Author Information
Brian A. Collins, Hunter College–The City University of New York, United StatesClaudio O. Toppelberg, Harvard Medical School, United States
Abstract
The growing linguistic diversity in U.S. schools creates a need to better understand how early bilingual language abilities contribute to later academic achievement. This study investigates English and Spanish oral proficiency at kindergarten as predictors of academic performance from third through sixth grade among second-generation Latino children of immigrants. Children’s English and Spanish skills were directly assessed using the Woodcock Language Proficiency Battery-Revised, and achievement outcomes were obtained from state English Language Arts (ELA) and Math standardized exams (MCAS). Linear regression models controlling for poverty, gender, and maternal education demonstrated that English proficiency at kindergarten significantly predicted ELA and Math performance across all four grade levels. Importantly, Spanish proficiency uniquely contributed to predictions of later achievement above and beyond English, significantly predicting ELA through sixth grade and Math outcomes through fifth grade. Overall, models explained moderate proportions of variance in academic performance (R² = .22–.35). Findings demonstrate that both English and Spanish proficiency at school entry are meaningful predictors of long-term academic outcomes, drawing attention to the developmental and educational value of supporting dual language abilities. This work supports evidence-based practices and policies that leverage emergent bilingual children’s full linguistic repertoire to promote equitable academic success.
Paper Information
Conference: ACEID2026Stream: Language Development & Literacy
This paper is part of the ACEID2026 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Collins B., & Toppelberg C. (2026) Spanish and English Proficiency at Kindergarten as Predictors of Later Academic Achievement ISSN: 2189-101X – The Asian Conference on Education & International Development 2026 Official Conference Proceedings (pp. 641-656) https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2189-101X.2026.52
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2189-101X.2026.52
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