Reducing Chronic Absence What Will It Take? 2014

Average Daily Attendance The % of enrolled students who attend school each day. It is used in some states for allocating funding. 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. 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 starting in Kindergarten. What is Chronic Absence? What is the difference from ADA and truancy? 2

90% and even 95% ≠ A High Levels of Average Daily Attendance (ADA) Can Mask Chronic Absence 98% ADA = little chronic absence 95% ADA = don’t know 93% ADA = significant chronic absence 3

Truancy (unexcused absences) Can Also Mask Chronic Absence 4

Why Does Attendance Matter For Achievement? What we know from research around the country

Starting in PreK, More Years of Chronic Absence = Need for Intensive Reading Support By 2 nd 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 6

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) 7

The Long-Term Impact of Chronic Kindergarten Absence is Most Troubling for Poor Children 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. 5 th Grade Math and Reading performance by K attendance for children living In poverty. Academic performance was lower even if attendance had improved in 3 rd grade. 8

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 9

By 6 th grade, chronic absence predicts high school drop out. High School Outcomes by Rates of Chronic Absenteeism in Sixth Grade (Baltimore City Public Schools, Sixth Grade Cohort) Source: Baltimore Education Research Consortium 10

The Effects of Chronic Absence on Dropout Rates Are Cumulative 11

Attendance Is Even More Important For Graduation for Students In Poverty Presentation to: The Interagency Council for Ending the Achievement Gap November 7, 2013, CT State Dept of Education. 12

What Do We Know About Chronic Absence in [Insert your community]?

What Does Chronic Absence Look Like in Our District? PLACEHOLDER If it is available, add in your district data here. Sharing data with stakeholders is a helpful– but not necessary-- step for designing a community action plan. If you do not have chronic absence data available, feel free to delete this slide. PLACEHOLDER If it is available, add in your district data here. Sharing data with stakeholders is a helpful– but not necessary-- step for designing a community action plan. If you do not have chronic absence data available, feel free to delete this slide. Sample District-wide Chronic Absence Data, Single Year 14

Is Chronic Absence Increasing or Decreasing Over Time? Sample District-wide Chronic Absence Data, 3-Year Trend PLACEHOLDER If it is available, add in your district data here. Sharing data with stakeholders is a helpful– but not necessary-- step for designing a community action plan. If you do not have chronic absence data available, feel free to delete this slide. PLACEHOLDER If it is available, add in your district data here. Sharing data with stakeholders is a helpful– but not necessary-- step for designing a community action plan. If you do not have chronic absence data available, feel free to delete this slide. 15

Are Certain Subgroups of Students More Affected By Chronic Absence? Sample District-wide Data, Single Year by Gender ElementaryMiddle High 16% 13% 33% 19% 35% 39% Moderate Chronic AbsenceSevere Chronic Absence PLACEHOLDER If it is available, add in your district data here. Sharing data with stakeholders is a helpful– but not necessary-- step for designing a community action plan. If you do not have chronic absence data available, feel free to delete this slide. PLACEHOLDER If it is available, add in your district data here. Sharing data with stakeholders is a helpful– but not necessary-- step for designing a community action plan. If you do not have chronic absence data available, feel free to delete this slide. 16

Are Certain Subgroups of Students More Affected By Chronic Absence? Sample Data, Percentage of Students Chronically Absent in Each Grade, by Race/Ethnicity PLACEHOLDER If it is available, add in your district data here. Sharing data with stakeholders is a helpful– but not necessary-- step for designing a community action plan. If you do not have chronic absence data available, feel free to delete this slide. PLACEHOLDER If it is available, add in your district data here. Sharing data with stakeholders is a helpful– but not necessary-- step for designing a community action plan. If you do not have chronic absence data available, feel free to delete this slide. 17

Find Out Why Students Are 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 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 18

Site-Level Strategies for Building a Culture of Attendance & Identifying Barriers 19

If there are schools in your district that have improved attendance and are maintaining low levels of chronic absence, consider asking them to share what they do Local Examples of Effective Practice 20

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 21

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 Option A – use this diagram or the version on the next slide 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 22

Positive Messaging Actionable Data Strategic Partnerships Capacity Building Shared Accountability Conveys why building a habit of attendance is important and what chronic absence is Is accurate, accessible, and regularly reported Expands ability to interpret data and work together to adopt best practices between schools, agencies, and community partners address attendance barriers and mobilize support for all ingredients Ensures monitoring and incentives and sets expectations for school leaders and teachers to address chronic absence Ingredients for System-wide Success & Sustainability Site-Level Strategies Option B – use this diagram or the version on the previous slide 23

1.Take a moment to reflect and react to the strategies discussed in this deck 2.Work through the District Self-Assessment Exercise, individually and then as a group What Comes Next? 24