sequent school-aged skills (e.g., Burchinal et al., 2020; Claessens et al., 2009; Cunha & Heckman, 2007; Duncan et al., 2007; Passaretta & Skopek, 2018b; Rabiner et al., 2000, 2016; H. W. Stevenson & Newman, 1986).1 Our study investigates this relationship, specifically in the period of primary education. Further, our chapter contributes to existing studies on the origin of achievement gaps in education. These studies indicate that a significant part of SES achievement gaps in schooling have their roots before schooling begins. Passaretta and Skopek (2018a) find that 70% of vocabulary gaps between low and high SES German students at age 9 are set by age 5. Similarly, Van Huizen (2018) reports that 48% of the sixthgrade SES achievement gap in language skills is formed before schooling starts. Skopek and Passaretta (2018) find that 55% of the gaps between low and high SES UK students at age 11 are established by age 5, with 47% in verbal and 69% in quantitative skills.2 After controlling for several covariates (e.g., language spoken at home, siblings at home, etc.), these proportions rise to 67% and 73%, respectively. These studies also examine the native-migrant achievement gap, concluding that migrants tend to catch up during education, after controlling for SES (e.g., Skopek & Passaretta, 2018; Van Huizen, 2018). This chapter contributes to this literature in several ways. First, our chapter benefits from a unique dataset of semi-annual skill scores of students that covers all grades of primary education. This dataset is 1Similarly, the literature recognizes the value of preschool programs for individuals’ development (e.g., Barnett & Belfield, 2006; Duncan & Magnuson, 2013; Kautz et al., 2014). 2They consider a composite measure as a proxy for a child’s overall standing within the range across various cognitive domains as skill variable. In addition, they compose two other measures: verbal skills and quantitative skills. 43
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