Citation

Bickel DDP, Zigmond N, Strayhorn J. Early Child Res. Q. 1991; 6(2): 105-117.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1991, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/0885-2006(91)90001-2

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The effects of children's ages at entrance to first grade upon success in elementary school was examined in a cohort of urban children who entered first grade in 1983. A set of demographic, social, and early experience variables was used as covariates in the analysis. Older children did slightly, but significantly better academically in first grade, primarily because of better performance in mathematics. There was no relationship between age of entrance and a measure of conduct in the first grade. Four years later, no effect of age at entrance to first grade upon academic performance or upon placement inside or outside the mainstream of regular education was found. Age at entrance was a far less powerful predictor than the socioeconomic variables in our covariate set.