Title page
Contents
1. INTRODUCTION 19
1.1. Background 20
1.2. Periods of Data Collection 21
1.3. Overview of the Fourth-Grade Round of Data Collection 22
1.4. ECLS-K: 2011 Kindergarten-Fourth Grade (K-4) Public-Use Data File 23
1.5. Contents of Manual 23
2. DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENTS AND METHODS 25
2.1. Data Collection Instruments 25
2.1.1. Direct Child Assessment 27
2.1.2. Child Questionnaire 31
2.1.3. Parent Interview 33
2.1.4. General Classroom Teacher Questionnaires 37
2.1.5. Special Education Teacher Questionnaires 44
2.1.6. School Administrator Questionnaires 46
2.1.7. Copyrighted Materials 48
2.2. Data Collection Methods 49
2.2.1. Comparison of Data Collection Methods Used in Fourth Grade to Those Used in Earlier Data Collection Rounds 49
3. ECLS-K: 2011 DIRECT AND INDIRECT ASSESSMENT DATA 51
3.1. Direct Cognitive Assessment: Reading, Mathematics, and Science 52
3.1.1. IRT-Based Scores Developed for the ECLS-K: 2011 52
3.1.1.1. Theta and the Standard Error of Measurement (SEM) of Theta 53
3.1.1.2. Scale Scores 56
3.1.2. Variables Indicating Exclusion from the Direct Assessment Due to Disability 58
3.1.3. Choosing the Appropriate Score for Analysis 59
3.1.4. Analytic Considerations for Measuring Gains in the ECLS-K: 2011 60
3.1.5. Reliability of the ECLS-K: 2011 Scores 61
3.1.6. Validity of the ECLS-K: 2011 Scores 62
3.2. Direct Cognitive Assessment: Executive Function 63
3.2.1. Dimensional Change Card Sort 64
3.2.1.1. Dimensional Change Card Sort Data Flags 71
3.2.2. Numbers Reversed 74
3.2.2.1. Numbers Reversed Data Flags 81
3.2.3. The NIH Toolbox Flanker Inhibitory Control and Attention Task (Flanker) 82
3.2.3.1. Flanker Data Flag 88
3.3. Child Questionnaire 89
3.4. Teacher- and Parent-Reported Measures of Child Behavior and Peer Relationships 91
3.4.1. Teacher-Reported Social Skills 92
3.4.2. Teacher-Reported Approaches to Learning Items and Scale 96
3.4.3. Teacher-Reported Attentional Focusing and Inhibitory Control: Children's Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ) and Temperament in Middle Childhood Questionnaire (TMCQ) 97
3.4.4. Parent-Reported Working Memory 102
3.4.5. Teacher- and Parent-Reports of Children's Peer Relationships 103
3.4.6. Teacher- and Parent-Reports of Children's School Liking and Avoidance 106
4. SAMPLE DESIGN AND SAMPLING WEIGHTS 108
4.1. Sample Design 108
4.1.1. ECLS-K: 2011 School Sample 109
4.1.2. The Sample of Children 111
4.2. Sample Design for the First- Through Fourth-Grade Years 114
4.2.1. Fall First Grade and Fall Second Grade 114
4.2.2. Spring First Grade Through Spring Fourth Grade 121
4.2.3. Following Movers 129
4.3. Calculation and Use of Sample Weights 132
4.3.1. Types of Sample Weights 132
4.3.2. Computation of Sample Weights 144
4.3.2.1. Student Base Weights 144
4.3.2.2. Student Weights Adjusted for Mover Subsampling 145
4.3.2.3. Student Nonresponse-Adjusted Weights 145
4.3.2.4. Raking to Sample Control Totals 146
4.3.3. Characteristics of Sample Weights 147
4.3.4. Variance Estimation 149
4.3.4.1. Jackknife Method 149
4.3.4.2. Taylor Series Method 150
4.3.4.3. Specifications for Computing Standard Errors 151
4.3.5. Use of Design Effects 152
5. RESPONSE RATES 159
5.1. Study Instruments 159
5.2. Unit Response Rates and Overall Response Rates 160
5.3. Nonresponse Bias Analysis 189
5.3.1. Effect of Nonresponse on Child Assessment Data 190
5.3.2. Effect of Nonresponse on Parent Interview Data 195
5.3.3. Effect of Nonresponse on Teacher Questionnaire Data 201
5.3.4. Effect of Nonresponse on School Administrator Questionnaire Data 206
5.3.5. Effect of Nonresponse on Characteristics from the Base Year 210
6. DATA PREPARATION 215
6.1. Coding Text Responses 216
6.1.1. Household Roster Review 216
6.1.2. Partially Complete Parent Interviews 217
6.2. Receipt, Coding, and Editing of Hard-Copy Questionnaires 218
6.2.1. Receipt Control 218
6.2.2. Scanning of Hard-Copy Questionnaires 218
6.2.3. Coding for Hard-Copy Questionnaires 218
6.2.4. Data Editing 218
7. DATA FILE CONTENT AND COMPOSITE VARIABLES 220
7.1. Variable Naming Conventions 221
7.2. Identification Variables 223
7.3. Missing Values 226
7.4. Data Flags 230
7.4.1. Child Assessment Flags (X8RDGFLG, X8MTHFLG, X8SCIFLG, X8NRFLG, X8NRGEST, X8DCCSFLG, X8FLNKFLG, X8HGTFLG, X8WGTFLG, X8ASMTST, X8EXDIS) 230
7.4.2. Parent Data Flags (X8PARDAT, X8EDIT, X8BRKFNL) 232
7.4.3. Teacher Flags (X8TQTDAT, X8TQZDAT, X8TQRDGDAT, X8TQMTHDAT, X8TQSCIDAT, X8MSFLAG, X8SETQA, X8SETQC) 233
7.4.4. School Administrator Data Flag (X8INSAQ) 235
7.4.5. Child Destination School Flag (X8DEST) 235
7.5. Composite Variables 236
7.5.1. Child Composite Variables 236
7.5.1.1. Child's Date of Birth (X_DOBYY_R and X_DOBMM_R) 236
7.5.1.2. Child's Age at Assessment and the Date of Assessment (X8AGE, X8ASMTDD, X8ASMTMM, X8ASMTYY) 237
7.5.1.3. Child's Sex (X_CHSEX_R) 237
7.5.1.4. Race/Ethnicity (X_AMINAN_R, X_ASIAN_R, X_HAWPI_R, X_BLACK_R, X_WHITE_R, X_HISP_R, X_MULTR_R, X_RACETHP_R, X_RACETH_R) 238
7.5.1.5. Child's Height (X8HEIGHT) 240
7.5.1.6. Child's Weight (X8WEIGHT) 241
7.5.1.7. Child's Body Mass Index (X8BMI) 242
7.5.1.8. Child's Disability Status (X8DISABL2, X8DISABL) 242
7.5.1.9. Student Grade Level (X8GRDLVL) 244
7.5.1.10. Child Linked to a Special Education Teacher (X8SPECS) 245
7.5.2. Family and Household Composite Variables 245
7.5.2.1. Household Counts (X8HTOTAL, X8NUMSIB, X8LESS18, X8OVER18) 246
7.5.2.2. Household Rosters 247
7.5.2.3. Parent Identifiers and Type in the Household (X8IDP1, X8IDP2, X8HPAR1, X8HPAR2, X8HPARNT) 250
7.5.2.4. Parent Demographic Variables (X8PAR1AGE, X8PAR2AGE, X8PAR1RAC, X8PAR2RAC) 254
7.5.2.5. Household Income and Poverty (X8INCCAT_I, X8POVTY_I) 255
7.5.2.6. Creation of a Socioeconomic Status Variable 259
7.5.2.7. Respondent ID and Relationship to Focal Child (X8RESID, X8RESREL2) 260
7.5.2.8. Food Security Status 261
7.5.2.8.1. Food Security Status: Raw Scores (X8FSADRA2) 262
7.5.2.8.2. Food Security Status: Continuous Measures (X8FSADSC2) 263
7.5.2.8.3. Food Security Status: Categorical Measures (X8FSADST2) 264
7.5.3. Teacher Composite Variables 264
7.5.4. School Composite Variables 264
7.5.4.1. School Type (X8SCTYP) 265
7.5.4.2. Public or Private School (X8PUBPRI) 266
7.5.4.3. School Enrollment (X8ENRLS) 266
7.5.4.4. Percent Non-White Students in the School (X8RCETH) 267
7.5.4.5. Highest and Lowest Grade at the School (X8LOWGRD, X8HIGGRD) 268
7.5.4.6. Students Eligible for Free or Reduced-Price School Meals (X8FRMEAL_I) 269
7.5.4.7. Geographic Region and Locality of the Child's School (X8REGION, X8LOCALE) 272
7.5.5. Field Management System (FMS) Composite Variables 274
7.5.5.1. School Year Start and End Dates (X8SCHBDD, X8SCHBMM, X8SCHBYY, X8SCHEDD, X8SCHEMM, X8SCHEYY) 274
7.5.5.2. Year-Round Schools (X8YRRND) 275
7.5.6. School District Poverty (X8DISTPOV) 275
7.6. Methodological Variables 275
8. ELECTRONIC CODEBOOK (ECB) 276
8.1. Introduction 276
8.1.1. Hardware and Software Requirements 276
8.2. Installing, Starting, and Exiting the ECB 277
8.2.1. Installing the ECB Program on Your Personal Computer 277
8.2.2. How to Start the ECB 281
REFERENCES 284
APPENDIX A. DATA ADDENDA, ANOMALIES, ERRATA, AND DATA CONSIDERATIONS 287
INTRODUCTION 287
ADDENDA 289
Kindergarten and First-Grade Language Screener 289
PARENT INTERVIEW 290
Spring 2015 Anomalies and Errata 290
Spring 2015 Errors in the CAI Programming 291
Spring 2015 Data Considerations 292
CHILD ASSESSMENT 292
Spring 2015 Error in Administration 292
HARD-COPY QUESTIONNAIRES 292
School Administrator Questionnaire (SAQ): Spring 2015 Data Considerations 293
Teacher Questionnaires: Spring 2015 Anomalies 293
COMPOSITE VARIABLE ANOMALIES, ERRATA, AND CONSIDERATIONS 295
ELECTRONIC CODEBOOOK (ECB) VALUE LABELS 296
APPENDIX B. SUPPLEMENTAL GUIDE FOR THE KINDERGARTEN-FOURTH GRADE PUBLIC-USE DATA FILE 297
1. Introduction 297
2. Masked Variables 298
Table 3-1. Direct cognitive assessment: IRT theta scores, fall and spring kindergarten, fall and spring first-grade, fall and spring second-grade, spring third-grade, and spring fourth-grade assessments: School... 55
Table 3-2. Direct cognitive assessment: IRT standard errors of measurement (SEM), fall and spring kindergarten, fall and spring first-grade, fall and spring second-grade, spring third-grade, and spring... 56
Table 3-3. Direct cognitive assessment: IRT scale scores, fall and spring kindergarten, fall and spring first-grade, fall and spring second-grade, spring third-grade, and spring fourth-grade assessments: School... 58
Table 3-4. Reliability of IRT-based scores (theta and scale scores), by round of data collection and domain, for fall and spring kindergarten, fall and spring first grade, fall and spring second grade, spring... 62
Table 3-5. Dimensional Change Card Sort variable names, descriptions, value ranges, weighted means, and standard deviations for fall and spring second grade, spring third grade, and spring fourth... 71
Table 3-6. Numbers Reversed variable names, descriptions, value ranges, weighted means, and standard deviations for fall and spring kindergarten, fall and spring first grade, fall and spring second... 80
Table 3-7. Flanker variable names, descriptions, value ranges, weighted means, and standard deviations for spring fourth grade: Spring 2015 88
Table 3-8. Teacher-reported social skills scales variable names, descriptions, value ranges, weighted means, and standard deviations for fall and spring kindergarten, fall and spring first grade, fall... 93
Table 3-9. Teacher-reported social skill scales reliability estimates for fall and spring kindergarten, fall and spring first grade, fall and spring second grade, spring third grade, and spring fourth... 95
Table 3-10. Teacher-reported Approaches to Learning scale variable names, descriptions, value ranges, weighted means, and standard deviations for fall and spring kindergarten, fall and spring first... 97
Table 3-11. Children's Behavior Questionnaire variable names, descriptions, value ranges, weighted means, and standard deviations for fall and spring kindergarten and spring first grade: School... 99
Table 3-12. Temperament in Middle Childhood Questionnaire variable names, descriptions, value ranges, weighted means, and standard deviations for spring second grade, spring third grade, and... 100
Table 3-13. Reliability estimates for the teacher-reported Attentional Focus and Inhibitory Control scales for fall and spring kindergarten, spring first grade, spring second grade, spring third grade, and... 101
Table 3-14. Parent-Reported Working Memory variable names, descriptions, value ranges, weighted means, and standard deviations for spring third grade and spring fourth grade: Spring 2014 and spring 2015 103
Table 3-15. Reliability estimates for the parent-reported Working Memory scores for spring third grade and spring fourth grade: Spring 2014 and spring 2015 103
Table 4-1. The ECLS-K: 2011 school sample after school substitution 110
Table 4-2. Number (unweighted) of eligible children sampled for the ECLS-K: 2011, by selected characteristics: School year 2010-11 112
Table 4-3. Number (unweighted) of sampled children who are base-year respondents, by selected characteristics: School year 2010-11 113
Table 4-4. Number (unweighted) of original sampled schools in the 30 PSUs selected for the fall data collections, by selected characteristics: Fall 2011 and fall 2012 115
Table 4-5. Number (unweighted) of original sampled schools with base-year respondents at the start of the fall data collections, by selected characteristics: Fall 2011 and fall 2012 116
Table 4-6. Number (unweighted) of base-year respondents in the fall first- and second-grade sample, by selected characteristics: Fall 2011 and fall 2012 117
Table 4-7. Number (unweighted) of base-year respondents in fall first grade, by type of sampled school and selected characteristics: Fall 2011 119
Table 4-8. Number (unweighted) of base-year respondents in the fall second grade, by type of sampled school and selected characteristics: Fall 2012 120
Table 4-9. Number (unweighted) of original sampled schools in the 90 PSUs selected for the spring data collections with base-year respondents, by selected characteristics: Spring 2012, spring 2013, spring... 121
Table 4-10. Number (unweighted) of base-year respondents in spring first grade, by type of sampled school and selected characteristics: Spring 2012 123
Table 4-11. Number (unweighted) of base-year respondents in spring second grade, by type of sampled school and selected characteristics: Spring 2013 124
Table 4-12. Number (unweighted) of base-year respondents in spring third grade, by type of sampled school and selected characteristics: Spring 2014 125
Table 4-13. Number (unweighted) of base-year respondents in spring fourth grade, by type of sampled school and selected characteristics: Spring 2015 126
Table 4-14. Number (unweighted) of base-year respondents in spring fourth grade who were selected for the mathematics teacher questionnaire, by type of sampled school and selected characteristics: Spring 2015 127
Table 4-15. Number (unweighted) of base-year respondents in spring fourth grade who were selected for the science teacher questionnaire, by type of sampled school and selected characteristics: Spring 2015 128
Table 4-16. Characteristics of the fourth-grade weights 148
Table 4-17. Standard errors and design effects for selected survey items, fourth grade: Spring 2015 155
Table 4-18. Median design effects for the spring fourth-grade survey items, by school characteristic: Spring 2015 158
Table 5-1. Response rates for child assessment and parent interview, by selected school characteristics, fourth grade: Spring 2015 164
Table 5-2. Response rates for child assessment and parent interview, by selected student characteristics, fourth grade: Spring 2015 166
Table 5-3. Response rates for reading teacher questionnaires, by selected school characteristics, fourth grade: Spring 2015 167
Table 5-4. Response rates for reading teacher questionnaires, by selected student characteristics, fourth grade: Spring 2015 169
Table 5-5. Response rates for mathematics teacher questionnaires, by selected school characteristics, fourth grade: Spring 2015 170
Table 5-6. Response rates for mathematics teacher questionnaires, by selected student characteristics, fourth grade: Spring 2015 172
Table 5-7. Response rates for science teacher questionnaires, by selected school characteristics, fourth grade: Spring 2015 173
Table 5-8. Response rates for science teacher questionnaires, by selected student characteristics, fourth grade: Spring 2015 175
Table 5-9. Overall response rates for child assessment and parent interview, by selected school characteristics, fourth grade: Spring 2015 176
Table 5-10. Overall response rates for reading teacher questionnaires, by selected school characteristics, fourth grade: Spring 2015 178
Table 5-11. Overall response rates for mathematics teacher questionnaires, by selected school characteristics, fourth grade: Spring 2015 180
Table 5-12. Overall response rates for science teacher questionnaires, by selected school characteristics, fourth grade: Spring 2015 182
Table 5-13. Response rates for special education teacher questionnaires, fourth grade: Spring 2015 184
Table 5-14. Response rates for school administrator questionnaire, by selected school characteristics, fourth grade: Spring 2015 185
Table 5-15. Response rates for school administrator questionnaire, by selected student characteristics, fourth grade: Spring 2015 187
Table 5-16. Overall response rates for school administrator questionnaire, by selected school characteristics, fourth grade: Spring 2015 188
Table 5-17. Weighted and unweighted response rates for all instruments, fourth grade: Spring 2015 189
Table 5-18. Estimates using unadjusted and nonresponse-adjusted weights, child assessment, spring fourth grade: Spring 2015 192
Table 5-19. Differences between unweighted and weighted estimates, and between unadjusted and adjusted estimates, child assessment, spring fourth grade: Spring 2015 193
Table 5-20. Estimates using unadjusted and nonresponse-adjusted weights, parent interview, spring fourth grade: Spring 2015 196
Table 5-21. Differences between unweighted and weighted estimates, and between unadjusted and adjusted estimates, parent interview, spring fourth grade: Spring 2015 198
Table 5-22. Estimates using unadjusted and nonresponse-adjusted weights, teacher questionnaire data, spring fourth grade: Spring 2015 201
Table 5-23. Differences between unweighted and weighted estimates, and between unadjusted and adjusted estimates, teacher questionnaire data, spring fourth grade: Spring 2015 203
Table 5-24. Estimates using unadjusted and nonresponse-adjusted weights, school administrator questionnaire data, spring fourth grade: Spring 2015 206
Table 5-25. Differences between unweighted and weighted estimates, and between unadjusted and adjusted estimates, school administrator questionnaire data, spring fourth grade: Spring 2015 208
Table 5-26. Differences between unadjusted base-year estimates from kindergarten respondents and unadjusted base-year estimates from fourth-grade respondents: Spring 2011 and spring 2015 211
Table 5-27. Differences between adjusted base-year estimates from kindergarten respondents and adjusted base-year estimates from fourth-grade respondents: Spring 2011 and spring 2015 213
Table 7-1. Pointers to parent figure questions 253
Table 7-2. Detailed income range categories used in the parent interview: Spring 2015 256
Table 7-3. Missing data for household income: Spring 2015 257
Table 7-4. Criteria for reporting income to the nearest $1,000 in the spring parent interview and 2014 thresholds for 200 percent of poverty: Spring 2015 258
Table 7-5. ECLS-K: 2011 poverty composite and 2014 census poverty thresholds: Spring 2015 259
Table 7-6. Number and percent of public and private schools and study students with missing data for the percent of children in the school eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (S8PCTFLN): Spring 2015 270
Exhibits
Exhibit 1-1. Data collection schedule: School years 2010-11 through 2015-16 22
Exhibit 2-1. Instruments used in the ECLS-K: 2011 kindergarten, first-, second-, third-, and fourth-grade rounds of data collection: School years 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13, spring 2014, and spring 2015 26
Exhibit 2-2. Child questionnaire topics by round of data collection in the ECLS-K: 2011: Spring 2014 and spring 2015 33
Exhibit 2-3. Parent interview topics, by round of data collection in the ECLS-K: 2011: School years 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13, spring 2014, and spring 2015 35
Exhibit 2-4. General classroom teacher teacher-level questionnaire topics, by round of data collection in the ECLS-K: 2011: School year 2010-11, spring 2012, spring 2013, spring 2014, and spring 2015 41
Exhibit 2-5. General classroom teacher child-level questionnaire topics, by round of data collection in the ECLS-K: 2011: School years 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13, spring 2014, and spring 2015 43
Exhibit 2-6. Special education teacher questionnaire topics, by round of data collection in the ECLS-K: 2011: Spring 2011, spring 2012, spring 2013, spring 2014, and spring 2015 45
Exhibit 2-7. School administrator questionnaire topics, by round of data collection in the ECLS-K: 2011: Spring 2011, spring 2012, spring 2013, spring 2014, and spring 2015 47
Exhibit 2-8. Copyright-protected instruments in ECLS-K: 2011 48
Exhibit 3-1. Data flag description for the computerized Dimensional Change Card Sort for fall and spring second grade and spring fourth grade: Schools years 2012-13 and spring 2015 72
Exhibit 3-2. Data flag description for the computerized Dimensional Change Card Sort for spring third grade: Spring 2014 73
Exhibit 3-3. Data flag description for the Flanker for the spring of fourth grade: Spring 2015 88
Exhibit 3-4. Child questionnaire content and item-level variables for spring third grade and spring fourth grade: Spring 2014 and spring 2015 90
Exhibit 3-5. Teacher-reported item-level variables on peer relationships in spring second grade, spring third grade, and spring fourth grade: Spring 2013, spring 2014, and spring 2015 105
Exhibit 3-6. Parent-reported item-level variables on peer relationships and friendships in spring second grade, spring third grade, and spring fourth grade: Spring 2013, spring 2014, and spring 2015 106
Exhibit 3-7. Teacher- and parent-reported item-level variables on school liking and avoidance in spring fourth grade: Spring 2015 107
Exhibit 4-1. ECLS-K: 2011 fourth-grade main sampling weights for analysis not including data from teachers 135
Exhibit 4-2. ECLS-K: 2011 fourth-grade main sampling weights associated with data from teachers 136
Exhibit 4-3. Weights developed for use with the ECLS-K: 2011 fourth-grade data, by components for which nonresponse adjustments were made 142
Exhibit 5-1. ECLS-K: 2011 survey instruments and definition of completed instrument: Spring 2015 160
Exhibit 7-1. Prefixes for fourth-grade variables 222
Exhibit 7-2. Identification variables included in the ECLS-K: 2011 kindergarten-fourth grade restricted- use data file 223
Exhibit 7-3. Missing value codes used in the ECLS-K: 2011 data file 226
Exhibit 7-4. Definitions of negative and affirmed values for the food security items in the ECLS-K: 2011 kindergarten-fourth grade restricted-use data file 263
Exhibit 8-1. InstallShield Wizard 278
Exhibit 8-2. Welcome window 279
Exhibit 8-3. Choose Destination Location 279
Exhibit 8-4. Setup Status 280
Exhibit 8-5. InstallShield Wizard Complete 280
Exhibit 8-6a. Desktop icon 281
Exhibit 8-6b. Desktop screen-click start 281
Exhibit 8-7. First-time user dialog box 282
Exhibit 8-8. ECB splash screen 282
Exhibit 8-9. Select Catalog screen 283
Exhibit 8-10. Main ECB screen 283
Appendix Exhibits
Exhibit B-1. ECLS-K: 2011 masked variables, spring 2015 child assessment 300
Exhibit B-2. ECLS-K: 2011 masked variables, spring 2015 parent interview 301
Exhibit B-3. ECLS-K: 2011 masked variables, spring 2015 teacher-level reading teacher questionnaire 310
Exhibit B-4. ECLS-K: 2011 masked variables, spring 2015 teacher-level mathematics/science teacher questionnaire 312
Exhibit B-5. ECLS-K: 2011 masked variables, spring 2015 child-level teacher questionnaires 313
Exhibit B-6. ECLS-K: 2011 masked variables, spring 2015 school administrator questionnaire 314
Exhibit B-7. ECLS-K: 2011 masked variables, spring 2015 composite variables 317
Exhibit B-8. ECLS-K: 2011 masked variables, spring 2015 field management system and identification variables 318