An Exploratory Investigation of the Relations Among Annual School Absences, Reading Curriculum-Based Measurement, and a High-Stakes State Reading Assessment

This study investigated the relations among annual school absences, data obtained from triennial reading curriculum-based measurement (R-CBM) screenings, including R-CBM slope, and a high-stakes state reading assessment. Participants included 106 third-and fourth-grade students for whom attendance and reading achievement data were available across the entire school year. Results of this exploratory study indicated that the number of annual absences was not significantly related to fall, winter, or spring R-CBM performance, annual R-CBM slope, or state reading assessment scores. When the participants were broken into groups with low (10 or fewer days) and high (more than 11 days) absence rates, no significant group differences were found for any reading achievement indicator. Consistent with previous research, triennial R-CBM data was robustly associated with performance on the state reading assessment. Furthermore, annual absence rate did not explain additional variation in state reading assessment scores beyond winter R-CBM performance. Limitations of this exploratory study and implications for future investigations and practice are discussed.