The Association Between Elementary School Start Time and Students’ Academic Achievement in Wayzata Public Schools - report

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Margaret

Report examines how elementary school start time relates to students’ academic achievement in Wayzata Public Schools, using mathematics and reading Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA). Two analyses address elementary grades 3-5 and middle school, with student performance compared between early and late start time schools. Descriptive stage contrasts means and standard deviations of unadjusted MCA scores, while inferential stage uses ANOVA controlling for student demographic characteristics.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time30 min

AccessFree to download

Purpose and Overview

Descriptive Analyses in Elementary School

Inferential Analyses (ANOVA)

Academic Achievement in Elementary vs. Middle School

Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement University of Minnesota THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL START TIME AND STUDENTS’ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN WAYZATA PUBLIC SCHOOLS Prepared by: Danielle N. Dupuis Assistant Director of Research and Assessment Services December 2, 2015 Research, Development and Engagement to Improve Education How to Cite this Report Dupuis, D.N. (2015) . The association between elementary school start time and students’ academic achievement in Wayzata Public Schools. Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota. Contact Information Danielle N. Dupuis Assistant Director of Research and Assessment Services Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement College of Education and Human Development University of Minnesota 1954 Buford Avenue, Suite 425 Saint Paul, MN 55108 Telephone: (612) 626-7896 [Email: ddupuis@umn.edu](Email: ddupuis@umn.edu) The Association Between Elementary School Start Time and Students’ Academic Achievement in Wayzata Public Schools The following report details two analyses that were conducted with the purpose of examining the association between elementary school start time and students’ academic achievement in mathematics and reading in Wayzata Public Schools. The first analysis examines the association between elementary school start time and students’ academic achievement in elementary school. The second analysis examines the association between elementary school start time and students’academic achievement in middle school. Students’ academic achievement was measured by the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA) in mathematics and reading. Both analyses took part in two stages: (a) descriptive analyses that compared the means and standard deviations of MCA scores for students in/from early and late start time elementary schools, and (b) inferential analyses that examined the association between elementary school start time and students’academic achievement, controlling for students’ demographic characteristics. School Start Time and Academic Achievement in Elementary School As noted above, the purpose of the first analysis was to examine the association between elementary school start time and elementary students’ MCA scores in mathematics and reading. The analysis was restricted to students in grades 3-5 because MCA data are not available for students in grades K-2. Descriptive Analyses Means and standard deviations (unadjusted for student demographic characteristics) by school start time are presented in Table 1 for the MCA mathematics, and in Table 2 for the MCA reading. Effect sizes (Cohen’s d) are also presented in Tables 1 and 2. The effect size quantifies the mean difference between students in early and late start time schools in terms of standard deviation units (i.e., standardized mean difference) . For example, an effect size of 0.50 would indicate that the mean difference between the two groups is equal to half a standard deviation; so if the standard deviation equals 14 points, the mean difference between the two groups equals 7 points. The results presented in Tables 1 and 2 show evidence of a small association between elementary school start time and academic achievement, with students in early start time schools performing better in 2010-2012, and students in late start time schools performing better in 2013-2015, for both mathematics and reading. There is a consistent trend in the data for both mathematics and reading; that is, in 2010 students in the early start time schools outperformed students in the late start time schools, with the difference between students in early and late start time schools decreasing to zero by 2012. Then, in 2013 the pattern reversed and students in the late start time schools outperformed students in the early start time schools with the difference increasing in magnitude throu

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the report?

The report evaluates the association between elementary school start time and students’ academic achievement in mathematics and reading in Wayzata Public Schools.

Which assessments and grades are analyzed?

Students’ academic achievement is measured using the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA) in mathematics and reading, with elementary analyses restricted to grades 3-5 because MCA data are not available for K-2.

How do the descriptive and inferential analyses differ?

Descriptive analyses compare unadjusted means and standard deviations of MCA scores between early and late start time schools, while inferential analyses fit ANOVA models for each year and subject and control for students’ demographic characteristics.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Margaret