May 2014 Improving Student Attendance In California: Leveraging Our Unprecedented Opportunities

Increased Attendance Involves a 3-Tiered Approach that Fits with Most Reform Efforts A small fraction of a school’s students Students who were chronically absent in prior year or starting to miss 20% or more of school Some of a school’s students Students at risk for chronic absence All of a school’s students All students in the school Recovery Programs Intervention Programs Universal/Preventive Programs High Cost Low Cost 2

TOM TORLAKSON State Superintendent of Public Instruction Court Truancy Mediation SARB Follow-up Intervention: SARB Meeting Intervention: SART Intervention: Contact/Communication Early Identification: Monitoring Prevention: Setting Expectations, School Attendance Policy, Parent/Community Support With each intervention, the goal is that students decrease unwanted behaviors and develop networks of support. Continuum of Support for All 3

1.Communicate the importance of attendance for academic success as well as community well-being 2.Help students develop a regular habit of attendance so that they do not ever require truancy intervention. 3.Invest in prevention first in schools and communities in order to avoid, more costly legal intervention while also ensuring a system of last resort is in place. 4.Leverage LCFF as an unprecedented opportunity for data monitoring and accountability. An Emerging Consensus about Effective Practice in CA 4

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 Unpacking Attendance Terms 5

90% and even 95% ≠ A High Levels of ADA Can Mask Chronic Absence 6 98% ADA = little chronic absence 95% ADA = don’t know 93% ADA = significant chronic absence

U nexcused absences can mask Chronic Absence 7

 Nationwide, as many as 10-15% of students (7.5 million) miss nearly a month of school every year. AG Harris report estimates 7.6% or 250,000 elementary students are chronically absent in CA. It is much higher in some schools and districts  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 and pre-kindergarten.  Regular attendance matters even more with the implementation of the Common Core. 8 Chronic Absence: A Hidden Crisis

Students Chronically Absent in Kindergarten and 1 st Grade are Much Less Likely to Read Proficiently in 3 rd Grade No riskMissed less than 5% of school in K & 1 st Small riskMissed 5-9% of days in both K & 1 st Moderate riskMissed 5-9% of days in 1 year &10 % in 1 year High riskMissed 10% or more in K & 1 st Source: Applied Survey Research & Attendance Works (April 2011) 9

10 Multiple Years of Elementary Chronic Absence = Worse Middle School Outcomes Oakland Unified School District SY , 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

The Effects of Chronic Absence on Dropout Rates Are Cumulative 11

Poor Attendance Is A Problem Across Income; But Even More Important For Students In Poverty 12 Presentation to: The Interagency Council for Ending the Achievement Gap November 7, 2013, CT State Dept of Education.

13 Why Are Students Chronically Absent? Myths Absences 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 health 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

Hope for a better future + Faith that school will help you or your child succeed + Capacity Resources, skills, knowledge needed to get to school 14 Going to School Every Day Reflects…

15 Universal School Site Strategies for Building a Culture of Attendance & Reducing Barriers

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 16

Join Us – Start Now! 17 In California, SPI Tom Torlakson and CDE are taking a leadership role in advancing Attendance Awareness Month

Save the Dates  April 8: Count Us In (again!) (Recording available)  May 28: We Need You: Finding Allies for Your Attendance Awareness Campaign  August 6: Focus on Parent and Student Engagement! Sign up for updates about the Campaign and when new resources become available! attendance-awareness-month-updates/ Attendance Awareness Month 2014 Webinar Series 18

By July 1, each district must develop Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) that aligns identified priorities with district budgets. As part of the pupil engagement priority, LCAP are required to establish goals for reducing chronic absence and improving overall student attendance. Chronic Absence & LCFF 19

Plan must address eight state priorities 1.Teachers, Materials, Facilities 2.Academic Standards 3.Parent involvement 4.Student achievement 5.Pupil Engagement: Measured by all of the following, as applicable: School attendance rates; Chronic absenteeism rates; Middle school dropout rates; High school dropout rates; High school graduation rates. 6.School Climate: Measured by all of the following, as applicable: Pupil suspension rates; Pupil expulsion rates; Other local measures, including surveys of pupils, parents, and teachers on the sense of safety and school connectedness. 7.Access to Courses 8.Other student outcomes. 20

How can districts use LCFF and LCAP opportunity? Gather Data: Determine the extent to which chronic absence is a problem district-wide as well as for particular schools, grades and student populations Ask Why: Find out why students are missing school and identify common barriers to attendance Build Capacity: Use training and professional development to deepen understanding of effective tools and practices Set Targets: Develop annual goals, specific actions and budgets for inclusion in the local plan Engage Stakeholders: Engage internal and external stakeholders in reviewing the data and identifying solutions that leverage local practices and resources 21

FREE FROM ATTENDANCE WORKS! The District Attendance Tracking Tools (DATT) and School Attendance Tracking Tools (SATT) are now available in Three Modules! Grades K-5 Grades 6-8 Grades 9-12 We also offer a Tool to Combine the Modules for K-12 reports. Go to: calculating-chronic-absence/ What Tools are Available To Calculate Chronic Absence? 22

Find out who is most affected by grade, school and sub-population 23

Higher chronic absence rates suggest systemic challenges Variations in elementary school chronic absence in a Bay Area School District

Are certain populations more affected? 25

Students with more severe absence likely face bigger barriers 26 This analysis divides all chronically absent 1 st graders in OUSD district into 4 tiers (almost quartiles) based upon their level of absence

WHAT HAS OUSD DONE TO REDUCE CHRONIC ABSENCE? 27

Establish District-wide Targets Schools will achieve 98% average daily attendance (ADA) Schools will reduce chronic absence by 10% annually or maintain it at 5% or less Schools will achieve at least 85% of students attending 95% of school days (Satisfactory Attendance) 28

What strategies has OUSD implemented? Actionable data through bi-weekly reports Attendance Manual with chronic absence intervention protocol Regional and district-wide professional development Attendance Toolkit produced in collaboration with community partners ( Attendance video ( Targeted district support to struggling schools Nurturing strong partnerships with public and community agencies to address student attendance including Oakland Housing Authority, EBAYC, Lincoln Child Center Publicly acknowledge improvements in schools and encouraging peer sharing among schools with effective strategies in place Built in attention to chronic absence in school improvement planning. 29

Attendance Protocol 30

Oakland Unified District-wide Absence Patterns Over Time 31

1. Know about your district’s LCAP process & ensure there is a designated lead. 2. Ensure your district calculates, reviews and shares data on chronic absence (defined as missing 10% or more of school). If possible encourage also reviewing truancy measures. 3. Help unpack why students are missing too much school 4. Support capacity building to improve data monitoring and adoption of best practice. Leveraging LCFF: What can you do? 32

5. Ensure your district engages & leverages available resources and community partners including people & programs involved in SART and SARB in reviewing data and developing plans. 6. Help your district set realistic targets. Connecting LCFF and Chronic Absence What can you do? 33

Chronic Absence = The Warning Light On A Car Dashboard Ignore it at your personal peril! Address early or potentially pay more (lots more) later. The key is to ask why is this blinking? What could this mean? 34 The Parallels

35 FOR ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: CA Dept of Education Website: LCFF Listserv: WestEd LCFF Implementation: CSBA: FairFunding/LCFF.aspx Children Now Children’s Movement: CA Weighted Formula: Attorney General: Attendance Works: Accountable for Attendance: Addressing Chronic Absence in your LCAP reports/california/california-funding-brief-accountable-for-attendance/