Four-year-olds who miss more preschool score lower on kindergarten readiness measures of math, letter recognition, and social-emotional development, even after controlling for incoming skills¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · associational r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2014 · checked against its sources 2026-10-19 (automated, 2 of 2 entries) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Among students with similar incoming skills and backgrounds, students who missed 10 percent or more of school performed significantly worse on the math and letter recognition portions of the KRT than students with the best attendance. → Ehrlich 2014 q3 i? For pre-literacy outcomes, once children's beginning-of-year letter recognition skills were taken into account, there was no significant relationship between attendance and end-of-year scores. → Ehrlich 2014 (2)

q3 i? Controlling for entering skills and background, missing more preschool remained significantly associated with lower year-end scores on the math and letter recognition portions of the Kindergarten Readiness Tool (significant from 10 percent absence, against the best attenders), and on the social-emotional portion only for students missing at least 20 percent of school. → Ehrlich 2014

Evidence¶

Ehrlich 2014¶

Ehrlich, S. B., Gwynne, J. A., Pareja, A. S., Allensworth, E. M., Moore, P., Jagesic, S., & Sorice, E. (2014). Preschool Attendance in Chicago Public Schools: Relationships with Learning Outcomes and Reasons for Absences. UChicago CCSR Research Report. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/preschool-attendance-chicago-public-schools-relationships-learning-outcomes-and-reasons

q3 · i? · associational · r2

Analysis of 1,265 four-year-olds in the CPS Preschool Longitudinal Study (2010-11), using Woodcock-Johnson III fall scores as controls and the Kindergarten Readiness Tool at year end. After controls, the social-emotional difference was significant only for students missing at least 20 percent of school, compared with those who missed the least. Descriptively, best attenders answered 88 percent of math items correctly versus 75 percent for students missing at least 20 percent of school.

"Among students with similar incoming skills and backgrounds, students who missed 10 percent or more of school—those considered chronically absent—still performed significantly worse on the math and letter recognition portions of the KRT than students who had the best attendance."

Ehrlich 2014 (2)¶

Ehrlich, S. B., Gwynne, J. A., Pareja, A. S., Allensworth, E. M., Moore, P., Jagesic, S., & Sorice, E. (2014). Preschool Attendance in Chicago Public Schools: Relationships with Learning Outcomes and Reasons for Absences. UChicago CCSR Research Report. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/preschool-attendance-chicago-public-schools-relationships-learning-outcomes-and-reasons

q3 · i? · associational · r2

Null result from the same PLS analysis (n=1,265): the pre-literacy subscale showed no significant attendance relationship after controlling for beginning-of-year letter recognition; equivalence was not tested. Students who started with higher pre-literacy skills maintained that advantage regardless of attendance.

"For pre-literacy outcomes, once we took into account children's letter recognition skills at the beginning of the year, there was no significant relationship between attendance and end-of-year scores."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Emotional Intelligence — outcome: instruction changes it
• Social Awareness and Relationship Skills — outcome: instruction changes it

Related Claims¶

• Children who attend pre-kindergarten are more ready for kindergarten at the end of their pre-k year than children who do not attend — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it

• Chronically absent pre-kindergarten students (absent 10 percent or more of enrolled days) display lower academic and behavioral kindergarten readiness — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)

• Good attendance is more strongly related to academic gains for students who enter preschool with lower incoming skills than for those entering with higher skills — related
• Pre-kindergarten absence is widespread in a large urban district, particularly among African American students and those entering with the lowest skills — related
• Freshmen who miss more than two weeks of school per semester fail at least two classes on average, regardless of incoming test scores — related
• Pre-K benefits at the start of kindergarten diminish by a little more than half during the kindergarten year — related
• Students chronically absent (10%+) in the prior year start the following school year 0.22 to 0.47 SDs lower in mathematics than peers with no prior-year absences — related
• Health is the most commonly reported reason preschool children miss school, with more than half of all days missed due to sickness, and logistical obstacles accounting for another 18 percent — related
• Enrolling in CPS pre-k before age four is associated with stronger kindergarten readiness in English language development and early reading for ELs — related
• Full-day pre-k attendance is associated with stronger pre-k attendance and kindergarten readiness in English language development and early literacy for ELs — related