San Antonio Independent School District Attendance Issues ALT Presentation November 2003

The mission of the San Antonio ISD is to graduate all students as responsible citizens with the academic and social preparation to pursue higher education, join the military, or enter the workforce. Excellence and equity in student performance are achievable for all students. Some students have specialized needs in terms of attending school regularly. Student success is dependent on attendance. No child will be left behind. Change comes from within. We must work systemically with all parts of the SAISD family to ensure success for the students we serve.

SAISD Attendance Rates SAISD’s attendance rate increased to 94.9% in the school year and has remained level.

Why is our current attendance rate important? Impact on student performance Impact on student progress through grade levels…with potential dropout and disciplinary concerns Impact on accountability in terms of Adequate Yearly Progress and Completion Rate Impact on students leaving SAISD for home schooling, private schools, and charter schools

Attendance Effects on TAKS 2003 Average Performance by Number of Days Absent

Math performance drops by 23.6 percentage points while Science drops by 20.2 percentage points. There were 20,481 students with 0-2 days absent and 17,932 students absent 10 or more days.

Attendance Effect on Failure Rate Students with 10 or more absences were three to four times more likely to fail a course than students who attended regularly. Students with 10 or more absences represent 6% of High School, 2% of Middle School and 1% of Elementary School students. Absences and Failure rate for the first 9 weeks grading period for

Attendance Effect on Accountability An Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) requirement for elementary and middle school is 90% attendance overall and by groups. At all levels, and particularly at the high school level, it impacts AYP and the 95% participation rate on testing days. Students in the habit of missing school may be absent on testing days. With the movement from an annual dropout rate to a four year completion rate, students who have a leave/return pattern of attendance in public schools may have difficult completing high school in four years. This would affect high school accountability.

The Relationship between Membership & Attendance  The attendance rate can be dramatically increased by withdrawing students to GED programs, charter schools or for reasons such as poor attendance however …  the result is students lost to other programs with a resulting loss of revenue…  and more importantly – students lose the benefit of SAISD system To increase the attendance rate by removing students from membership does not support the vision outlined in No Child Left Behind.

The Relationship between Membership, Attendance Rate and Revenue $ 95% $ $ $ Membership acts as a revenue cap limiting the amount of revenue a school district can earn by maintaining a high attendance rate. As membership declines, potential revenue declines even while attendance rates remain high.