1. CORUNNA PUBLIC SCHOOLS ’ MISSION To prepare an unprecedented number of students for college and/or careers, regardless of demographic factors

2. An Emerging Crisis Facing Our Nation’s Students  On average, one student in America drops out every 26 seconds; 1.23 million per year.  Jobs that require post-secondary education will make up more than 2/3 of new jobs. According to the National Governor’s Association, dropouts cost the United States more than $300 billion per year.  Chronic absence is one of the earliest indicators that a student may be off track. There is strong correlation between dropouts and early illiteracy and chronic absences.

3. Defining Key Terms

4. Chronic Absence (= > 10 absences) Warning Signs ( 5 absences) Awesome Attendance (= < 5 absences) Emergency: = ≥ 20 absences Students Who Miss More Than 10 Days of School Annually are AT RISK

5. CORUNNA PUBLIC SCHOOLS ’ MISSION To prepare an unprecedented number of students for college and/or careers, regardless of demographic factors If a child misses… That equals… Which is… And after 13 years of school, that’s… Which means the best your child might perform is… 1 day every month 11 days per year 2.2 weeks per year Nearly 1 year! Equivalent to an 11 th grade education! 1 day every other week 18 days per year 3.6 weeks per year Nearly 1.5 years! Equivalent to a 10 th grade education! 1 day per week 40 days per year 8 weeks per year Over 2.5 years! Equivalent to a 9 th grade education! 2 days per week 80 days per year 16 weeks per year Over 5 years! Equivalent to a 7 th grade education!

6. CPS (District) Attendance Trend SchoolYear Daily Attendance Rate % Chronically Absent District2011-1293.2%27.1% District2012-1394.7%29.8% District2013-1494.4%26.8% District2014-1594.3%28.0% District2015-16

7. CPS (High School) Attendance Trend SchoolYear Daily Attendance Rate % Chronically Absent High School2011-1293.7%28.0% High School2012-1394.4%29.8% High School2013-1493.1%29.5% High School (8-12)2014-1593.2%31.0% High School2015-16

8. CPS (Middle School) Attendance Trend SchoolYear Daily Attendance Rate % Chronically Absent Middle School2011-1294.8%29.8% Middle School2012-1395.1%27.3% Middle School2013-1495.2%27.0% Middle School (4-7)2014-1595.6%24.5% Middle School2015-16

9. CPS (Elsa Meyer) Attendance Trend SchoolYear Daily Attendance Rate % Chronically Absent Elsa Meyer2011-1295.5%24.7% Elsa Meyer2012-1395.1%29.6% Elsa Meyer2013-1494.7%26.2% Elsa Meyer (1-3)2014-1595.0%26.3% Elsa Meyer2015-16

10. CPS (Nellie Reed) Attendance Trend SchoolYear Daily Attendance Rate % Chronically Absent Nellie Reed2014-1594.1%30.2% Nellie Reed2015-16

11. Attendance Every Day Structured Environments School, Community & Parent Support What’s the Antidote? Developed by Annie E Casey Foundation & America’s Promise Alliance. For more info, go to www.americaspromise.org/parentengagement

12. Attendance is Critical to Student Success E XPOSURE TO L ANGUAGE : School exposes children to language-rich environments they may not have at home. T IME ON T ASK : Students who miss too much school fall behind and have a hard time catching up. P ERSISTENCE : Good attendance builds essential habits for future school and life success. E NGAGEMENT : Attendance indicates an engaged student; absences can signal disengagement. C LASSROOM C HURN : Too many students missing too many days slow down classroom instruction and affect school climate.

13. MYTH 1: Attendance in Kindergarten doesn’t really matter for academic success. MYTH 2: Missing school isn’t a big problem until middle or high school. MYTH 3: Most educators monitored chronic absences in the past. MYTH 4: Attendance is a family issue; we can’t do anything to address chronic absence. Myths to Dispel

14. Chronic Kindergarten Absence Associated with Lower 1st Grade Achievement for All Children 1 st Grade Math & Reading Performance by K Attendance Source: ECLS-K data analyzed by National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) Note: Average academic performance reflects results of direct cognitive assessments conducted specifically ECSL-K.

15. Chronically Absent K & 1 st Grade Students Much Less Likely to Read Proficiently in 3 rd Grade Source: Applied Survey Research & Attendance Works (April 2011) Percent of Proficient or Advanced Students on 3 rd Grade ELA Tests Based on Attendance in Kindergarten and 1 st Grade Attendance No riskMissed less than 5% of school in K & 1 st Small riskMissed 5-9 days in both K & 1 st Moderate risk 5-9 days absent in 1 year & 10 or more in another High riskMissed 10 or more days in K & 1 st

16. Chronic K Absence predicted lower 5 th grade performance even if attendance improved in 3 rd grade 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

17. Chronic Absences are Especially Challenging for Low-Income Children

18. All School Absences Reduce Learning, but the Absences Happen for Different Reasons…  Suspensions and Expulsions – school-imposed  Documented Absences – illness, doctor’s visit, court, etc.  Other Absences – skipping school, sibling or elder care, etc. So We Need Different Solutions.  Replace out-of-school suspension with in-school consequences whenever possible.  Use a problem-solving, positive approach to identify and dissolve barriers to attendance.  Adopt a client-focused approach: Listen and open communication lines from parents and community to schools.

19. So, the data tells us:  Children suffer academically when they miss school.  Sporadic absences matter as well.  All absences can affect a student’s learning.  Attendance matters as early as kindergarten (good habits begin in preschool).  Absences can affect the entire classroom.  Families should try to avoid vacations that cause children to miss school.  Children need structure: - Regular bedtime and morning routines - Homework and study routines

20. CORUNNA PUBLIC SCHOOLS ’ MISSION To prepare an unprecedented number of students for college and/or careers, regardless of demographic factors

21. CORUNNA PUBLIC SCHOOLS ’ MISSION To prepare an unprecedented number of students for college and/or careers, regardless of demographic factors Clear language:  An absence is an absence  5 absences TOTAL per year* - Per AM & PM attendance (K-5) - Per class at secondary (6-12)  10 tardies = 1 absence - <20 minutes to start day - <20 minutes leaving school early

22. CORUNNA PUBLIC SCHOOLS ’ MISSION To prepare an unprecedented number of students for college and/or careers, regardless of demographic factors Awareness:  Presentations to local business groups  Posters available for local businesses  Posters in each school and classroom  Progress shared regularly

23. CORUNNA PUBLIC SCHOOLS ’ MISSION To prepare an unprecedented number of students for college and/or careers, regardless of demographic factors Preventative Measures:  Build better parent relationships  Create positive behavior supports  Building “A-Teams”  Structure for student accountability  Sharing data regularly

24. In Summary Focus on Attendance Because: Increased Student Absences are:  An early warning sign of potential drop-outs  Predictive of academic failure  A flag for student disengagement  Costly for our community businesses Measures of Attendance are: Available & easily understood Predictor of failure in school Indicator of effective engagement strategies by educators A potentially powerful shared outcome that facilitates collaboration

25. Hedy Chang, Director www.Attendanceworks.org Developed with Greg Nadeau, Public Consulting Group & Sue Fothergill, Baltimore Student Attendance Initiative