Chapter 3. Primary School Skill Development: from First to Sixth Grade stable, suggesting that the differences are mainly formed in the later years in primary education. For spelling, we conclude that the total sixth-grade achievement gap between male and female students, favoring female students, is formed during the primary school period. Note, however, that males advance more in the early years of education than females. For math, Figure B.4 of the appendix shows that female students make significantly larger advancements than male students. This, however, does not hold in first grade, where male students do not lag behind girls in terms of learning advancement. Migration background Last, Table 3.5 shows that students with a migration background make a significantly larger learning advancement compared to their native peers in all skills. This difference in learning advancement is substantial. Consequently, it seems that the primary school period compensates for early lags of migrant students compared to their peers. Migrant students mostly overtake their native peers at or by the end of primary education. For that reason, the native-migrant achievement gap, favoring migrants, is almost completely formed during primary education. Figure B.5 of the appendix investigates the development of learning advancement differences among natives and migrants throughout primary education. The appendix shows that migrants advance more than natives throughout primary education. These advancement differences arise more gradually throughout primary education for spelling and math than for reading. 72
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