2012 National Board for Education Sciences Annual Report
Briefing Material for Board Members

NCES Activities and Products

Early Childhood Surveys

• Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS) – The Early Childhood Longitudinal Studies program is sponsored primarily by NCES in collaboration with other federal agencies and organizations. The program consists of three longitudinal studies: the Birth Cohort of 2001 (ECLS-B), the Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K:1999), and the Kindergarten Class of 2010-11(ECLS-K:2011). Combined, these studies provide detailed information on examine child health and development, early care, school readiness, and early school experiences. ECLS-B focuses on a representative cohort of children born in the U.S. in 2001 as they progressed from infancy through kindergarten entry. Direct assessments of children’s academic skills are included in ECLS-B starting with relatively general skills assessments at younger ages and progressing to early math and reading assessments in later assessments. ECLS-K:1999 started with approximately 20,000 kindergartners in the fall of 1998 and followed their development through the end of 8th grade. ECLS-K:2011 started with a similar sample of kindergartners in the fall of 2010 and will follow their development through the end of 5th grade. Both of the kindergarten studies have included direct measures of children’s math, reading, and science skills along with measures of physical and socioemotional development. All of the ECLS studies have collected data directly from the sampled children, their parents, teachers, and school administrators. Nonparental early education and care providers were also surveyed for the ECLS-B children prior to their kindergarten entry and for ECLS-K:2011 children for information about out-of-school educational opportunities.