Eighth Grade: First Findings From the Final Round of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K) (NCES 2008-088)

This First Look uses data collected from the final round of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K) when most of the cohort was in the eighth grade. This report is intended to provide a snapshot of the eighth-grade round of the ECLS-K and make the data available to encourage in-depth analysis using more sophisticated statistical methods. The report looks at multiple aspects of the cohort's schooling experience including their overall achievement in reading, mathematics, and science; attainment of specific reading and mathematics proficiencies; participation in various school-sponsored activities; time spent on homework; and educational aspirations. The focus of this report is on the majority of the cohort who were promoted on schedule to the eighth grade, and for these children, it presents the estimates by various child and family characteristics.