Interventions to Increase
Attendance
Why Focus on
Attendance?
High numbers of school absence are:
 An early warning sign of potential drop-outs
 Predictive of academic failure
 A flag for student disengagement and struggling schools
 Costly for each school and surrounding community
Measures of attendance are:
• Available
• Easily understood
• Predictive of failure in school
• An indicator of effective engagement strategies by educators
• A potentially powerful shared outcome that facilitates collaboration
Why Do Students Miss School?
Family Issues
Generational illiteracy
Negative attitudes
Lack of parental support
Family situation
Employment Issues
Conflicting school/work hours
Night or evening work schedule
Why Do Students Miss School?
Academic Issues
Retention in Elementary/Middle school
Social promotion
Struggle to adapt to increased workload in HS
Language barrier for ELL kids
Other Factors
Bullying or other negative experiences at school
gangs, drugs, and crime (pull and push)
Poor economic situation of community
When 90% Doesn’t Earn an “A”
Attendanceworks.org
Students Who Miss More Than 10% Of School
Are At Grave Risk
0-90%
10% absence ( 18 days/yr.)
91-94%
<10% but > 5% absence
95 %+
5% absence
:
20% absence
Chronic Absence in Kindergarten and 1st Grade Associated
with Poor ELA Proficiency in 3rd Grade
100%
Percentage of Students Scoring Proficient or Advanced on 3rd Grade
ELA test by Attendance in Kindergarten and 1st Grade
80%
64%
60%
43%
41%
40%
17%
20%
0%
No attendance risks
No risk
Small risk
Moderate risk
High risk
Small attendance risks Moderate attendance risks
Missed less than 5% of school in K & 1st
Missed 5-9% of school in both K & 1st
Missed 5-9% of school in K and 10% in 1st
Missed 10% or more of school in K & 1st
High attendance risks
Dropout Rates by Sixth Grade Attendance
(Baltimore City Public Schools, 1990-2000 Sixth Grade
Cohort)
Severely
Chronically
Absent (≥
Chronically
Absent
(
Source: Baltimore Education Research Consortium SY 2009-2010
Not
Chronically
Absent
Impact of 9th Grade Absences on
Graduation Rates
Attendance
Strategies
Schools that make attendance gains bring
together school staff members, parents, students,
health and social services and others to review
data, identify issues related to cause and effect,
and then collaboratively develop strategies to
improve student attendance.
10
Schools that Make Attendance Gains
• Teachers use a broad range of strategies to
engage their students
• Teachers know the students well
• The teachers have high expectations for
students, which often leads to high
expectations within students
• The teachers foster critical judgment and
problem-solving skills in their students
11
Schools that Make Attendance Gains
• Strengthen accountability among
parents, students and teachers
• Implement positive strategies to
increase engagement and
personalization with students and
families
• Intervene early: every absence counts
and gets a response
Schools that Make Attendance Gains
• Develop strategies to improve school
climate, which reduces negative peer
interaction issues, such as bullying and
hazing
• Review student discipline policies,
procedures, and discipline data and
subsequently implement a universal
school climate improvement strategy (e.g.,
PBIS)
13
The Right Policies
• Create and implement effective policies and
practices that balance sanctions and rewards
and which are intended to change behavior:
not just punish
• Employ less severe consequences, such as
community service or in-school detentions
• Contain effective reporting, recording and
monitoring processes
14
The Right Policies
• Make a clear distinction between
excused and unexcused absences
• Are aligned with the district’s policies
and goals
• Are well publicized
• Are understood by staff, students and
families
15
Examples of Strategies for 3 Tiered Approach
Recovery
Programs
•
•
•
Intervention
Programs
•
•
•
•
Universal/Preventive
Programs
•
•
•
•
•
Case management and wrap-around services
Referral as last resort for court-based intervention
Early outreach, support, mentoring for student
with poor attendance.
Identify and remove barriers
Attendance contracts
Safe & supportive school environment
Engaging classroom environments
Parent education about why attendance matters and
how to help each other get students to school.
Ongoing attention to attendance data
Recognition for good and improved attendance
Collaboration with afterschool & early childhood
School-based health supports
What Parents Can Do?
• Ensure students arrive on time each day, well equipped
and ready to learn
• Take an interest in the education of their child by talking to
them about school and by attending school events
• Call the school before 9:00 a.m. on each day of absence
• Be alert to any signs that might indicate bullying or other
issues that could affect school attendance
• Inform the school immediately if there are any matters that
arise that may affect the attendance of their son/daughter
Engage the Community
Forge partnerships with community and public agencies:

Include them on attendance data teams to glean
additional data and insights into barriers to attendance

Enlist their help to support outreach and case
management to parents

Invite them to provide resources to address common
barriers to attendance
Consider using levels of chronic absence to identify which
schools are top priority for collaborative relationships with
community partners.
Attendance Resources
• http://www.gadoe.org/pea_policy.aspx?PageReq=PEAPolicyAttendance
• http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2009/2009804.pdf
• http://www.attendanceworks.org/
• http://www.schoolengagement.org/TruancypreventionRegistry/Admin/Re
sources/Resources
SchoolAttendanceTrackingChallengesandEffectivePractices.pdf
• http://www.nccp.org/publications/pdf/text_837.pdf
ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM
Attendance Incentives
Samples:
• Exempt from end of semester testing OR attend a “Fun
Day” if miss less than X amount of days (3 days usually).
• Must consider for equality:
– Students with Disabilities
• IEP
• 504 Plans
• Health Care plans
– Hospitalizations
– Chronic Health Condition
– Etc.
Attendance Incentives
• ALWAYS take into consideration students with
disabilities
• Note WV is a medically underserved state
with less than a handful of child specialist in
chronic disease areas;
• Going to the medical home and specialist =
good care management = better attendance
Attendance Incentives
• Not making allowances for students with disabilities
can lead to DISCRIMINATION;
• Include provisions for students with documented
disabilities (see court cases); and
• Talk with the school nurses about Healthcare Plans
and the SAT, Section 504 and IEP teams to ensure
students do not get penalized for having disabilities
or chronic medical conditions.
Attendance Incentives
As we know, NO one asked to
have a disability/chronic disease
or an
acute injury/condition (broken
leg, diabetic comma,
hospitalization, etc.) so let’s
make sure they are not penalized
by our reward programs!
IEP &Section 504 Guidance Doc is at
https://wvde.state.wv.us/osp/504support.htm.
What is the duty of the school/district to evaluate
students with medical needs and excessive
absences?
•
In Hamilton (OH) local School District, 58 IDELR
82 (OCR 2011), The school was aware of a first
grade student who had absences related to her
chronic hypoglycemia and migraines. The district
began truancy proceedings against her and
reassigned her to an online program.
• Her parent filed due process alleging the district
denied her daughter a Free and Appropriate
Public Education (FAPE).
What is the duty of the school/district to
evaluate students with medical needs and
excessive absences?
•
OCR stated that Section 504 requires districts to
provide qualified students with disabilities FAPE.
• The investigation found that the school district
habitually failed to evaluate students for 504
eligibility after becoming aware of the students
physical and mental impairments that impacted
their attendance.
Questions
Additional Information
phomberg@k12.wv.us
sbeck@k12.wv.us
dlharless@k12.wv.us
rjking@k12.wv.us
vwilson@k12.wv.us
Special Thank You to Brooke County
Attendance Video
Presentation adapted from:
National Transition Technical Assistance Center
University of North Carolina Charlotte
Dr. Matthew Klare
Email: mklare@uncc.edu