Female kindergarteners outscore males in math and reading at entry; the reading gap was stable while the small math gap narrowed slightly¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2019 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · overdue for a recheck since 2024: baselines and conditions change

Subclaims¶

q2 i? In every year since 2010, female students scored higher than males in both math and reading at school entry; the 2017 reading gap (0.16 SD) did not differ significantly from 2010, while the math gap narrowed from 0.09 to 0.05 SD. → Kuhfeld 2019

Evidence¶

Kuhfeld 2019¶

Kuhfeld, Megan, Soland, James, Pitts, Christine, & Burchinal, Margaret. (2019). Trends in Children's Academic Skills at School Entry: 2010 to 2017. EdWorkingPaper No. 19-137, Annenberg Institute at Brown University. http://www.edworkingpapers.com/ai19-137

q2 · i? · associational · r2

Gender gap models estimated within each year and subject on the weighted MAP Growth fall kindergarten sample, with a male indicator regressed on standardized scores. The article reports "female students have scored higher than male students in math and reading at school entry" in each year.

"The 2017 reading achievement gap between male and female kindergarteners (0.16 SD) was not significantly different from the male-female gaps in 2010. The math male-female gap has narrowed slightly from 0.09 SD in 2010 to 0.05 SD in 2017"

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Gender — predictor: outcomes differ by group: a gap reflecting circumstances and treatment, not a cause

Related Claims¶

• Across nations, boys outperform girls in mathematics by a small average margin while girls outperform boys in reading by a margin three times larger — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it
• Black-White and Hispanic-White achievement gaps at kindergarten entry narrowed significantly between 2010 and 2017 in both math and reading — related
• Early female-favored mean math differences reverse to male-favored differences that widen across elementary grades — related
• Achievement gaps between high-poverty and low-poverty schools at kindergarten entry narrowed modestly but significantly between 2010 and 2017 — related
• Gaps in academic skills between children narrowed at kindergarten entry, per the article's abstract — a broader claim this one bears on
• Inequalities at kindergarten entry by race/ethnicity decreased between 2010 and 2017 — related
• Kindergarten-entry math and reading scores were mostly flat 2010-2014 then slightly declined by 2017, with median math down about 0.24 SD and reading down 0.14 SD — related
• Basic conclusions about male-female achievement gaps and changes in gaps as students progress through school may change when models account for test effort — related
• Female students outperformed male students in NAEP reading by 7 points at grade 4 and 10 points at grade 8 in 2007, with gaps not significantly different from 15 years earlier — related
• The gender gap in reading is three times bigger than the gender gap in math — related
• Kindergarteners in 2017 had moderately lower math and reading skills at school entry than kindergarteners in 2010 — related
• Children's academic achievement at kindergarten entry has declined, per the article's abstract — related