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An Evaluation of a National Program to Reduce Student Absenteeism in High School

Author

Listed:
  • Michael Baker
  • Nina Drange
  • Hege Marie Gjefsen

Abstract

Starting in the 2016/17 academic year, high school students in Norway who missed more than 10 percent of the hours in a given course without a medical excuse could not receive a final grade. We examine the impacts of this policy on student absenteeism, the incidence of the no grade penalty and two measures of student achievement. The policy had the intended impact on absenteeism, reducing total absence by 20-28 percent, and chronic absence by 29-39 percent in the high school grades. This behavioral response was largely sufficient to avoid the academic penalty for absence over the 10 percent threshold under the new law. Finally, we find a mixed impact on student achievement: little impact on externally graded, end of year exams, and modest evidence of a positive impact of 6 percent of a standard deviation on teacher awarded GPA.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael Baker & Nina Drange & Hege Marie Gjefsen, 2022. "An Evaluation of a National Program to Reduce Student Absenteeism in High School," NBER Working Papers 30194, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:30194
    Note: ED LS
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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