Assessment and Instruction in Kindergarten Mathematics

The archived data are from an IES-funded observational study (PI: Vitiello) examining whether and how kindergarten teachers' use of formal and informal math assessments is associated with student math learning gains. The study was motivated by the rapid expansion of assessment use in early elementary settings, driven in part by federal initiatives, and by the limited research base linking assessment practices to improved student outcomes. In addition to direct associations between assessment use and learning gains, the study examined links among teacher math assessment practices, targeted instructional responses to individual student needs, and student math achievement. Teacher data literacy and mathematical knowledge for teaching were also investigated as potential moderators of how assessment information is used in practice. Data were collected across two school years (Year 1: 2022–2023; Year 2: 2023–2024) in 114 Virginia kindergarten classrooms (41 in Year 1; 73 in Year 2), with approximately four focal students per classroom selected for direct assessment, plus alternates for children who were frequently absent or who left the classroom (N = 559 students). Students and teachers were diverse, reflecting the racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity of Virginia public schools. The dataset is structured as a child-level wide file (one row per child) and includes directly administered child math assessments (REMA), teacher-reported math proficiency ratings (Academic Rating Scale from the ECLS-K), fall and spring teacher surveys covering instructional practices, assessment use, and content coverage, teacher mathematical knowledge assessments (K-TEEM), and classroom observation data (ISI and COEMET) where applicable. A subset of Year 2 classrooms participated in a no-observation group and did not receive ISI or COEMET data collection; these classrooms are flagged in the dataset. Teacher survey data are included at the child level and reflect the classroom in which each focal child was enrolled. Users of this dataset should note that the Academic Rating Scale Math Total score (ARSMathtot) carries a systematic missing code (–77) for children who received three or more "Not Applicable or Skill Not Yet Taught" responses, as many kindergarten-entry math skills had not yet been introduced at the fall timepoint; this pattern is expected and documented in the accompanying codebook. Detailed scoring protocols for the ISI, COEMET, and REMA measures are not included in this deposit and should be obtained from the published measure documentation.