Does Full-Day Kindergarten & Small Class Size Boost Test Scores?

Assistant Professor David Frisvold
Department of Economics
UI Tippie College of Business

We examine the impact on academic achievement of a unique program for kindergarten students that directly targets children at the greatest risk of underperforming academically.  The Optional Extended-Day Kindergarten (OEK) program combines full-day kindergarten with small class sizes and emphasizes literacy instruction.  Using administrative data from one of the largest school districts in the state, we estimate the test score gains throughout kindergarten of children who attended the OEK program and children who attended a half-day kindergarten class. To address concerns related to measurement error and mean reversion, we also utilize the admission criterion to identify the impact of participation in the OEK program with a regression discontinuity design. Prior to the beginning of the school year, kindergarten entrants complete a locally-designed assessment exam and children with the lowest 16 scores in each school's catchment area are offered admission to the OEK program.  Thus, the relative ranking of students in the beginning of the year assessment creates a discontinuity in program participation.  Our results suggest that participation in the OEK program increases reading achievement.  Overall, these results contribute to the growing body of evidence highlighting the potential for early education opportunities to improve the cognitive achievement of at-risk students.