www.attendanceworks.org

Leveraging PBIS to Reduce Chronic Absence

Available Resources from Attendance Works

Feb 9, 2014

• Introductions• Define chronic absence and other attendance

terms• Demonstrate how chronic absence can be

masked by other types of attendance data• Learn how chronic absence affects student

outcomes• Learn about the prevalence of chronic absence

in MD• Learn about the causes of chronic absence• Learn about Attendance Works’ frameworks,

strategies, and resources for reducing chronic absence

• Begin to develop ideas for how you can integrate utilizing chronic absence data into your PBIS process

Agenda

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• Teacher, • SST Chair, • PBIS Coach, • Guidance Counselor, • Social Worker, • Psychologist,• Other?

Introductions, who is in the room?

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High Attendance: Missing 5 or fewer days of school in an academic year.

Satisfactory Attendance: Missing 5% or less in an academic year. No more than 2 days missed per quarter on average.

Unsatisfactory Attendance: Missing 6%-9% of school in an academic year. 3-4 days missed per quarter on average.

Chronic Absence: Missing 10% or more of school in an academic year. 5-9 days missed per quarter on average.

Severely Chronically Absent - Missing 20% or more days of school per year. 10+ days missed per quarter on average.

Truancy: Missing 20 days of school unexcused and on roll for at least 90 days.

Average Daily Attendance: the percentage of enrolled students who attend school each day. 4

Defining the Terms: Maryland is Data Rich

• Turn to your neighbor and share how you currently work with attendance in your PBIS team and what attendance data you use.

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Icebreaker

What is Chronic Absence?

Excused Absences

Unexcused absences

Suspensions

Chronic Absence

Attendance Works recommends defining chronic absence as missing 10% or more of school for any reason.

Chronic absence is different from truancy (unexcused absences only) or average daily attendance (how many students show up to school each day).

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Chronic absence as a leading indicator:

• Chronic absence in the elementary grades correlates with low academic achievement, grade retention, and special education referrals.

• Chronic absence in secondary grades correlates with course failure and high school drop out.

• The educational experience of regularly attending children can be adversely affected when teachers must divert their attention to meet the learning and social needs of chronically absent children when they return to school.

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Why We May Not Notice Chronic

Absence

Absences Add UpChronic Absence = 18 days of absence = 2

days a month

90% and even 95% ≠ A

High Levels of Average Daily Attendance (ADA) Can Mask

Chronic Absence

A B C D E F

-5%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

7%

12% 13% 13%15% 16%

Chronic Absence For 6 Elementary Schools in Oakland, CA with 95% ADA

in 2012

% Chronic Absence

98% ADA = little chronic absence 95% ADA = don’t know

93% ADA = significant chronic absence

A B C D E F0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

20% 20% 20% 21%23%

26%

Chronic Absence for 6 Schools in New York City with 90% ADA in

2011-12

% Chronic Absence

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Truancy (unexcused absence) can underestimate chronic

absence

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Starting in PreK, More Years of Chronic Absence = Need for Intensive

Reading Support By 2nd Grade

* Indicates that scores are significantly different from scores of students who are never chronically absent, at p<.05 level; **p<.01; ***p<.001

Some risk

At risk

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Multiple Years of Elementary Chronic Absence

= Worse Middle School Outcomes

Oakland Unified School District SY 2006-2012, Analysis By Attendance Works

Chronic absence in 1st grade is also associated with:

• Lower 6th grade test scores

• Higher levels of suspension

Years of Chronic Absence in Grades 1-5

Increase in probability of 6th grade

chronic absence

Each year of chronic absence in elementary school is associated with a substantially higher probability of chronic

absence in 6th grade

5.9x

7.8x

18.0x

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The Effects of Chronic Absence on Dropout Rates

Are Cumulative

With every year of chronic

absenteeism, a higher

percentage of students

dropped out of school.

http://www.utahdataalliance.org/downloads/ChronicAbsenteeismResearchBrief.pdf 13

Chronic Absence in High School Predicts Lower College Persistence

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In Rhode Island, only 11% of chronically absent high school students persisted into a 2nd year of college vs. 51% of those with low absences.

Rhode Island Data Hub: May 2014

Turn to the person next to you, introduce yourself and share:• One thing that you learned about

chronic absence that you didn’t know before

• One thing that you were surprised about

Discussion: Pair and Share

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What do We Know about Chronic Absence in Maryland

Chronic Absence is a Problem in Maryland and Occurs at all

Grade Levels

Elementary Middle High0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

19,083 17,837

47,653

21,12517,190

46,314

2009-10 2012-13

6.3% 6.6%

17.8%

9.3%9.5%

18.0%

Source: mdreportcard.org

Vast Majority of Chronically Absent Students Can Be Found in

a Small Number of Districts

Source: mdreportcard.org

Ann Arundel

Baltimore

Baltimore County

Montgomery

Pr. George's

Maryland0

5

10

15

20

25

8

21

11

6

1311

Maryland’s 5 largest school districts have 70% of the chronically absent students.

(2009-2010 school year)

Some Districts are Heavily Affected by Chronic Absence Even Though its a Small Number of

Students

550

2,481642 312

565

1,594351

1,314

476

Source: mdreportcard.org

Students Eligible for Free and Reduced Meals in MD are Three Times More

Likely to be Chronically Absent

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Elementary Middle High0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

35

1210.6

15

29.2

State Non-FARM State FARM

% C

hron

ic A

bsen

ce

Source: mdreportcard.org

It can serve as an:• Unifying, common goal• Effective tool for resource

allocation• Easy to understand measure of

progress and success• Early warning indicator when

students, certain classes, or grades are struggling

Chronic Absence Data is a Critical Tool for PBIS

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How Can We Address Chronic Absence?

Who Can Help Reduce Chronic Absence?

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PEOPLE

District Leaders

• Offer district support and data

• Identify and engage priority schools

• Make attendance a priority• Ensure implementation

team and plan

School Leaders

• Link to community resources (health, afterschool, food, mentoring, family support, etc.)

Community Partners

School-wide PBIS emphasizes four integrated elements: (a) data (absences) for decision making, (b) measurable outcomes (improved attendance and

reduced suspensions) supported and evaluated by data, (c) practices (strategies to improve attendance) with

evidence that these outcomes are achievable, and (d) systems (attendance teams, data tracking, absentee

protocols) that efficiently and effectively support implementation of these practices.

What is the overlap between school-wide PBIS and attendance?

Find Out Why Students Are Chronically Absent

MythsAbsences are only a problem if they are

unexcused

Sporadic versus consecutive absences

aren’t a problem

Attendance only matters in the older

grades

Barriers

Lack of access to physical and

behavioral health or dental care

Poor transportation

Human trafficking

No safe path to school

AversionChild struggling

academically

Lack of engaging instruction

Poor school climate and ineffective school

discipline

Parents had negative school experience

Chronic disease

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AW Recommended Site Level Strategies

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High Cost

Low Cost

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• Recognize good and improved attendance• Educate & engage students and families

• Monitor attendance data • Clarify attendance expectations and goals

• Establish positive and engaging school climate

Improving attendance requires adoption of a tiered approach that

begins with prevention

TIER 1All students

• Provide personalized early outreach• Meet with student/family to develop

plan • Offer attendance Mentor/Buddy

TIER 2Students exhibiting chronic absence (missing 10%)

• Intensive case management

with coordination of public agency

and legal response as

needed

TIER 3Students who missed 20% or more of the prior school year (severe chronic absence)

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Attendance Works Tools and Resources for Improving

Attendance and Reducing Chronic Absence

Tier 1: Communication, Education, and Engagement

Parent Video & Discussion Guide

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• SETTING THE STAGE • VIDEO (6 minutes) • FACILITATED

CONVERSATION– THE CONSEQUENCES OF CHRONIC

ABSENCE– HOW TO IMPROVE ABSENTEEISM

• FAMILY PRACTICE• INCREASE SOCIAL CAPITAL• IDENTIFY HOW SCHOOL CAN HELP• COMMUNITY SERVICES

Make Creating Back Up Plans a Norm:

Student Attendance Success Plan

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Tools for Tier 2: The Power of Positive

Connections

Chronic absence (missed 10% or more of school) in the prior year, assuming data is available.

And/or starting in the beginning of the school year, student has:

Criteria for Identifying Priority Students for Tier 2

Supports

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In first 2 weeks

In first month (4

weeks)In first 2

months (8 weeks)

2 absences

2-3 absences

4 absencesMissing 10% any time after

Possible Tier 2 Interventions

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Assign Attendance

Buddies

Partner with families/students to develop

Student Attendance

Success Plan

Recruit for engaging Before- or

After-School Activities Connect to

Walk- to-School

Companion

Offer plan or contacts for

Health Support

Positive Linkages and Engagement for Students and Families

Teaching Attendance:How to Have Good

Conversations About Attendance

Tailoring the Conversation to Students’ Situations

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Satisfactory

Attendance

At-RiskChronic Absence

Congratulate parents on making attendance a priority and encourage them to keep it up. Ask them what they’re doing that’s enabling them to be so successful.

Let parents know that you are concerned about attendance because their child is beginning to head off track, and it is easy for absences to add up.

If student is right around 10% or a

little above

Let parents know their child may be academically at risk because they have missed so much school. Discuss underlying causes and how you can help.

If student is severely

chronically absent (e.g. >20%)

The type of challenges these families face may differ from those with more moderate absence problems. Be prepared to touch on difficult topics, be supportive, and be ready to connect to community resources.

Framing the Conversation to Build a Relationship of Trust

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Learn

Share

Inform

Discuss

Arrive at a Plan

1

2

3

5

4

Learn about the student’s family and their experience in your school or classroom. . Ask how the school year is going socially and academically. Find out about hopes and dreams.Share positive things you’ve observed about the student. Share your own vision for student learning & development, including helping put students on a pathway to success by encouraging a habit of good attendance. Review attendance report with parents. Tailor your conversation to student’s level of absenteeism and inform parents of possible impacts of missing school. Connect attendance back to parents’ hopes and dreams for their child.

Discuss the challenges parents face in getting their children to school, as well as strengths they can build upon. For chronically absent students, try to understand the barriers that are keeping their children from school.Think through strategies with parents for addressing absences and help them develop an attendance improvement plan. Offer referrals to services as needed and ask if there are other ways you can help.

Aaron has missed 12 days of school in the past semester. He missed an entire week of school in November and then came back to school several days late after winter break. So did his 3 siblings. Aaron is also frequently late to school. When his teacher asked him if he was sick, he said no. His parents decided to take longer vacations so Aaron and his siblings could time with their his grandparents.

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Role Play Activities

• Communicate understanding• Set rules, limits and consequences• Create a safe and trusting environment• Remain neutral• Use nonjudgmental language• Respond only when a response is necessary• Encourage people to “vent” while being aware of

safety• Listen and repeat what students say (reflective

listening)• Identify and label feelings, values, and topics to be

resolved (strategic listening)• Ask open-ended questions• Assist people in using a positive problem-solving

approach

Strategies for Building Positive Relationships with Parents and

Students

39Adapted from Baltimore City Public Schools

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Small Group Work: Integrating a focus on attendance into PBIS

• What type of attendance data does the PBIS team need to inform strategies and practices?

• How can PBIS help in addressing issues that lead to absenteeism?

• What incentives would be most useful in helping to create a culture of attendance?

• Thinking about older youth, how can we establish school as a place where students want to be?

Creating Expectations for Attendance through PBIS

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• Who is positioned to have caring conversations?

• How would you equip them?

Identify how caring conversations about attendance happen in your school:

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Tier 1 Strategy: Communication and Establishing Relationships

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Suggested Activity:Launching the Work at Your School Mapping your Need

and Your Assets

• Should be action-oriented• Use data to understand which sub-

populations of students are most affected and what are trends over time

• Identify and mobilize school and community resources to address identified needs

• Ensure needs of individual students with poor attendance are being addressed

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PBIS Teams…

Attendance Teams best practices sources: Attendance Works, Children’s Aid Society, the Children’s Initiative, the Baltimore Education Research Consortium and the Baltimore Student Attendance Campaign

DATA: Use your student management systems to identify by grade the rate of attendance: <10%; =>10 but <20%, >20%

RESOURCES: Draw a pyramid. Invite team members to use:* green stickies to fill in an existing resource* yellow to fill in resources that could be leveraged to address this tier of work.

Filling in the information

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• Recognize good and improved attendance• Educate & engage students and families

• Monitor attendance data • Clarify attendance expectations and goals

• Establish positive and engaging school climate

Map the need and available resources

TIER 1 How many are missing < 10% so this might be enough?

• Provide personalized early outreach• Meet with student/family to develop

plan • Offer attendance Mentor/Buddy

TIER 2How many are missing 10-19%?

• Intensive case management

with coordination of public agency

and legal response as

needed

TIER 3 How many students are missing 20% or more of current or prior year?

Once mapping is filled in, PBIS team discusses:

a) What do we know about the groups of students who are chronically absent?

b) Where are the gaps in resources?c) What resources could we easily leverage to

address gaps, especially for tier 1 and 2?d) What are implications for who we need as

partners?e) What are our highest priority next steps?f) Consider presenting results to other

members of the school staff for feedback.

Examine the implications

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• America’s Promise: Offers a parent engagement toolkit.

• Get Schooled: Provides celebrity wake up calls for students, attendance competitions among schools, and other resources.

• Attendance Works: School strategy frameworks and fliers for parents

• Parents and Caring Adults! In focus group conversations with high school aged students when asked why they attend school regularly they most often cited, parental influence or another caring adult

Resources for Older Youth

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