District data show chronic absenteeism linked to lower SOL pass rates in some subjects

Pulaski County Public Schools staff presented an analysis of chronic absenteeism and Standards of Learning (SOL) outcomes, reporting that students classified as chronically absent passed roughly half of the SOL subjects examined overall but that results varied substantially by grade and subject.

The district said chronically absent students passed 50% of the tested subjects overall; by level staff reported chronic-absence pass rates of about 62.5% at the elementary level, 21% at middle school and 50% at high school. Subject-level pass rates among chronically absent students ranged from high percentages in some areas (reading at 75%, U.S. history at 88%, and writing reported as 96%) to much lower rates in others (geometry at 13%, some science subjects in the mid-40s).

"There is a correlation between a chronic absenteeism student and a student who doesn't have chronic absenteeism. Those students that don't have it do perform better because they're in school more," a data presenter said, summarizing the results and noting the district’s interest in targeting early-grade attendance to improve outcomes.

Staff noted particular concern about early-grade reading: students who are behind by Grade 3 face greater long-term risk of falling behind academically. The district said the attendance data will inform targeted communications to parents and interventions for younger students.

Board members asked for more granular analysis and for further sharing of the compiled data. Staff named Sarah Reed as a key analyst on the metrics and said they would provide additional breakdowns on request.