PowerPoint Presentation

Stacy B. Ehrlich, Julia Gwynne, Amber Stitziel Pareja, and Elaine M. Allensworthwith Paul Moore, Sanja Jagesic, and Elizabeth Sorice

University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research

With generous funding from The McCormick Foundation

Attendance Matters! Understanding School Attendance among Chicago Public Schools Youngest Students

CCSR CCSR1What does attendance look like for CPS students in preschool and the early grades? Is attendance in preschool related to learning outcomes in preschool?Is attendance in preschool related to attendance and learning outcomes later on?Why are students absent from preschool?

Research Questions

CCSR CCSR2Children enrolled in school-based preschool programs in Chicago Public SchoolsExcluded Montessori and children in non-inclusive special education programsPreschool programs and children included in studyData retrieved from Office of Early Childhood Education, CPS (updated June, 2012): http://www.ecechicago.org/about/glance.html Programs:Serve 3- and 4-year-oldsMost are -dayStudents:88% qualify for free and reduced lunch 29.4% qualify for English Language Learners (ELL) services

CCSR CCSR3Defining various attendance termsAverage Daily AttendanceThe % of enrolled students who attend school each day. It is used in some states for allocating funding.TruancyTypically refers only to unexcused absences and is defined by each state under No Child Left Behind. It signals the potential need for legal intervention under state compulsory education laws.Chronic Absence

Missing 10% or more of school for any reason excused, unexcused, etc. It is an indication that a student is academically at risk due to missing too much school. Source: Hedy Chang, Attendance Works

# CCSR CCSR4What is the extent of chronic absences among preschool students in CPS?How does it compare to absences among students in kindergarten and the early elementary grades?Who is most likely to exhibit chronic absences?

Research Question 1:What does attendance look like for CPS students in preschool and the early grades?

# CCSR CCSR5Preschool students have very high rates of chronic absenteeism

## CCSR CCSR6African American preschool students more likely to be chronically absent, even after taking into account neighborhood poverty

## CCSR CCSR7At what absence level do students have significantly lower achievement than their peers with regular attendance?

Is the relationship between absenteeism and achievement the same for all groups of students?

Research Question 2:Is attendance in preschool related to achievement in preschool?

# CCSR CCSR8Kindergarten Readiness Tool (KRT)Used in CPS from 2009-2012Administered at the end of preschool (spring before students enter kindergarten)Includes 86 items administered individually, 8 items filled out by teacherFour subtests identified through Rasch Analysis:Math (31 items)Letter Recognition (30 items)Pre-Literacy (24 items)Socio-Emotional Development (8 teacher ratings)

# CCSR CCSR9Students with lower preschool attendance have lower kindergarten readiness scores on all subtestsNot controlling for prior knowledge

Not Chronically AbsentChronically Absent* Indicates that scores are significantly different from scores of students who absent 0