the long reach of early math skills greg j. duncan school of education university of california,...
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The Long Reach of Early Math Skills
Greg J. Duncan
School of Education
University of California, Irvine
How well does kindergarten math teaching line up with what children need to learn?
How important are math skills for school achievement, completed schooling and labor market success?
What skills and behaviors matter most for success in school?
Skills and Behaviors
AchievementEngagement/
AttentionProblem
Behaviors
Description: Concrete math and reading
skills
Ability to control impulses and focus
on tasks
i) Ability to get along with others
ii) Sound mental health
Example test areas or question wording:
Knowing letters and numbers;
beginning word sounds, word
problems
Can’t sit still; can’t concentrate; score from a computer test of impulse
control
i) Cheats or tells lies, bullies, is disobedient at school
ii) Is sad, moody
Which gaps are biggest when children enter school?
Skill and behavior gaps between high- and low-income kindergarteners
Series1
-10
0
+106
+53
-27 -30Kindergarten gap 5th grade gap
Math achievement
Mental health
problemsAnti-social behavior
School en-gagement
Source: Early Childhood Longitudinal Study – Kindergarten cohort.
Skill and behavior gaps between high- and low-income kindergarteners and fifth graders
Series1
-10
0
+106
+53
-27 -30
+121
+59
-42-31
Kindergarten gap 5th grade gap
Math achievement
Mental health
problemsAnti-social behavior
School en-gagement
Source: Early Childhood Longitudinal Study – Kindergarten cohort.
How important are school-entry math skills for school achievement?
How important are K-5 math skills for completed schooling?
How important are adolescent math skills for labor market success?
Effects of school-entry skills and behaviors on later achievement
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 400
Mental health
Reading
Math
EngagementAnti-social
Effects of school-entry skills and behaviors on later achievement
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 400
Mental health
Reading
MathEngagementAnti-social
How much time do kindergarten teachers spend teaching math and literacy?
Kindergarten teaching – hours/wk
All teachersTeachers in low-income
schools
Reading 4.9 5.0
Math 3.1 3.1
How does math teaching in kindergarten line up with children’s proficiency levels?
Kindergarten student mastery vs. time spent teaching
Mastery by Fall K
Basic Counting & Shapes 95%
Patterns & Measurement 62%
Place value & Currency 25%
Addition & Subtraction 7%
11,517 students 2,176 teachers
Kindergarten student mastery vs. time spent teaching
Mastery by Fall K Mean Days/Month spent teaching
Basic Counting & Shapes 95% 12.70
Patterns & Measurement 62% 7.68
Place value & Currency 25% 8.61
Addition & Subtraction 7% 4.38
11,517 students 2,176 teachers
How is growth in kindergarteners’ math affected by basic and advanced instruction?
Instruction time and math achievement
B asi c math A d van ced math
0
-.041
+.065
All students Low-income students onlyMat
h le
arni
ng in
kin
derg
arte
n
Source: Claessens and Engel (under review)
Basic math instruction time
Advanced math instruction time
Instruction time and math achievement
B asi c math A d van ced math
0
-.041
+.065
-.029
+.056
All students Low-income students only
Mat
h le
arni
ng in
kin
derg
arte
n
Source: Claessens and Engel (under review)
Basic math instruction time
Advanced math instruction time
How important are school-entry math skills for school achievement?
How important are K-5 math skills for completed schooling?
How important are adolescent math skills for labor market success?
Effects of K-5 skills and behaviors on completed schooling
0 10 200
MathReading
Anti-social
At-ten-tion
Effects of K-5 skills and behaviors on completed schooling
0 10 200
MathReading
Anti-socialAt-
ten-tion
How important are school-entry math skills for school achievement?
How important are K-5 math skills for completed schooling?
How important are adolescent math skills for labor market success?
Effects of adolescent skills and behaviors on earnings
0 10 200
Anxiety
Reading
Anti-socialAt-
ten-tion
Math
Effects of adolescent skills and behaviors on earnings
0 10 200
Anxiety Reading
Anti-socialAt-
ten-tion
Math
Why math? (preliminary)
• Motivational story:
• Math feedback is very concrete
• Kids who don’t master math don’t think they are good at math or good at school
Why math (con’t)?
• Structural story:
• teachers and schools provide extra opportunities for early math achievers?
• moderate math skills keeps kids out of special education?
Why math (con’t)? • Cognitive skill story:
• math may structure thinking in ways that help students learn both higher-level math and other skills
• Building Blocks impacts on four oral language subtests: ability to recall key words, use of complex utterances, willingness to reproduce narratives independently, and inferential reasoning
Summary
• Early math is surprisingly important
• Kindergarten teachers spend much less time on math than reading
• Early math instruction is geared toward skills kids already know
• Math is also highly predictive of completed schooling and earnings
