Concurrent Prediction of Dropout and Grade of Withdrawal

Abstract

A multiple regression was used to predict the grade in which 307 male and 200 female secondary school dropouts would leave school. Predictors were twenty measures derived from sixth-grade school records. Results indicated that a combination of four measures would significantly predict grade of dropout two to six years in advance of the time students left school. Comparison of results with measures previously found to differentiate dropouts from graduates showed considerable overlap in the prediction of (a) grade of dropout and (b) the outcome of high school dropout vs. graduation. It was concluded that the more inclusive concept, level of educational attainment, can account for both the differences between dropouts and high school graduates and the differences between dropouts who leave at different points in their secondary school education.