Chapter I
The Purpose of the study
The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of truancy on academic performance on standardized test scores. Students identified with five or more unexcused absences per term will be the target population. Each student’s prior and current year’s attendance record will be examined. Standardized test scores on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment Systems and the Scholastic Reading Inventory (MCAS and SRI) will be evaluated and compared to students who meet the school wide attendance policy. The current attendance policy of BostonPublic School will be examined and the practice of the policy at the JamesP.TimiltyMiddle School will be evaluated.
Background
The No Child Left Behind ( NCLB) Act of 2004 has been called the landmark of education reform. It was designed to improve student achievement and change the culture of America’s schools. Out of a desperate need to improve the performance of America’s schools, frameworks were created to ensure that no child is trapped in a failing school.
A push for greater accountability by requiring states to create state wide standards in Reading and Math were created to ensure that all students reach a proficient level within (12) twelve years. Thus is the creation of Adequate Yearly Progress(AYP). School districts which do not show adequate progress toward statewide goals maybe subjected to sanctions and restructuring measures. With this increased accountability that educators face across the nation is the growing number of students who are truant from school.
Teaching in the BostonPublic School system for seventeen years, at the middle school level, it is not uncommon to see students entering into the sixth grade from elementary school with an astronomical number of days absent from school. Student truancy has plagued the nation for over a century. Research shows as early as 1872 dropouts have caused concern for school officials. In 1884 only one third of students required to attend public schools actually did. In the 1930’s more than two thirds of student absences were non-illness related (Rohrman 1993). Truancy has remained one of the biggest factors that continue to eat away at the fabric of a good education. Research indicates that since the 1970’s absenteeism has been marked by many educators as the most persistent problem that school officials face (Rood 1989). If a child is going to be educated then a sufficient amount of time has to be spent in the classroom. When students are absent from school, or tardy, they miss precious time on task and an opportunity to learn valuable information. When students are absent from school this leads to poor grades, students fall further behind, their make-up work begins to pileup, which may lead to further absences or tardiness,which creates a vicious cycle. Truancyalso becomes a distraction for other students and interferes with the learning that takes place in the classroom.
Truancy is recognized by educators across the nation as a major problem for thousands of adolescents. This serious problem impacts the truant, his or her family, the school and the community as a whole. Schools lose revenue, the community is at risk due to the delinquent behavior of the students who are unsupervised and are not in school.
Truants miss out on educational opportunities, which affect their ability to be productive members and contributors to society. Therefore, programs that deal with truancy and absenteeism issues are of great value to communities, school districts, students and families.
Significance
Reducing student absenteeism and truancy is one of the top ten goals of many schools across the nation. From state to state, districts struggle to combat truancy and its affect on students standardized test scores. The significance of this study is to evaluate the effect of truancy on standardized test scores. If research proves that truancy significantly effects performance on standardized test scores then current attendance policies need to be improved. The Boston public School students who are at risk of becoming chronic truants will benefit from this research. The JamesP.TimiltyMiddle Schoolwill benefit from this research because we are currently not making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in the category of attendance.