Understanding the nuances between chronic absenteeism and truancy is essential for educators, policymakers, and communities to enhance student engagement and success. Both of these terms often get conflated, yet they describe different patterns of absence with distinct implications for how schools may address absenteeism. 

For this reason, it’s important to know these differences, understand and use accurate data when describing these terms, and recognize that addressing absenteeism is a multifaceted issue that can be addressed in more than one particular way.

What is the difference between the two?

Chronic Absenteeism 

  • The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) defines chronic absenteeism as missing ten percent or more of her/his enrolled academic year for any reason (excused and unexcused).
  • Excuses could include mental health days, sick days with notes, educational enhancement opportunities (KRS 159.035(s), military visitations, etc.) 

As an additional nuance, each district may have unique policies on how many days can be missed, what types of excuses are acceptable in compliance with KRS, and each district may have a unique process for how this information is reported– meaning the implementation side of how schools log, when they log, and how they may change tardy/excuses in their systems may vary across the Commonwealth. 

Chronically absent doesn’t fully capture the scope of what it means to be absent. It gives a negative connotation and doesn’t nuance students who are absent with cause versus without cause.

How is the data for chronic absenteeism calculated?

In a recent presentation to the Interim Joint Committee on Education, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) shared the following:

  • Chronic absenteeism data is based on full-time equivalency (FTE) attendance
  • KDE defines chronically absent as a student who is present 90% or less of FTE. 
  • KDE calculates chronic absenteeism by dividing student’s FTE present minutes by FTE instructional minutes and rounding to the nearest whole percent.
  • A student is chronically absent from school when the student has missed 10 percent or more of the days enrolled (that is approximately 17 days of school).

The Infinite Campus: Chronic Absenteeism Quick Reference Card details how chronic absenteeism is calculated.

Chronic absenteeism elevates to truancy when there is a pattern of unexcused absences from school. 

Truancy

KRS 159.150 defines truancy as the following:

  • Any student (age 6-17) or any public school student (age 18-20) who has missed three or more days of school or been tardy on three or more days without a valid excuse over the course of a school year. 
  • Students who have been reported as truant two times or more are considered habitually truant.

It’s important to note that chronic absenteeism’s broader scope helps educators and policymakers understand and address the comprehensive challenges students face, while truancy’s legalistic focus targets specific behaviors that violate school attendance policies. 

Because of their unique characteristics, each problem requires its own approach to reducing the number of days a student misses school.

Addressing Chronic Absenteeism + Truancy

Like many issues we face, there are many ways to approach solutions and find compromises. The same goes for addressing absenteeism and truancy – there are multiple ways that this issue can be addressed. It’s important to first understand the nuance before solutions can be provided as well as some of the root causes.

You might ask: Why are students missing school so much?

In a recent study, by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics, findings were that millions of U.S. children are experiencing chronic absenteeism due to injury, illness, or disability. Our previous blog discusses more information related to why kids are missing schools related to barriers, aversion, disengagement, and misconceptions. 

How is Kentucky addressing this issue?

Recently, legislators have increased their focus on truancy, filing bills that provide greater oversight of the Family Accountability, Intervention, and Response Teams (FAIR teams), increase accountability for parents and consequences for kids, and expand discretion for Directors of Pupil Peronnels’ and county attorneys. This session, related legislation has been discussed as a response to chronic absenteeism broadly when it’s actually focused on addressing truancy.

Will this approach address chronic absenteeism?

This approach is too narrow to fully address the scope of chronic absenteeism. Effective strategies encompass adopting a holistic method, recognizing that improvements require sustained effort over time. Emphasis should be placed on crafting positive experiences, removing barriers, and empowering families, rather than resorting to punitive measures that may exacerbate the issue.

How can Kentucky address chronic absenteeism?

There are evidence-based strategies for addressing chronic absenteeism. EdResearch discusses a tiered strategy:

  • Tier 1 provides general prevention strategies for all students including providing safe, reliable transportation, home visiting by nurses or teachers, providing information to parents about child’s absences and positive messaging about how school can improve attendance.
  • Tier 2 includes data systems for identifying at-risk students and providing increased intervention as well as considering school-based mentorship, which has been shown to improve attendance. 
  • Tier 3 includes partnering with other public agencies and community-based organizations. This approach works to comprehensively respond to some of the complex challenges that some students may be facing. This tier also includes an Absence Intervention Team that holistically responds to causes of absenteeism and truancy. Using such teams are more effective than strategies that punish students and their families. 

FutureEd provides a similar approach in their report: Attendance Playbook: Smart Solutions for Reducing Student Absenteeism Post-Pandemic.