A Randomized Control Trial of a Statewide Voluntary Prekindergarten Program on Children's Skills and Behaviors through Third Grade. Research Report
Lipsey, Mark W.; Farran, Dale C.; Hofer, Kerry G. (2015). Peabody Research Institute. Retrieved from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED566664
-
examining1,043Students, gradePK
A Randomized Control Trial of a Statewide Voluntary Prekindergarten Program on Children's Skills and Behaviors through Third Grade. Research Report
Review Details
Reviewed: September 2016
- Single Study Review (736 KB) (findings for Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK))
- Quasi-Experimental Design
- Meets WWC standards with reservations
This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Findings
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Letter-Word Identification subtest |
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) vs. Business as usual |
1 Year |
Grade: PK;
|
344.25 |
333.12 |
Yes |
-- |
|
|
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Spelling subtest |
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) vs. Business as usual |
1 Year |
Grade: PK;
|
376.59 |
369.52 |
Yes |
-- |
|
|
| Show Supplemental Findings | |||||||||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Letter-Word Identification subtest |
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) vs. Business as usual |
1 Year |
Grade: K;
|
398.63 |
399.19 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Spelling subtest |
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) vs. Business as usual |
1 Year |
Grade: K;
|
423.53 |
424.55 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Letter-Word Identification subtest |
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) vs. Business as usual |
2 Years |
Grade: 1;
|
446.40 |
448.18 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Spelling subtest |
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) vs. Business as usual |
4 Years |
Grade: 3;
|
489.45 |
490.59 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Letter-Word Identification subtest |
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) vs. Business as usual |
3 Years |
Grade: 2;
|
470.46 |
472.92 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Spelling subtest |
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) vs. Business as usual |
3 Years |
Grade: 2;
|
476.91 |
478.81 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Letter-Word Identification subtest |
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) vs. Business as usual |
4 Years |
Grade: 3;
|
487.95 |
490.47 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Composite6 |
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) vs. Business as usual |
1 Year |
Grade: PK;
|
411.23 |
405.85 |
Yes |
-- |
|
|
| Show Supplemental Findings | |||||||||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Composite6 |
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) vs. Business as usual |
1 Year |
Grade: K;
|
440.98 |
440.98 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Composite6 |
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) vs. Business as usual |
2 Years |
Grade: 1;
|
464.11 |
464.97 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Composite6 |
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) vs. Business as usual |
4 Years |
Grade: 3;
|
489.56 |
490.80 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Composite6 |
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) vs. Business as usual |
3 Years |
Grade: 2;
|
478.00 |
479.89 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Picture Vocabulary |
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) vs. Business as usual |
1 Year |
Grade: PK;
|
462.89 |
459.04 |
Yes |
-- |
|
|
| Show Supplemental Findings | |||||||||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Picture Vocabulary |
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) vs. Business as usual |
4 Years |
Grade: 3;
|
491.32 |
490.25 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Picture Vocabulary |
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) vs. Business as usual |
1 Year |
Grade: K;
|
471.89 |
471.04 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Picture Vocabulary |
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) vs. Business as usual |
2 Years |
Grade: 1;
|
478.85 |
478.28 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Quantitative Concepts |
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) vs. Business as usual |
1 Year |
Grade: PK;
|
422.21 |
417.72 |
Yes |
-- |
|
|
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Applied Problems subtest |
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) vs. Business as usual |
1 Year |
Grade: PK;
|
409.05 |
404.95 |
Yes |
-- |
|
|
| Show Supplemental Findings | |||||||||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Applied Problems subtest |
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) vs. Business as usual |
1 Year |
Grade: K;
|
436.67 |
435.76 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Applied Problems subtest |
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) vs. Business as usual |
2 Years |
Grade: 1;
|
457.77 |
457.87 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Quantitative Concepts |
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) vs. Business as usual |
1 Year |
Grade: K;
|
448.39 |
449.62 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Applied Problems subtest |
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) vs. Business as usual |
3 Years |
Grade: 2;
|
473.63 |
475.35 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Quantitative Concepts |
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) vs. Business as usual |
4 Years |
Grade: 3;
|
489.23 |
490.56 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Quantitative Concepts |
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) vs. Business as usual |
2 Years |
Grade: 1;
|
464.33 |
466.11 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Applied Problems subtest |
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) vs. Business as usual |
4 Years |
Grade: 3;
|
484.75 |
487.81 |
Yes |
-- | ||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Quantitative Concepts |
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) vs. Business as usual |
2 Years |
Grade: 2;
|
476.35 |
479.19 |
Yes |
-- | ||
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Oral Comprehension |
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) vs. Business as usual |
1 Year |
Grade: PK;
|
452.30 |
450.84 |
No |
-- | ||
| Show Supplemental Findings | |||||||||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Oral Comprehension |
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) vs. Business as usual |
1 Year |
Grade: K;
|
466.02 |
464.87 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Oral Comprehension |
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) vs. Business as usual |
4 Years |
Grade: 3;
|
494.31 |
494.45 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Oral Comprehension |
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) vs. Business as usual |
2 Years |
Grade: 1;
|
477.04 |
478.44 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Oral Comprehension |
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) vs. Business as usual |
3 Years |
Grade: 2;
|
485.26 |
486.84 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Cooper-Farran Behavioral Rating Scale (CF), Work-Related Skills |
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) vs. Business as usual |
1 Year |
Grade: K;
|
5.04 |
4.82 |
Yes |
-- |
|
|
|
Cooper-Farran Behavioral Rating Scale (CF), Social Behavior |
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) vs. Business as usual |
1 Year |
Grade: K;
|
5.80 |
5.61 |
Yes |
-- |
|
|
| Show Supplemental Findings | |||||||||
|
Cooper-Farran Behavioral Rating Scale (CF), Work-Related Skills |
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) vs. Business as usual |
4 Years |
Grade: 3;
|
5.13 |
5.06 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Cooper-Farran Behavioral Rating Scale (CF), Social Behavior |
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) vs. Business as usual |
4 Years |
Grade: 3;
|
5.91 |
5.86 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Cooper-Farran Behavioral Rating Scale (CF), Work-Related Skills |
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) vs. Business as usual |
3 Years |
Grade: 2;
|
5.09 |
5.10 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Cooper-Farran Behavioral Rating Scale (CF), Social Behavior |
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) vs. Business as usual |
3 Years |
Grade: 2;
|
5.88 |
5.87 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Cooper-Farran Behavioral Rating Scale (CF), Social Behavior |
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) vs. Business as usual |
2 Years |
Grade: 1;
|
5.80 |
5.86 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Cooper-Farran Behavioral Rating Scale (CF), Work-Related Skills |
Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK) vs. Business as usual |
2 Years |
Grade: 1;
|
5.04 |
5.20 |
No |
-- | ||
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Sample Characteristics
Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.
-
21% English language learners -
Female: 52%
Male: 48% -
Rural, Suburban, Urban
-
- B
- A
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- I
- H
- J
- K
- L
- P
- M
- N
- O
- Q
- R
- S
- V
- U
- T
- W
- X
- Z
- Y
- a
- h
- i
- b
- d
- e
- f
- c
- g
- j
- k
- l
- m
- n
- o
- p
- q
- r
- s
- t
- u
- v
- x
- w
- y
Tennessee
-
Race Black 23% -
Ethnicity Hispanic 19% Not Hispanic or Latino 81%
Study Details
Setting
The study took place within 21 school districts and 58 elementary schools in the state of Tennessee. Nineteen schools were in cities, 12 were in towns, 11 schools were in suburban areas, and 16 schools were in rural areas. Prekindergarten programs were operated through the school district, but actual services may have been provided through non-profit or for-profit child care providers, Head Start programs, or public schools.
Study sample
As part of a larger evaluation of the Tennessee Voluntary Prekindergarten program (TN-VPK), the authors randomly offered enrollment in 76 TN-VPK classes with more applicants than they could enroll in the 2009–10 and 2010–11 school years. In this study (referred to as the “Intensive Substudy” by the study authors), the sample was limited to children from the larger evaluation who had parental consent for data collection and had outcome data at the end of the prekindergarten year (1,076 of the 3,025 children who were randomized). Using the Intensive Substudy sample, the authors employed a quasi-experimental design to compare children who had attended TN-VPK for 20 or more days to children who did not attend TN-VPK or attended fewer than 20 days. In the Intensive Substudy sample, children were 51.8 months (4 years, 4 months) of age on average at baseline; 48% were male; 23% were African American, and 19% were Hispanic; and 79% were native English speakers. The sample sizes varied by outcome and wave of measurement.
Intervention Group
The intervention condition attended TN-VPK for 20 or more days. TN-VPK is a full-day program for 4-year-olds that operates on the same school-year calendar as the public school system in Tennessee. Enrollment is prioritized for students who are deemed as being at risk (i.e., eligible for free/reduced price lunch, English learners, children with disabilities, or “otherwise at risk”). The program must meet state board of education standards regarding teacher licensing, adult:student ratio, class size, and approved curriculum. The study authors stated that the 20-day threshold for attendance corresponds to a state enrollment standard.
Comparison Group
The comparison group children did not attend TN-VPK or attended fewer than 20 days of TN-VPK. These children could have been cared for at home, received private childcare, attended Head Start, or attended another center-based preschool program.
Support for implementation
The state board of education standards for TN-VPK specify a licensed classroom teacher, at least one adult per 10 children, maximum class size of 20, and use of an approved curriculum. Non-school settings (e.g., private child care or Head Start) needed to meet these standards and hold the highest ratings from the Tennessee Department of Human Services licensing system. No additional information is provided about implementation of the program.
An indicator of the effect of the intervention, the improvement index can be interpreted as the expected change in percentile rank for an average comparison group student if that student had received the intervention.
For more, please see the WWC Glossary entry for improvement index.
An outcome is the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are attained as a result of an activity. An outcome measures is an instrument, device, or method that provides data on the outcome.
A finding that is included in the effectiveness rating. Excluded findings may include subgroups and subscales.
The sample on which the analysis was conducted.
The group to which the intervention group is compared, which may include a different intervention, business as usual, or no services.
The timing of the post-intervention outcome measure.
The number of students included in the analysis.
The mean score of students in the intervention group.
The mean score of students in the comparison group.
The WWC considers a finding to be statistically significant if the likelihood that the finding is due to chance alone, rather than a real difference, is less than five percent.
The WWC reviews studies for WWC products, Department of Education grant competitions, and IES performance measures.
The name and version of the document used to guide the review of the study.
The version of the WWC design standards used to guide the review of the study.
The result of the WWC assessment of the study. The rating is based on the strength of evidence of the effectiveness of the intervention. Studies are given a rating of Meets WWC Design Standards without Reservations, Meets WWC Design Standards with Reservations, or >Does Not Meet WWC Design Standards.
A related publication that was reviewed alongside the main study of interest.
Study findings for this report.
Based on the direction, magnitude, and statistical significance of the findings within a domain, the WWC characterizes the findings from a study as one of the following: statistically significant positive effects, substantively important positive effects, indeterminate effects, substantively important negative effects, and statistically significant negative effects. For more, please see the WWC Handbook.
The WWC may review studies for multiple purposes, including different reports and re-reviews using updated standards. Each WWC review of this study is listed in the dropdown. Details on any review may be accessed by making a selection from the drop down list.
Tier 1 Strong indicates strong evidence of effectiveness,
Tier 2 Moderate indicates moderate evidence of effectiveness, and
Tier 3 Promising indicates promising evidence of effectiveness,
as defined in the
non-regulatory guidance for ESSA
and the regulations for ED discretionary grants (EDGAR Part 77).