Comments on: Absence and Growth: An Inconclusive, Pseudo-Scientific Analysis http://www.flinchclass.com/2011/03/absence-and-growth-an-inconclusive-pseudo-scientific-analysis/ Tue, 16 Apr 2013 17:35:01 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.0.38 By: Bob Alexander http://www.flinchclass.com/2011/03/absence-and-growth-an-inconclusive-pseudo-scientific-analysis/#comment-125 Mon, 28 Mar 2011 15:08:54 +0000 http://www.flinchclass.com/?p=803#comment-125 Dylan Wiliam’s research points to the fact that it really doesn’t matter what school you are in. What matters is which teacher’s classroom you are in as a student. The highest achieving students can be found in the classrooms of the best teachers in your building.

]]> By: Jamie Flinchbaugh http://www.flinchclass.com/2011/03/absence-and-growth-an-inconclusive-pseudo-scientific-analysis/#comment-118 Fri, 04 Mar 2011 20:40:42 +0000 http://www.flinchclass.com/?p=803#comment-118 I think that’s fascinating data.

Certainly, there are multiple factors influencing performance, including talent, process, and environment. I would call attendance, never quite my strong suit, a process factor. Given the number of factors as input, this appears to me to be fairly strong correlation. There is definitely a relationship. Of course, causation and correlation can be different. So are those who perform better more likely to attend class? Or are those who attend class more likely to perform? Or is it a little bit of both? I certainly don’t know the answer, but for anyone looking for an advantage, why not follow a path that provides an 8 percent benefit?

]]> By: Heather Smith http://www.flinchclass.com/2011/03/absence-and-growth-an-inconclusive-pseudo-scientific-analysis/#comment-117 Fri, 04 Mar 2011 17:20:56 +0000 http://www.flinchclass.com/?p=803#comment-117 As a teacher, it is difficult to believe that absences seemingly have little impact on growth. In the classroom, it certainly feels like there should be a larger discrepancy. As I think about my own students, past and present, I wonder if the data would be more telling if it included differentiation based on the reason for the absences and behavior following the absence. There are many motivated students who are absent and immediately return and are intent on making up any work they missed. On the other hand, there are those who are absent and never complete any missed assignments or even make an effort to find out what they missed. Those students who have the motivation to complete missed assignments are missing time but are still learning, while the others are missing time AND learning. Just a thought…

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