www.attendanceworks.org Reducing Chronic Absence Why Does It
Matter? What Can We Do? CCSESA April 27, 2014 Slide 2 I. Why
Attendance Matters & What Turns Chronic Absence Around (Gordon
Jackson, CDE & Hedy Chang, Attendance Works) II. Making a
Difference in Del Norte, CA (Don Olson, Del Norte County USD) III.
Building County Capacity Across CA ( Gordon Jackson, CDE) IV.Table
Talk and Group Discussion What are the chronic absence levels in
districts in your county? What would help districts in your county
implemented a tiered, data-driven approach to improving attendance?
What would help your county advance this work? Agenda 2 Slide 3 TOM
TORLAKSON State Superintendent of Public Instruction Its not that
Im so smart, its just that I stay with problems longer. -Albert
Einstein It is safe to say that we have an attendance problem in
too many California schools. We know that students are more likely
to succeed in life when they start out attending school regularly.
When students are not in school they are more likely to get
schooled about life in not the best of ways. Dropout patterns are
linked with poor attendance beginning in kindergarten. School
budgets are linked to attendance and schools with high absences
have less money to address essential classroom needs. Slide 4 TOM
TORLAKSON State Superintendent of Public Instruction California
Context Chronic Absence in the Elementary Grades is a Major Barrier
to Achievement An estimated 250,000 students (K5) were Chronically
Absent in 201314. Source: Office of California Attorney General
Kamala Harris. In School + On Track 2014 Slide 5 TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Benefits of Reducing
Chronic Absence Starting with the Elementary Grades Increase
funding for districts (More Average Daily Attendance) Chronic
absence (missing 10 percent of school for any reason including
excused and unexcused absence) in elementary school has often been
overlooked Reduce negative student outcomes linked with absenteeism
such as lack of proficiency in reading by third grade and eventual
course failure and dropout. Slide 6 Average Daily Attendance
Nationally, ADA is generally understood as the % of enrolled
students who attend school each day. In California, for funding
purposes, it is also defined as total days of student attendance
divided by total days of student instruction. 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. In CA, it
refers to a child absent 3 days without a valid excuse or late 3
times to class by at last 30 minutes without a valid excuse.
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. This
definition is reflected in CA Ed Code 60901. Use Multiple
Attendance Measures to Identify Gaps 6 Slide 7 90% and even 95% A
High Levels of Average Daily Attendance (ADA) Can Mask Chronic
Absence 98% ADA = little chronic absence 95% ADA = dont know 93%
ADA = significant chronic absence 7 Slide 8 Truancy (unexcused
absences) Can Also Mask Chronic Absence 8 Slide 9 Multiple Years of
Elementary Chronic Absence = Worse Middle School Outcomes Oakland
Unified School District SY 2006-2012, Analysis By Attendance Works
Chronic absence in 1 st grade is also associated with: Lower 6 th
grade test scores Higher levels of suspension Years of Chronic
Absence in Grades 1-5 Increase in probability of 6 th grade chronic
absence Each year of chronic absence in elementary school is
associated with a substantially higher probability of chronic
absence in 6 th grade 5.9x 7.8x 18.0x 9 Slide 10 Find Out Why
Students Are Chronically Absent Myths Absences are only a problem
if they are unexcused Sporadic versus consecutive absences arent a
problem Attendance only matters in the older grades Barriers Lack
of access to health or dental care Poor transportation No safe path
to school Aversion Child struggling academically Lack of engaging
instruction Poor school climate and ineffective school discipline
Parents had negative school experience Chronic disease 10 Slide 11
AW Recommended Site Level Strategies for Debunking Myths and
Identifying Barriers 11 Slide 12 High Cost Low Cost 12 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 1 All students Provide personalized early outreach
Meet with student/family to develop plan Offer attendance
Mentor/Buddy or Walk to School Companion TIER 2 Students exhibiting
chronic absence (missing 10%) Intensive case management with
coordination of public agency and legal response as needed TIER 3
Students who missed 20% or more of the prior school year (severe
chronic absence) Slide 13 Pilot Survey by Todd Rogers At Harvard
Vast Majority of Parents, Even Students Those With Excessive
Absences, Believe Their Childs Attendance is same as classmates,
better than classmates, or just dont know Slide 14 Harvard research
study found comparison reduced absence by 5-10% for all students,
regardless of severity of absenteeism Slide 15 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 15 In first 2 weeks In first month (4 weeks) In first 2
months (8 weeks) 2 absences 2-3 absences 4 absences Missing 10% any
time after Slide 16 Possible Tier 2 Interventions ( See Power of
Positive Connections Toolkit ) 16 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
Priority Early Outreach for Positive Linkages and Engagement Slide
17 Students & Families Schools Actionable Data Positive
Messaging Capacity Building Shared Accountability Is accurate,
accessible, and regularly reported Expands ability to interpret
data and work together to adopt best practices Conveys why building
a habit of attendance is important and what chronic absence is
Ensures monitoring & incentives to address chronic absence
Community District Ingredients for System-wide Success &
Sustainability Strategic partnerships between district and
community partners address specific attendance barriers and
mobilize support for all ingredients 17 Slide 18 FREE FROM
ATTENDANCE WORKS! The California District Attendance Tracking Tools
(DATT) and School Attendance Tracking Tools (SATT) Providing
baseline data across grades, schools, most sub-populations.
Available in Three Modules (Grades TK-5 ; Grades 6-8 ; Grades 9-12
plus tool to create K-12 report) Supplemental Truancy Module Easy
One-Button Interface for Aeries users and compatible with all SIS
systems. What Tools Are Available To Calculate Chronic Absence? 18
Slide 19 California Truancy Supplement Looks at Absences by
Excused, Unexcused and Suspensions 19 Register here:
http://www.attendanceworks.org/tools/tools-for-
calculating-chronic-absence/california-tools/ Slide 20 20 Del
Norte, CA Why did you get involved in addressing chronic absence?
What did you learn when you first calculated chronic absence
levels? What has worked to improve chronic absence in Del Norte?
Slide 21 Rural district in Northern California Eleven schools
Highest levels of chronic absence in K and 12 th grades Del Norte
21 Slide 22 One of out 6 (16%) Del Norte Students are Chronically
Absent Slide 23 Annually approximately 500 Del Norte students are
at risk academically due to absenteeism. Slide 24 Attendance is a
top priority Monthly attendance reports to the board Provide
chronic absence data Professional development for principals and
social workers Positive messaging Leveraged LCAP/LCFF funds to hire
social workers for every school Addressing Chronic Absence in Del
Norte 24 Slide 25 Chronic Absence in Del Norte ( elementary) 11/12
13/14 25 Slide 26 Chronic Absence Over Time ( middle school) (11/12
13/14) 26 Slide 27 Chronic Absence over time ( high school) (11/12
13/14 ) 27 Slide 28 2013-14 Changes in ADA & Chronic Absence By
School 28 School Name YTD Avg 12-13 Updated YTD 13- 14Difference
Bess Maxwell94.81%94.90%0.09% Joe Hamilton94.84%94.81%-0.03%
Margaret Keating92.43%93.00%0.56% Mary Peacock95.5%95.69%0.22%
Mountain96.01%96.25%0.24% Pine Grove94.99%95.25%0.26%
Redwood95.25%95.36%0.11% Smith River96.99%97.93%0.94% 2.39% Slide
29 Period AttendanceYTD 12-13YTD 13-14Difference Crescent
Elk94.10%95.23%1.13% DNHS92.91%93.22%0.31% Sunset80.32%89.47%9.15%
2103-14 Period Attendance Improves as well 29 Slide 30 CALIFORNIA
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Tom Torlakson, State Superintendent of
Public Instruction Building County Capacity: California (CDE/COE)
Attendance Peer Learning Network Slide 31 TOM TORLAKSON State
Superintendent of Public Instruction What Will We Do Together?
Increase County Office of Education Capacity to Support Districts
to: Analyze each districts elementary attendance data to identify
how much chronic absence is a problem and where is it concentrated.
Partner with school site leaders and community agencies to
implement a tiered approach to improving attendance Build capacity
of principals to put in place effective strategies for reducing
chronic absence in their elementary schools Slide 32 TOM TORLAKSON
State Superintendent of Public Instruction County Office of
Education Role Each County Office of Education will have the
opportunity to: Designate a skilled staff person to receive support
and resources as the county project lead and local facilitator
Offer three school district teams from their county the chance to
participate in a high quality peer learning experience Partner with
CDE and Attendance Works to provide coaching calls to help local
teams advance in their work Slide 33 TOM TORLAKSON State
Superintendent of Public Instruction Our Proposed Roadmap Slide 34
1.Do you know the levels of chronic absence in districts within
your county? If so, what are they? 2.What would help districts in
your county to implement a tiered, data-driven approach to
improving attendance? 3.What would help your county advance this
work? Table Talk and Group Discussion 34
