Chronic Absenteeism

New Jersey Department of EducationOctober 1, 2014

DefinitionA chronically absent student is a student who misses 10% or more of the school days that he or she could have attended, for any reason.

•Does not differentiate between excused or unexcused absences, simply ‘not present’•A student who participates in an educational program, even if not located in the school, is considered ‘present’

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NJ Performance Report

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NJ Performance Report

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NAEP Outcomes Study

Alan Ginsburg, Phyllis Jordan and Hedy Chang: Absences Add Up: How School Attendance Influences Student Success

•Central finding: “Students reporting missing 3 or more days of school in the prior month had lower average NAEP scores in reading and math than students with fewer absences. In fourth grade, the absentee students scored an average 12 points lower on the reading assessment than those with no absences — more than a full grade level on the NAEP achievement scale. In eighth grade, absentee students scored an average 18 points lower on the math assessment.” (p. 3)

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Absences Add Up

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New Jersey’s NAEPNone 1-2 days 3 or more

daysDiff between

None and 3 or More

4th Math 251 246 240 12

4th Reading 232 231 220 12

8th Math 303 295 284 19

8th Reading 279 277 268 11

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Chronic Absenteeism, by grade

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Chronic Absenteeism, 2013-14

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NJ Assessment Outcomes for Chronically Absent students

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NJ Assessment Outcomes for Chronically Absent, Economically Disadvantaged Students

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