Attendance Matters: Working Together To

Improve Student Attendance and Learning

Maine Principal’s AssociationThursday, November 19, 2015

Bever ly Coursey, Ocean Ave E lementaryKyle Rhoads, Windham Pr imarySusan L ieberman, Count ME In

•“In my school, when I am absent the office calls but the teacher just moves on with her day.”

What students are saying…

Today’s Agenda• Chronic Absenteeism, Student Attendance and Engagement

• National and State Research

• Resources and Strategies

Average Daily

Attendance

• The % of enrolled students who attend school each day.It is used in some states for allocating funding.

Truancy

• Typically refers only to unexcused absences and is defined by each state under No Child Left Behind. It signals the potential need for legal intervention under state compulsory education laws.

Chronic Absence

• Missing 10% or more of school for any reason -- excused, unexcused, etc. It is an indication that a student is academically at risk due to missing too much school starting in Kindergarten.

Unpacking Attendance Terms

4

Average Daily Attendance (ADA) Can Mask Chronic Absence

9.10%8.10%

12.70%

8.70%

11.60%

7.50%

1 2 3 4 5 6

District with 95% ADA: Rate of Chronic Absenteeism

Absences Add Up:Excused and Unexcused=Missed Days

Do you know the attendance or chronic absentee rate for

the youth/students in your school?

Why Attendance Matters:A National Problem

A state-by-state analysis of national testing data demonstrates that students who miss more school than their peers consistently score lower on standardized tests. (Ginsburg et al, 2014)

Of chronically absent high school students who enrolled in college, 40% persisted, full time into a second year versus 72% of the students with low absenteeism. (Rhode Island HUB, 2014)

Students who missed 2 to 4 days in September were 5 times more likely to be chronically absent during the school year than students who missed fewer than 2 days. Students who missed 4 days in September were over 16 times more likely to be chronically absent. (Olson, 2014)

Chronic Absence Versus TruancyAnalysis by Attendance Works with San Francisco School District

8

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Number of students missing 10% versus 10 unexcused absences

(San Francisco Unified School District)

# chronic absentees - 2010-2011

# of students with 10 unexcused absences (as of May 16th 2011)

•“If you hear from the teacher, it’s better because the teacher actually knows your kid and it feels better as a parent .”

What parents are saying…

Community Partners Can Make A Difference

Middle school students in an afterschool program in Providence Rhode Island had a 25% lower absence rate than their peers. The improvement in school attendance increased with the amount of time in the program. ( 2011)

Students who attended the afterschool Boys and Girls Club skipped school fewer times, increased school effort and gained academic confidence. The study was based on 10 clubs throughout the country. (2009)

Mentoring, such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, demonstrated that mentoring has a positive influence on student attendance. (2007)

What We Can DoThe Power of Positive Relationships

Chronic absence can be reduced when schools and communities partner to:

• Build a strong culture of attendance

• Monitor attendance and interventions to better understand nature and extent of absenteeism

• Work with students, families, school staff, and the community to identify barriers and solutions to getting to school

•“If a student misses a few days of school, the school should ask questions, wait for an answer, listen, and then ask what they may need.”

What students are saying…

Count ME In ModelComprehensive Data-Driven Approach

UniversalMessaging

Early Warning & Response

System

Data and Evaluation

Consortium of District and Community

Partners

Toolkit of Strategies Student

& Family

Count ME In and The Big Picture: Chronic and At-Risk Absences by Cohort

8.7

17.2

6.9

13.9

5.3

13.5

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

14.0

16.0

18.0

20.0

Chronic Absence At-Risk Absence

Perc

enta

ge o

f St

ud

en

ts

0 yr CMI 1 yr CMI 2 yr CMI

15

• Recognize good and improved attendance

• Educate & engage students and families

• Monitor school attendance data

• Clarify attendance expectations and goals

• Establish positive and engaging school climate

Map the need and available resources

TIER 1 Universal

Approach

• Provide personalized early outreach

• Meet with student/family to develop plan

• Offer attendance Mentor/Buddy

TIER 2How many are missing 7-10%?

• Intensive case

management with

coordination of public

agency and legal

response as needed

TIER 3 How many students are missing 10% or

more of current or prior year?

The Big Picture: Staff Survey of Attendance Policies and Practices by Cohort

13.7 13.8 14.5

4.9

16.715.6

17.9

5.6

17.4 16.7

20.2

6.0

0

5

10

15

20

25

Actionable Data Positive Messaging Capacity Building SharedAccountability

Ave

rage

Att

end

ance

Cat

ego

ry

Sco

re

0 Yrs CMI 1 Yr CMI 2 Yrs CMI

What You Can Do!

Strategies and Interventions

BY WORKING TOGETHER

WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

•“I like it when I walk into school and they say hello to me and know my name because they’re glad to see me. I can tell when someone doesn’t really mean it.”

What students are saying…

Data and Action

DATA

• Real time Tracking

• Useable

• Manageable

• Focus on individual students

ACTION

•TEACHERS ARE KEY!!!

•Protocols and follow through

•Empowering Teachers

•Educating Students, Staff, and Parents

•Working with Community Partners to deepen the resources and team

Infinite Campus Attendance Flagging SystemSorting, Saving & Refining Results

RSU 14 Attendance Contact Tab

• “.I don’t feel there were supports in place for him that would have made me feel safe sending him. Supports might have looked like a staff member taking some time 1:1 with him upon his return after a particularly “rough” day. It might have also looked like a phone call to me at lunchtime saying that “everything was okay” – not just a phone call when things weren’t. ”

What parents are saying…

Examples of 1:1 Teacher/Family Interaction

• Calls home when a student missesschool (protocols for #’s of days missed including sporadic absences)

• Report card conferences

• Classroom Newsletters

• Home visits

24

• “Now that we use the protocols, I am more aware of who is and isn’t here regularly in my classroom. I also have opened communication early to families where we know there has been an attendance problem.”

What Teachers are saying…

Linking and Connecting Possible Tier 2 Interventions

26

Assign

Attendance

Buddies

Partner with

families/students

to develop

Student

Attendance

Success Plan

Recruit for

engaging Before-

or After-School

ActivitiesConnect to

Walk- to-School

Companion

Offer plan or

contacts for

Health Support

Priority Early

Outreach for

Positive Linkages

and Engagement

Talk about School Attendance!

• Ask students about their school day and what they are learning

• Discuss whether students attend every day

• Learn what the chronic absentee rate is in your community

• Celebrate student attendance and learning

Solution: Community EffortChronic absence is a problem we can solve when the whole community gets involved.

THANK YOU!Beverly CourseyKyle RhoadsSusan Lieberman: slieberman@countmeinmaine.org

207-747-9059

Additional Resources

Count ME In: www.countmeinmaine.org

Attendance Works: www.attendanceworks.org

Count ME In is funded through grants from JT Gorman Foundation, Sam L Cohen Foundation, Betterment Fund, United Way of Greater Portland, and FH Brain Foundation