All-Day Prekindergarten: Closing the Achievement Gap in Literacy

The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative research study was to compare the impact that half-day and full-day prekindergarten had on economically disadvantaged students on Grade 3 State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) Reading test results. Data from students who previously attended a half-day and full-day prekindergarten program were analyzed to see which program had a greater impact on STAAR reading scores at the conclusion of third grade. The comparison included two urban school districts with an economically disadvantaged threshold of 70% or greater. Descriptive statistics to obtain frequencies were used to create data that showed how students performed in the areas of Did Not Pass, Approaches, Meets, and Masters. The resulting data from Research Question 1 showed there was no statistical mean difference on Grade 3 STAAR Reading test results for economically disadvantaged students who previously attended a half-day or full-day prekindergarten program in the areas of Did Not Pass and Approaches. The resulting data from Research Question 2 showed that there was a statistical mean difference on Grade 3 STAAR Reading test results for economically disadvantaged students who previously attended a half-day or full-day prekindergarten program in the areas of Meets and Masters. The data analysis results were reported and discussed. The findings were summarized, conclusions were given, and recommendations for future research were made