Building A
Habit of
Attendance:
Every Day
Counts
Denver, July 1 , 2012
Unpacking Attendance Terms
• Definition: The % of enrolled students who attend school each day
• Answers: What resources are needed given the number of students
Average Daily who typically show up to school?
Attendance
Truancy
• Definition: Typically refers only to unexcused absences and is defined
by each state and sometimes by school district.
• Answers: How many/which students are skipping school and breaking
compulsory attendance laws?
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?
2
Moving into Action Requires Knowing
If Chronic Absence is a Problem
Most Schools Only Track Average Daily Attendance and
Truancy. Both Can Mask Chronic Absence.
Chronic Absence For 7 Elementary Schools in
Oakland, CA with @ 95% ADA in 2012
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
12%
13%
13%
15%
16%
7%
5%
0%
A
B
C
D
% Chronic Absence
E
F
98% ADA = little chronic absence, 95%ADA = don’t know;
93% ADA = significant chronic absence
3
Chronic Absence Versus Truancy
(San Francisco Unified School District)
4
Chronic Absence –
A Hidden National Crisis
 Nationwide, as many as 7.5 million students
miss nearly a month of school every year.
That’s 135 million days of lost time in the
classroom.
 In some cities, as many as one in four
students are missing that much school.
 Chronic absenteeism is a red alert that
students are headed for academic trouble and
eventually for dropping out of high school.
 Poor attendance isn’t just a problem in high
school. It can start as early as kindergarten.
5
Students Chronically Absent in
Kindergarten & 1st Grade Much Less
Likely to Read Proficiently in 3rd Grade
Percent Students Scoring Proficient or Advanced
on 3rd Grade ELA Based on Attendance in
Kindergarten and 1st Grade Attendance
100%
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 t
Missed 5-9% of days in both K & 1st
5-9% of days absent in 1 year &10 % in 1 year
Missed 10% or more in K & 1st
Source: Applied Survey Research & Attendance Works (April 2011)
High attendance risks
6
Chronic Absence in PreK + K =
Significantly Worse Outcomes
For children chronically absent in preK & K, the
Baltimore Education Research Consortium found:
 Greater likelihood of continued poor attendance.
50% chronically absent again in G1, 45% in G2.
 Lower outcomes in G1, G2 in reading and math,
and math in G3
 More often retained (26% compared with 9% of
students with no chronic absence)
 More likely to be identified as needing special
education
By contrast, children who participated in Head Start had
better attendance and higher 3rd grade test scores.
7
The Chronic Early Absence Is
Most Troubling for Poor Children
Chronic K Absence predicted lower 5th grade performance
even if attendance had improved in 3rd grade.
5th Grade Math and Reading Performance By K Attendance
Average Academic Performance
52
50
48
46
Reading
Math
44
42
40
0-3.3% in K
3.3 - 6.6% in K
6.6-10.0% in K
>=10.0% in K
Absence Rate in Kindergarten
Source: ECLS-K data analyzed by National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP)
Note: Average academic performance reflects results of direct cognitive assessments
conducted for ECLS-K.
8
Chronic Absence is Especially
Challenging for Low-Income Children

Poor children are 4 X more likely to be
chronically absent in K than their highest
income peers.

Children in poverty are more likely to face
systemic barriers to school:





Unstable Housing
Poor Transportation
Inadequate Food and Clothing,
Lack of Safe Paths to School Due to Neighborhood
Violence
Chaotic Schools with Poor Quality Programs, etc.
9
Schools + Communities CAN
Make a Difference
Characteristics of Successful Attendance Initiatives

Partner with community agencies to help parents carry
out their responsibility to get children to school.

Make attendance a priority, set targets and monitor
progress over time.

Examine factors contributing to chronic absence,
especially from parent and student perspectives.

Clearly communicate expectations to parents.

Begin early, ideally in Pre-K.

Combine universal strategies that create an engaged
learning environment & build a culture of attendance
with targeted interventions.

Offer positive supports before punitive action.
10
Solutions Only Work If Grounded in
Understanding Of What Leads to Chronic
Absence
Discretion
Aversion
Parents don’t
know
attendance
matters
Child is
struggling
academically
School lacks a
strong culture
of attendance
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.
11
11
Proposed Universal Strategies
For Influencing Discretion and
Identifying Causes of Absence
Recognize Good
and Improved
Attendance
Parent
Engagement
Personalized
Early Outreach
Attendance
Data Team
12
12
Strategies for 3 Tiered Approach
•
Case management and wrap-around services
Referral as last resort for court -based
Recovery
intervention
•
Recovery
Programs
Programs
•
Intervention
Programs
Early outreach, support, mentoring for
student with poor attendance.
Identify and remove barriers
Attendance contracts
•
•
•
•
Universal/Preventive
•
Programs
•
•
•
•
Safe & supportive school environment
Engaging classroom environments
Parent education about why attendance
matters and how to help each other get
students to school.
On-going attention to attendance data
Recognition for good and improved attendance
Collaboration with afterschool & early
childhood
School-based health supports
13
Resource Materials
For Making The Case:
 10 Steps Communities Can Take To Reduce Chronic
Absence
 A Summary Of Key Research
For Taking Action




Guidance on School Wide Attendance Incentives
Parent Flyer (also available in Spanish)
Attendance Data Team Tips
K-5 SATT/DATT
 Does Attendance Really Count - Self-Assessment
(Note: Materials will also available by July 2nd on
www.attendanceworks.org on the Campaign for Grade
Level Reading page under tools and t.a.)
14
Panel Discussion
Baltimore, MD; Chula Vista, CA; Springfield MA
 Briefly describe your community and what
you know about how much and for whom
chronic absence is a problem?
 What are your key strategies for improving
attendance?
 How are you engaging community partners?
 What are examples of how philanthropy has
helped to advance your work?
15
16
Baltimore:
Making Every Day Count
Presented by:
Arezo Rahmani
Baltimore City Public Schools
Sue Fothergill
Baltimore Student Attendance
Campaign
With generous support from Open Society Institute: Baltimore and The Annie E. Casey Foundation
Data provided by: Baltimore Education Research Consortium, a partnership between
Baltimore City Public Schools, Morgan State University and Johns Hopkins University
BALTIMORE CITY
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
BALTIMORE CITY
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
17
The rate of chronic absence in pre-k and
kindergarten is alarming.
30.00%
27%
28.00%
27%
26.00%
Chronic Absence Rate
24.00%
22.00%
20.00%
22%
21%
23%
22%
23%
Pre-K
20%
19%
K
18%
Grade 1
18.00%
Grade 2
Grade 3
16.00%
14.00%
12.00%
10.00%
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
2010-11
School Year
Early Elementary Performance and Attendance in Baltimore City Schools’ Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten, Baltimore Education Research Consortium, March 2012
BALTIMORE CITY
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
18
Students without pre-k or Head Start are almost twice as
likely to be chronically absent in kindergarten.
35%
30%
29%
25%
20%
17%
15%
16%
10%
5%
0%
Home Care
Baltimore City Public Schools Baltimore City Head Start
Pre-K
Early Elementary Performance and Attendance in Baltimore City Schools’ Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten, Baltimore Education Research Consortium, March 2012
BALTIMORE CITY
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
19
35%
20 chronic absence in kindergarten
Based on a sample of 903 students,
is a strong predictor of chronic absence through 3rd grade.
30%
633 students
(71%) went
to beonchronically
absent absent
at leastatone
more
637 students
(71%)on
went
to be chronically
least
oneyear,
with almost
200 with
students
being
chronically
absent
through 3rd
grade.
more year,
almost
200
students being
chronically
absent
through 3rd grade.
25%
20%
266
students
15%
10%
5%
0%
CA only in K
CA in K and 1 more year CA in K and 2 more years
CA from K-3
Early Elementary Performance and Attendance in Baltimore City Schools’ Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten, Baltimore Education Research Consortium, March 2012
BALTIMORE CITY
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
100%
Students with chronic absence in pre-k and kindergarten
consistently perform lower than students with good attendance.
91%
90%
80%
CA in pre-k and k
70%
68%
No chronic absence
74%
59%
60%
50%
50%
58%
48%
41%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Kindergarten Readiness - %
Ready
Grade 1 Reading
(>50 percentile)
Grade 2 Reading
(>50 percentile)
On time progression through
Grade 3
Early Elementary Performance and Attendance in Baltimore City Schools’ Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten, Baltimore Education Research Consortium, March 2012
BALTIMORE CITY
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
21
What does this all mean for
Baltimore City early learners?
22
• In elementary grades, students in pre-k have the
highest chronic absence, with rates improving through
3rd grade
• Lack of formal care prior to kindergarten is an
indicator for chronic absence in later years
• Chronic absence in pre-k and kindergarten means a
student is twice as likely to be chronically absent in 1st
grade
BALTIMORE CITY
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
So what’s Baltimore City doing?
23
 Focusing on data:
 Monitoring and identifying struggling schools
 Identifying neighborhoods struggling with attendance
 Raising awareness:
 Advocates and non-profits are elevating the issue of every day
attendance, starting in pre-k, through Baltimore Attendance
Collaborative and The Baltimore Campaign for Grade Level Reading
 Baltimore City Public Schools launched ‘every day counts…’ campaign
BALTIMORE CITY
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
So what’s Baltimore City doing?
24
 Early learning teacher trainings:

Partnership between City Schools, non-profits and local foundations
 Citywide partnerships:
 Baltimore City’s Mayor Stephanie Rawlings Blake
 Baltimore City Departments of Social Services and Health; The Family
League
 Faith-based & community-based organizations
 Citywide collaboration:
 Improve on-time enrollment for pre-k and kindergarten
 Direct outreach to rising kindergarteners entering from home care
 Back to school, Baltimore! The Citywide back to school campaign
BALTIMORE CITY
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Chula Vista Elementary School District
Campaign for Grade
Level Reading
Conference
Denver, Colorado
July 1, 2012
Chula Vista Elementary School District
Characteristics
•
45 Elementary Schools: Site-Based Model
•
28,000 Students
•
9,800 English Learners
•
6 Charter Schools
•
24 Title I Schools
•
3.91% Administrative Cost
•
45% Free/Reduced Lunch Program
Chula Vista Elementary School District
Demographics
Pacific
Islander
3%
Filipino
11% Other
1%
White
13%
Asian
3%
Hispanic or
Latino
65%
Black or
AfricanAmerican
4%
Chula Vista Elementary School District
Performance
Focus on Chronic Absence
•
Administrator’s vision to share data (2000)
•
Quarterly Report to Principals
–
•
Child-specific data
Tool for site staff:
–
Inquiry
–
Communication
–
Intervention
Focus on Chronic Absence
2010-11 Chronic Absence
•
26 schools improved their rate (58% of District)
•
35 schools at 3% or less (78% of District)
Number of Schools grouped by percent
Chronic Absence 4th Quarter 2010-11
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
>1% 1%
2%
3%
4%
5%
6%
Chronic Absence Percentage Rate
7%
8%
9% 10%
Focus on Chronic Absence
Site-Level Strategies
•
Culture of learning environment
•
Expectations communicated often
•
–
Parent notification
–
Contracts for transfer students
–
School events (Curriculum night, Kinder orientation)
Incentives/Acknowledgement
Focus on Chronic Absence
District-Level Strategies
•
Home Visitor
•
School Attendance Review Board (SARB)
–
Currently for unexcused absences
–
Intervention
–
Advocate for student
•
Legal process if families unresponsive
•
Model SARB Recognition by CA Dept. of Ed.
Community Involvement
Donation of incentive items
•
Bicycles
•
Baseball/Football tickets
All-American City Award/Community Solutions
Action Plan includes:
•
Kindergarten orientation presentations
•
Big Brothers/Big Sisters as mentors
•
Local businesses and agencies
–
Incentives for improved attendance
–
Parent involvement/awareness
Chula Vista Elementary School District
Lisa Butler
Student Placement Manager
(619) 425-9600 x1571
cheryl.butler@cvesd.org
The Campaign for
Grade Level Reading
What’s Working: Promising
Approaches to Improving Attendance
Springfield, Massachusetts
July 1, 2012
Springfield Public Schools - A Culture of Excellence
Springfield Framework: The essential
pieces to raising student achievement
The work
Coach, develop and
evaluate educators
based on a clear
vision of strong
instruction
SIF #1,2,3,4
Deploy data that is
timely, accurate and
accessible to make
decisions for
students, schools
and the district
SIF #5,7
Implement a
consistent,
rigorous
curriculum built
on common
standards with
common unit
assessments
SIF #1,3,4,7
Strengthen social,
emotional and
academic safety
nets and supports
for all students
SIF #6
Effective
instruction in
every class,
every day
Students
achieve grade
level
proficiency
Shared, high
expectations for
all students
Students
graduate
ready for
college and
career
Springfield Public Schools - A Culture of Excellence
The District of Springfield: Demographics
African American
Asian
Hispanic
Native American
White
Multiracial
20.7%
2.4%
59.7%
0.1%
13.8%
3.2%
Graduation Rate 2010
District
Massachusetts
53.0%
82.1%
Dropout Rate
District
Massachusetts
10.5%
2.9%
Limited English Proficiency
• 16% of students are identified as
Limited English Proficient (LEP)
• Students represent nearly 50 native
languages
• 24.9% of students do not speak English as
a first language
Special Education
Students…….…………..……...5,006 ‐ 20%
Support Services
85.5% of all students receive free/reduced
meals
Springfield Public Schools - A Culture of Excellence
Attendance Improvement Initiative:
Initial Results
Springfield Attendance Rate
Average Daily Student Attendance PK-12 (%)
92
90.8
90.4
90.4
2009
2010
89.4
2008
2011
2012
** 2012 Data is YTD through March of 2012
Springfield Public Schools - A Culture of Excellence
Chronic Attendance Improvement
Initiative: Initial Results
Percentage of Students with Chronic or Severe Chronic Absence Over Time, by Grade Level
30%
2009-2010 School Year
28%
2010-2011 School Year
26%
25%
2011-2012 School Year through 10/1/2011
22% 23%
21%
19%
20%
18%
18%
18% 18%
16%
16%
14%
15%
14%
13%
13%
13%
13%
10%
5%
0%
K
1st Grade
2nd Grade
3rd Grade
4th Grade
5th Grade
Springfield Public Schools - A Culture of Excellence
Populations of Greatest Concern
The highest % and largest
number of chronically absent are
Latino students.
African Americans are a high
percent but fewer in number.
Chronic Absence Higher Among
Students in Special Education
and On Free & Reduced Price
Lunch
Springfield Public Schools - A Culture of Excellence
Attendance Improvement
Initiative/Springfield Attendance Policy
Calls*
Letters*
Letters of Concern
Letters of Warning
Letters of Critical Status
Visits
STAT Referrals
Failure to Send **
51A
CHINS
Elementary Middle
67,185
44,931
5,472
4,287
718
115
0
150
4
1,157
1,512
0
209
207
High
40,166
10,523
SAFE
11,088
595
1,394
230
0
47
93
271
141
0
47
26
*Interventions may reflect multiple occurrences to a family/student.
*Failure to Send is a new option approved by School Committee in March, 2012
Springfield Public Schools - A Culture of Excellence
Total
163,370
20,877
3,567
9,210
8,100
3,540
1,998
0
453
330
Springfield Student Attendance
Resource Center (SSARC)
SSARC is a collaborative initiative between the Hampden County
Sheriff’s Department and the SPS to implement the proposed
Truancy Intervention and Prevention Program.
GOALS:
•
•
•
•
Reduce daily truancy rate
Increase attendance rate
Reduce dropout rate
Increase access to needed services for eligible youth and
their families
Springfield Public Schools - A Culture of Excellence
Community Collaboration & Attendance
Initiative
• Springfield Public Schools
• Massachusetts State Police C3 Policing
• Hampden County Sheriff’s Department • Partners for a Healthier Community
• Springfield Police Department
• Pioneer Valley Planning Commission
• Hampden County District Attorney’s
• Regional Employment Board of Hamden
Office
County
• Springfield Juvenile Court
• Safe Kids of Western Mass
• Department of Youth Services
• Safe Routes to School
• Department of Children and Families
• Springfield Housing Authority
• Baystate-Brightwood Health Center
• Springfield Mass in Motion
• Massachusetts Department of Public
• YMCA : ACHEIVE
Health
Springfield Public Schools - A Culture of Excellence
Elementary Initiative:
The Walking School Bus
1. Daily exercise to aid in reducing childhood Obesity
2. Increase Safety for the children and neighborhood.
3. Decrease school absenteeism/tardiness
4. Increase learning Capacity
5. Reduce the Carbon Footprint
6. Promotes Community Engagement
Springfield Public Schools - A Culture of Excellence
Elementary Initiative:
The Walking School Bus
Of students that lived within a 1 mile radius, greater than 90% were driven to school.
Initially began with 6-10 children walking to school every morning with a small but
consist group of teachers dedicated to staffing our walking route Monday through
Friday . By the end of the first year we had maintained our initial route every morning
and had
approximately 40-50 consistent students participating.
For the 2011-2012 school year we have expanded the program from one to three
separate walking routes. Staff lead each route Monday through Friday. Participation has
increased to approximately 134 students consistently walking to school each day.
Early results show that students participating in the Walking School Bus initiative have
a better attendance rate (approximately 2% -- almost for additional days of instruction)
than there other peers.
Springfield Public Schools - A Culture of Excellence
For More Information Contact
Natalie B. Dunning, Ed.D. - Chief Academic Officer
dunningn@sps.springfield.ma.us
Mary Ann Morris, Ed.D. - Chief of Pupil Services
morrism@sps.springfield.ma.us
Karen Pohlman, MSN – Nurse Practioner
Baystate-Brightwood Health Center
Karen.Pohlman@baystatehealth.org
Springfield Public Schools - A Culture of Excellence
Self Assessment
1. Please fill out Does Attendance Really
Count self assessment ?
2. Turn to a partner and discuss any “ahas”
3. Hand in your self assessment with the
identified t.a. needs to Attendance
Works before leaving the session.
(Note: Please fill in and take a 2nd selfassessment if you’d like a record of your
responses. We will email out a collective tally of
the results. )
47
“Take Aways”
 Every day counts for learning especially in the
early years.
Intervening starts with finding out how many &
which students and schools are affected by
chronic absence.
Use data to identify priorities for action and
promising practice sites
Move the needle on discretion and unpack
barriers by providing a) incentives for good and
improved attendance, b) parent education,
c) personalized early outreach and d) attendance
data teams.
Find out how everyone can contribute to reducing
absences.
48