NWEA research brief on Kindergarten scores and third-grade proficiency¶

Element · All elements
Evidence · 4 claims (4 for) · 3 studies (3 associational), q2 · 0 of 3 report an effect size · 4 claims rest on one study

Description¶

A research brief by NWEA's research team (Megan Kuhfeld, Karyn Lewis, Emily Morton) examining Kindergarten test scores from more than 400,000 U.S. students. Per its description, it notes "patterns that can predict academic success or identify students at risk of falling further behind," positioning the work as support for educators' early identification efforts ahead of third grade.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Access to the full brief for its specific analyses and findings

Constraints¶

• The supplied text is a publication listing page; only the brief's summary description is available

Target Learners¶

• Kindergarten students

Target Learning Goals¶

• Predicting and supporting third-grade academic proficiency

Claims¶

• After the pandemic, more students are off-track and further behind grade-level proficiency, deepening challenges for educators [+W]
• Post-COVID classrooms show increased academic diversity in the composition and spread of student achievement levels [+W]
• Post-COVID classrooms show increased academic diversity, with more students off-track and further behind grade-level proficiency [+W]
• Current third-graders showed the largest reading achievement gap and the least rebounding [+W]

Related Elements¶

• NWEA technical appendix for the Behind at the Starting Line research brief

Examples¶

• Use kindergarten-entry test data for early identification so educators can intervene before third grade

Key Sources¶

• Megan Kuhfeld, Karyn Lewis, Emily Morton. (2026). Behind at the starting line: What Kindergarten test scores tell us about reaching proficiency in 3rd grade. NWEA Research brief. https://www.nwea.org/research/publication/behind-at-the-starting-line-what-kindergarten-test-scores-tell-us-about-reaching-proficiency-in-3rd-grade/