Using statewide administrative data from a sample of children enrolled in public prekindergarten (pre-K) programs in Massachusetts, I examined heterogeneity in children’s absenteeism patterns from pre-K to Grade 3 and linked these patterns to their Grade 3 academic outcomes. After latent class growth analysis, six absenteeism patterns emerged. The vast majority of children (85%) had consistently low absenteeism, and only a small percentage of children (1%) demonstrated consistently high absenteeism. Four patterns showed variation in absenteeism over time, with two characterized by high absenteeism in only the pre-K year, another with a peak during kindergarten, and a final one with rising absenteeism across grades. Children with always low absenteeism had higher average English language arts and math scores than did children in the other patterns, and children in the two high pre-K absenteeism patterns and peak in kindergarten pattern had higher math scores than those with rising and always high absenteeism patterns.

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探索从学前班到小学早期的缺勤模式及其与儿童学业成绩的关系

我利用来自马萨诸塞州公立学前班 (pre-K) 项目的儿童样本的全州行政数据，研究了从学前班到三年级儿童缺勤模式的异质性，并将这些模式与他们三年级的学业成绩联系起来。经过潜在班级增长分析后，出现了六种缺勤模式。绝大多数儿童 (85%) 的缺勤率始终较低，只有一小部分儿童 (1%) 的缺勤率始终较高。四种模式显示缺勤率随时间的变化，其中两种模式的特点是仅在学前班缺勤率较高，另一种模式在幼儿园期间达到高峰，最后一种模式的缺勤率在各个年级都在上升。缺勤率始终较低的儿童的英语语言艺术和数学平均成绩高于其他模式的儿童，而学前班两个高缺勤模式和幼儿园高峰模式的儿童的数学成绩高于缺勤率不断上升且始终较高的儿童模式。