Associations Between Classroom Processes and Students’ Academic Outcomes from Pre-Kindergarten Through First Grade

Abstract One salient feature of classroom processes that has been shown to be a key support for students’ academic performance is the dosage of, or exposure to, academic content. The effects of dosage are presumed to accumulate as students are exposed to content over time. The present study examines associations between students’ academic skills at the end of first grade and average exposure to content in classroom teaching across three grades—pre-k, kindergarten, and first grade —for a diverse sample of students from low-income households (White = 5%, Black = 11%, Hispanic = 77%, Other = 7%; English at home = 19%, Spanish at home = 56%; other language at home = 25%). Also examined is the extent to which such associations with academic outcomes are conditioned by the rigor of academic content and quality of teacher-student interactions. 1,220 children were followed from public pre-k through first grade (mean age = 55 months old at the start of pre-k, SD = 3.5). Analyses adjusting for family, classroom, and child factors as well as performance at the start of pre-k find that more instructional time on literacy and language content across pre-k to first grade is beneficial for students when coupled with high-quality teacher-student interactions over that span. No significant associations with classroom process variables were detected for math outcomes. Implications of these findings for instructional practice, professional development, and quality improvement initiatives are discussed.