of spring fifth-grade science scale

Table B-6. scores, by child, family, and school characteristics: Spring fifth grade, 2004

Characteristic

Mean fifthgrade scale 

score

Percentage distribution of 

fifth-grade scale scores
B-14 

Lowest 

third

Middle 

third

Highest 

third

School type, spring 2004

 Public 0.41 1.37 1.00 1.00

 Private 0.84 2.50 2.20 2.98

School type, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 Public school, all rounds 0.45 1.44 1.04 1.10

 Private school, all rounds 0.65 2.02 2.43 2.81

 Public school to private school 2.22 7.01 4.18 6.85

 Private school to public school 1.36 4.25 3.52 4.90

 Multiple changes 1.76 5.43 10.15 8.13

Grade level of child, spring 2004

 Below grade level 0.93 2.94 2.56 2.37

 Fifth grade 0.38 1.28 0.99 1.08

 Above grade level 2.92 3.25 7.89 9.01

Fall kindergarten general knowledge achievement, overall scale 

score

 Lowest third 0.56 2.13 1.84 1.04

 Middle third 0.37 1.47 1.40 1.38

 Highest third 0.30 0.51 1.54 1.60

Number of places child has lived, fall 1998 through spring 2004

 One place 0.43 1.37 1.18 1.31

 Two places 0.61 1.85 1.86 2.03

 Three places 1.38 4.96 3.92 4.40

 Four or more places 1.45 7.44 6.82 4.07

Number of schools child has attended, fall 1998 through spring 

2004

 Same school, every round 0.54 1.56 0.96 1.34

 One change, across rounds 0.47 1.61 1.50 1.53

 Two changes, across rounds 0.89 2.83 2.73 2.56

 Three or more changes, across rounds 2.18 7.20 7.18 5.68

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, 

Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K), Longitudinal Kindergarten—Third-Grade Public-Use Data File, and Fifth-Grade 

Restricted-Use Data File.

Table B-6. Standard errors for mean science scale scores, and percentage distribution of spring fifth-grade science scale

Table B-6. scores, by child, family, and school characteristics: Spring fifth grade, 2004⎯Continued

Characteristic

Mean fifthgrade scale 

score

Percentage distribution of 

fifth-grade scale scores