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 2

Teacher, SST Chair, PBIS Coach, Guidance Counselor, Social Worker, Psychologist, Other? Introductions, who is in the room? 3

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. 5 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). 6

7 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.

8 Why We May Not Notice Chronic Absence Absences Add Up Chronic 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 98% ADA = little chronic absence 95% ADA = don’t know 93% ADA = significant chronic absence 9

Truancy (unexcused absence) can underestimate chronic absence 10

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 11

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 12

The Effects of Chronic Absence on Dropout Rates Are Cumulative 13

Chronic Absence in High School Predicts Lower College Persistence 14 In Rhode Island, only 11% of chronically absent high school students persisted into a 2 nd 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 15

16 What do We Know about Chronic Absence in Maryland

Chronic Absence is a Problem in Maryland and Occurs at all Grade Levels Source: mdreportcard.org

Vast Majority of Chronically Absent Students Can Be Found in a Small Number of Districts Source: mdreportcard.org

Some Districts are Heavily Affected by Chronic Absence Even Though its a Small Number of Students 550 2, , , Source: mdreportcard.org

Students Eligible for Free and Reduced Meals in MD are Three Times More Likely to be Chronically Absent 20 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 21

How Can We Address Chronic Absence?

Who Can Help Reduce Chronic Absence? 23 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 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 physical and behavioral health or dental care Poor transportation Human trafficking 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 25

AW Recommended Site Level Strategies 26

High Cost Low Cost 27 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 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)

28 Attendance Works Tools and Resources for Improving Attendance and Reducing Chronic Absence

Tier 1: Communication, Education, and Engagement

Parent Video & Discussion Guide 30 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 31

32 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 33 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

Possible Tier 2 Interventions 34 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 36 Satisfactory Attendance At-Risk Chronic 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 37 Learn Share Inform Discuss Arrive at a Plan 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. 38 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 39 Adapted from Baltimore City Public Schools

40 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 41

Who is positioned to have caring conversations? How would you equip them? Identify how caring conversations about attendance happen in your school: 42 Tier 1 Strategy: Communication and Establishing Relationships

43 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 44 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 but 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 45

46 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 2 How 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 47

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 48