Chronic Absenteeism New Jersey Department of Education October 1, 2014

Definition A 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’ Performance Division New Jersey Department of Education 2

NJ Performance Report Performance Division New Jersey Department of Education 3

NJ Performance Report Performance Division New Jersey Department of Education 4

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) Performance Division New Jersey Department of Education 5

Absences Add Up Performance Division New Jersey Department of Education 6

New Jersey’s NAEP None1-2 days3 or more days Diff between None and 3 or More 4 th Math th Reading th Math th Reading Performance Division New Jersey Department of Education 7

Chronic Absenteeism, by grade Performance Division New Jersey Department of Education 8

Chronic Absenteeism, Performance Division New Jersey Department of Education 9

NJ Assessment Outcomes for Chronically Absent students Performance Division New Jersey Department of Education 10

NJ Assessment Outcomes for Chronically Absent, Economically Disadvantaged Students Performance Division New Jersey Department of Education 11