An Examination of Chronic Absenteeism as Related to Performance on End-of-Year Missouri State Assessments

This study was designed to examine if a correlation exists between regular school attendance and academic success. As an outcome of concern for educational expectations in American schools, the government of the United States increased accountability for schools through the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, requiring schools improve student achievement levels in designated core academic areas (Tyre, Feuerborn, & Pierce, 2011). Unlike the findings of Robert Balfanz and Vaughan Byrnes (2012) of Johns Hopkins University, which found most educational agencies do not keep detailed statistics regarding student attendance, Missouri public school districts do have an accountability structure in place. Core Data and Missouri Student Information System (MOSIS) data collection systems are used by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (2014) to monitor attendance among Missouri’s school children. Using data collected from Core Data and MOSIS, this study was designed to correlate variables in relation to student performance on Missouri end-of-year standardized tests to the students’ annual attendance rates within a specific school district. Results were supportive of the research hypotheses; a correlation exists between chronic absenteeism and basic or below basic performance on the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) grade-level assessments for students in the sample. These findings were generally consistent with previous research. Recommendations for future research are suggested