Post on 23-Feb-2016
description
www. attendanceworks.org
Monitoring Chronic Absence: An Overlooked But Essential Tool for
Reducing the Achievement Gap
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Why Does Attendance Matter?
Allocating resources
Identifying at risk
students
Enforcing compulsor
y education
laws
Assessing health of
school communit
y
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Unpacking Attendance Terms
Average Daily Attendance
• Definition: The % of enrolled students who attend school each day• Answers: What resources are needed to serve typical number of
students who show up to school?
Truancy
• Definition: Typically refers only to unexcused absences and is defined by each state and sometimes locality.
• Answers: How many/which students are skipping school and breaking the law?
Chronic Absence
• Definition: Missing 10% or more of school for any reason – excuse, unexcused, etc.
• Answers: How many and which students are missing so much school they are academically at risk? Do we need to improve attendance in order to raise achievement?
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Moving into Action Requires KnowingIf Chronic Absence is a Problem
Most Schools Only Track Average Daily Attendance and Truancy. Both Can Mask Chronic Absence.
Variation in Chronic Absence for Schools with 95% ADA in Oakland, CA
0.0%
2.0%
4.0%
6.0%
8.0%
10.0%
12.0%
14.0%
16.0%
18.0%
20.0%
5.8%
9.3%
12.4% 12.5%
14.2%
17.3%
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Chronic Absence Versus Truancy in San Francisco
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Sporadic — Not Just Consecutive – Absences Matter
A 407 alert is issued when student misses 10 consecutive days or 20 days over a 40 day period. It misses more sporadic absence.1 out of 5 elementary school children were chronically absent.
Source: Nauer K et al, Strengthening Schools by Strengthening Families, Center for New York City Affairs New School, Oct 2008
New York City Schools
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Variation Helps Identify Good Practice and Need for Intervention
Chronic Absence Levels Among Oakland Public Schools (2009-10)
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K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 120%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
% Chronically Absent Students By Ethnicity2010-11 School Year
African American
Asian
Latino
White
Grade Level
% O
f Act
ive
Stud
ents
African American and
Latino Students Most Affected
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Elementary Absenteeism Concentrated in West Oakland
10 10
Solutions Only Work If Grounded in Understanding Of What Leads to Chronic Absence
Discretion
Parents don’t know
attendance matters
School lacks a strong culture of attendance
Aversion
Child is struggling
academically
Child is being bullied
Barriers
Lack of access to health care
No safe path to school
Poor transportation
Special thanks to Dr. Robert Balfanz, Everyone Graduates Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD for providing this framework.
What Causes Chronic Absence?
1111
Recognize Good & Improved Attendance
Parent Engagement
Personalized Early Outreach
Attendance Data Team
Proposed Universal Strategies For Influencing Discretion and Identifying Causes of Absence
What Can Help?
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Increased Attendance Involves a 3-Tiered Approach that Fits with Most Reform Efforts
0-25% of a school’s
students
Students who were chronicallyabsent in prior year or starting to miss 20% or moreof school.
5-35% of a school’s
studentsStudents at risk for chronic absence
65-100% of a school’s
studentsAll students in the school
RecoveryPrograms
InterventionPrograms
Universal/Preventive Programs
High Cost
Low Cost