A comparative study of early and late school entry in the Chattanooga Public Schools as it relates to student performance on the 1982 Ninth Grade Proficiency Test

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a statistically significant difference between the performance on the Tennessee Statewide Proficiency Test of ninth grade students who entered first grade in the Chattanooga Public Schools as early or late school entrants. A random sample of 120 students that were members of the 1982 Chattanooga City Schools Ninth Grade Class were identified. Data were collected by the investigator for all of the subjects from which information for the study was acquired.

Results of the 1982 Tennessee Statewide Proficiency Test which was administered in the Spring of 1982 showed that no significant differences existed between the performance of early school entrants and late school entrants on the statewide proficiency test at the probability level of .05 on the reading, language, spelling, and mathematics subtests.

Chi-square and t-test analysis revealed no significant differences existed between sample subjects that participated in the Chapter I Program and those that did not receive Chapter I services. The study shows also that no significant differences existed between sample subjects that attended the kindergarten program operated by the Chattanooga Public Schools and those that did not attend the kindergarten program.

The study further pointed out that no significant differences existed between early school entry and late school entry subjects and the number of days absent from school over an eight year period. Data from the study revealed also that school mobility and scores obtained on the California Achievement Test (Level 16) indicated that no significant differences existed between early school and late school sample subjects.