Albany's Sleight of Hand on School Attendance
In 'Albany Doesn't Overlook Chronic Absenteeism' (Letters, March 26), JP O'Hare defends the New York State Education Department's decision to shift from a narrow focus on chronic absenteeism to a broader measure that includes the attendance of all students.
While the education department is still publishing chronic absenteeism metrics, it has removed that measure from its Every Student Succeeds Act plan, which assesses school quality. This signals to school districts across the state that they don't have to focus on reducing chronic absenteeism if their overall attendance is acceptable.
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