Chronic absenteeism: It’s an academic problem that is most often viewed through the lens of truancy - students choosing to absent themselves from school without permission, and without a reasonable excuse such as illness or a death in the family.
Detention, suspension and even expulsion can result when the problem gets out of hand. But the punitive aspect of absenteeism is just one consequence.
Being gone from class for more than 10 percent of the time - the definition of chronic absence - can have serious academic repercussions even when the student has a legitimate reason for not being there, says Karin Fritz-Staley, Detroit Lakes Public Schools’ attendance coordinator.
According to a May 2011 study by Applied Survey Research, “Attendance in Early Elementary Grades: Association with Student Characteristics, School Readiness and Third Grade Outcomes,” those repercussions can begin even at an early age.
“If a student is chronically absent in kindergarten or first grade, the research says they have only a 17 percent chance of being able to read at grade level when they enter third grade,” said Fritz-Staley.
By contrast, if that student attends class regularly in both kindergarten and first grade -missing less than nine days per year, for both years - their odds of being able to read at grade level, at the same age, increase to 64 percent, she added.
That’s regardless of any other factor, Fritz-Staley said: Just being there all day, every day will greatly increase their odds of succeeding academically.
“It really is important to show up for class,” she added. “It’s hard for parents to really understand the importance at that age… but it really doesn’t take much to turn things around.”
Research has also shown that “improving attendance can have a big impact on academics, very quickly,” Fritz-Staley said.
Students who are chronically absent “can also struggle socially,” she added - they have fewer friends, join in on fewer after-school activities, and so on.
Fortunately, in Detroit Lakes, elementary parents appear to have gotten the message: During the 2013-14 school year, both Rossman and Roosevelt elementary schools reported that just five percent of their students were chronically absent.
At the middle school, the number of chronically absent went up to 14 percent, and it was at 19 percent for the high school - which means there’s always room for improvement, she added.
Chronic absenteeism increases achievement gaps not just at the elementary level, but for middle and high school students as well, and as they get older, it also becomes a significant risk factor for dropping out of school, Fritz-Staley noted.
While this state has made great strides in its overall high school graduation rate - the 79.5 percent announced by the Minnesota Department of Education last spring was its highest in a decade - there is always room for improvement, Fritz-Staley said.
“It’s the goal of every school district - to see 100 percent of our students make it,” she added.
Follow Detroit Lakes Newspapers reporter Vicki Gerdes on Twitter at @VickiLGerdes.
