Graduate Student Research Symposium 2026

Federal education policy during the 2000s and 2010s changed the kindergarten expectations in the U.S. During these years, kindergarten policies shifted away from experiential, play-based learning and toward first grade academic expectations. However, prior research suggests that many children were developmentally unready for the academic tasks that awaited them in kindergarten. Some studies have also found age at kindergarten entry to be a predictor of academic achievement. As a result, many states, including Hawaiʻi, implemented policies pertaining to school starting age (SSA). Hawaiʻi’s Act 178 required that children must be five years old on or before July 31 in order to enter kindergarten, beginning with the 2014—2015 school year. This study will use school-level Grade 3 standardized test data for the 2014—2015 to 2018—2019 school years to consider if this policy change led to differential patterns on key outcomes for the kindergarten cohorts before and after Act 178 was implemented.