The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the predictive ability of six teacher variables: absenteeism, age, gender, degree level, certification status, and experience on fifth-grade mathematics achievement as measured by norm- and criterion-referenced tests. The study was conducted in a large suburban school district in Georgia using personnel records and fifth-grade student mathematics scores from state testing. Participants were comprised of a convenience sample of all fifth-grade students and teachers in the study district. These participants were selected because they had the highest amounts of student-teacher contact time and had completed all state required tests. ANOVA results showed that teacher absenteeism did not have a negative effect on student achievement. However, regression analyses indicated that teacher characteristics were significant predictors of student achievement operationalized both as norm-referenced tests (R[superscript 2] = 0.70, p less than 0.001) and criterion-referenced tests (R[superscript 2] = 0.62, p less than 0.001). Specifically, degree level and certification predicted norm-reference achievement whereas all teacher characteristics predicted criterion-referenced achievement. The findings suggested the need for the district to take additional measures to attract and retain teachers with higher degree levels and subject specific certification. Recommendations for future research were made for replication of the study in other contexts by addressing other variables which may affect the nature of the relationship between teacher absence and student achievement such as the effectiveness of substitute teachers, leadership characteristics of the administration, school culture, and school climate. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]