The data within this project comprise a four year longitudinal study assessing various aspects of literacy including decoding, fluency, vocabulary, reading comprehension, listening comprehension, working memory and writing. Participants were tested on all measures once a year, approximately one year apart. Participants were first grade students in the fall of 2007 whose parents consented to participate in the longitudinal study. Participants attended six different schools in a metropolitan school district in Tallahassee, Florida. Data was gathered by trained testers during thirty to sixty minute sessions in a quiet room designated for testing at the schools. The test battery was scored in a lab by two or more raters and discrepancies in the scoring were resolved by an additional rater.
The first-year sample consisted of 316 first-grade children (49% female) and ranged in age from 6 years 1 month to 8 years 9 months (M 6.6, SD 0.56). The sample was representative of the student population in Florida, with 60% Caucasian, 25% African American, 4% Hispanic, 4% Asian and 7% another ethnicity.
In the second year of data collection, 270 children (48.5% female) were still included in the study. The second-year sample ranged in age from 7 years 2 months to 9 years 5 months (M 7.5, SD .67). The ethnic composition of the sample was 63% Caucasian, 21.5% African American, 5.2% Hispanic, 4.4% Asian, 5.2% mixed ethnicity, and 0.7% another ethnicity. A small number of students (n 12) were retained in Grade 1 during Year 2 of the study.
In the third year of data collection, 260 children (48.8% female) remained in the study. The third-year sample ranged in age from 8 years 11 months to 10 years 11 months (M 8.5, SD .56). The ethnic composition was 61.5% Caucasian, 23.5% African American, 5% Hispanic, 5.8% Asian, and 4.2% mixed ethnicity. A small number of students (n 2) were retained in Grade 2 during Year 3 of the study.
In the fourth and final year of data collection, 219 children (48.1% female) remained in the study. The fourth-year sample ranged in age from 9 years 10 months to 11 years 1 month (M 9.9, SD .42). The ethnic composition was 59.1% Caucasian, 24.2% African American, 4.7% Hispanic, 4.7% Asian, 5% mixed ethnicity, and 1.2% unknown. A small number of students (n 13) were retained in Grade 3 during Year 4 of the study.
