Early Cognitive Predictors of Language, Literacy, and Mathematics Outcomes in the Primary Grades

Early predictors of language, reading, and mathematics are typically examined independently of each other. This study investigated how early cognitive predictors across domains could predict future academic skills across domains using data from 563 students in kindergarten to second grade (ages 5 to 8; 388 males; largely monolingual English). The roles of language, literacy, and numeracy measured as predictors of later academic grades were examined. Results found that academic domains did not always differentiate as expected. Further, kindergarten language and literacy skills were independent predictors of academic outcomes in grade one. By grade two, early language continued to predict language grades, whereas literacy skills predicted mathematics. Results are discussed in light of the overlapping relationships between language, reading, and mathematics.