Child Outcomes of the Arkansas Better Chance Program in Kindergarten and First Grade

1. Child Outcomes of the Arkansas Better Chance Program in Kindergarten and First Grade Jason T. Hustedt, W. Steven Barnett, & Kwanghee Jung National Institute for Early Education Research Rutgers University

2. Acknowledgements This research is funded by the State of Arkansas and the Pew Charitable Trusts. Thanks to Leanne Whiteside-Mansell, Yvonne Bradshaw, Paul Lazenby, Tonya Russell, Ellen Frede, and Amanda Colon.

3. Studies of State-Funded Pre-K • As more children are served, important to understand effects that programs produce • Until recently, state-funded pre-K programs have not been very intensively studied • NIEER evaluations of programs in 8 states, in partnership with local early childhood experts • Longitudinal studies of high-quality programs in AR and NJ

4. Arkansas Better Chance Study • Data from Fall 2005 the starting point for a 5-year longitudinal study continuing through Spring 2010 • Initial sample of more than 1,900 children in two cohorts • ABC classroom data from Year 1; child assessment data annually

5. Classroom Measures • Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised (ECERS-R): Overall quality • Support for Early Literacy Assessment (SELA): Practices that support early language and literacy • Preschool Classroom Mathematics Inventory (PCMI): Materials/methods used to support math skills

6. Classroom Results (N = 68) • Mean ECERS-R score = 5.26 of a possible 7; a score of 5 indicates good quality • Mean SELA score = 3.28 of a possible 5; a score of 3 indicates fair/mediocre quality • Mean PCMI score = 2.37 of a possible 5, an indication of limited quality

7. Child Assessment Measures • Vocabulary knowledge: Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, 3rd Edition (PPVT-III) • Math skills: Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement, 3rd Edition, Subtests 5, 6, 10 (WJ-III) • Early literacy: Preschool Comprehensive Test of Phonological and Print Processing (Pre-CTOPPP) or WJ-III Subtests 1, 13, 21

8. Child Outcomes: Vocabulary • At K entry, ABC children scored significantly higher than non-ABC children • At the end of K, ABC children scored significantly higher than non-ABC children in pooled analysis • At the end of 1st grade, a non-significant trend for ABC children in Cohort 1 to score higher than non-ABC children (p = .066)

9. Child Outcomes: Applied Problems • At K entry, ABC children scored significantly higher than non-ABC children • At the end of K, no significant differences between ABC and non-ABC children • At the end of 1st grade, a trend for ABC children in Cohort 1 to score higher than non-ABC children (p = .054)

10. First Grade Mathematics Measures • ABC children scored significantly higher than non-ABC children on Calculation • No measurable difference between ABC and non-ABC children on Math Fluency • ABC children scored significantly higher than non-ABC children on Broad Math Battery

11. Child Outcomes: Early Literacy • At K entry, ABC children scored significantly higher than non-ABC children • At the end of K, no measurable differences • At the end of 1st grade, ABC children in Cohort 1 scored significantly higher than non-ABC children on Letter-Word ID but not Word Attack

12. Interpreting the Results • Positive impacts of ABC pre-K on vocabulary, math, and early literacy • Comparisons with RDD results suggest that there is some selection bias in longitudinal sample • Good overall classroom quality

13. Future Work • The longitudinal study will continue until Spring 2010 (4th grade for C1, 3rd grade for C2) • Tracking the effects of ABC over time, using measures of language, math, early literacy • Additional data on grade retention, special education placements