Children who are among the oldest in their kindergarten class are more likely than younger classmates to take and pass Advanced Placement exams in high school and to earn bachelor’s degrees within four years, according to a study by researchers at the College Board, the New York City-based nonprofit that administers the SAT and Advanced Placement exams.
The study, published online in July, will appear in a forthcoming issue of the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. Researchers zeroed in on children in the same kindergarten cohort who were born up to 364 days apart. They tracked 1.6 million students who entered kindergarten between 1991 and 1995.
The study found that the younger students caught up with their older peers six years after high school graduation when both groups were earning bachelor’s degrees at about the same rates.
