1. Scholastic Comprehensive Literacy Summit: “From Striving to Thriving
Addressing Chronic Absence: An Overlooked Opportunity for Improving Student Achievement
Scholastic Comprehensive Literacy Summit: “From Striving to Thriving
February 27, 2018

2. About Us
Attendance Works advances student success and closes equity gaps by reducing chronic absence. Operating at the local, state, and national level, Attendance Works:
Advances better policy
Nurtures proven and promising practice
Promotes meaningful and effective communication
Catalyzing needed research
Since our launch in 2010, we have become the nation’s “go-to” resource for improving student attendance. We are an implementation partner for the national Campaign for Grade Level Reading.
For Inquiries for consultation and ta, contact Cecelia Leong, Associate Director for Programs, at

3. Why Does Attendance Matter?
“instruction alone, is not a powerful enough intervention for all children to succeed”
Paul Reville
Attainment Over Time
Achievement Every Year
Attendance Every Day
Advocacy For All
4 A School Success Framework
Developed by Annie E. Casey Foundation & America’s Promise Alliance For more info go to

4. Illustrating the Gap
Instructions found on Bringing Attendance Home Toolkit

5. Multiple Years of Chronic Absenteeism = High Risk for low 3rd Grade Reading Skills
The impact increases with multiple years of chronic absence. Experience indicates turning chronic absence around within 2 two years leaves a reasonable opportunity for students to recuperate academically from the lost time. Three consecutive years or more of chronic absence leaves gaping deficits. For principals this puts a very high priority on preventing or abating chronic absence from the outset of schooling.
Note: ***Indicates that scores are significantly different from scores of students who are never chronically absent, at p<.001 level. + In the DIBELS 6th Edition Assessment and Scoring Guide (Good & Kaminksi, 2002), these are labeled as “Some Risk,” indicating the need for additional intervention and “At Risk,” indicating the need for substantial interventions.

6. Chronic Early Absence Connected to Poor Long- Term Academic Outcomes
Chronic absence in kindergarten
Lower levels of
literacy in first grade
Lower achievement as far out as fifth grade
A Rhode Island Data Hub analysis found that compared to kindergartners who attend regularly, those chronically absent:
Scored 20% lower in reading and math in later grades and gap grows
2X as likely to be retained in grade.
2X likely to be suspended by the end of 7th grade.
Likely to continue being chronically absent
Chronic early absence is the percentage of children in grades K-3 that miss 10% or more of the school year (or 18+ days in a 180-day school year).
Research shows that children who are chronically absent in kindergarten
Show lower levels of literacy in 1st grade
AND that chronic absence in kindergarten can predict lower achievement as far out as the 5th grade.
It is easy to overlook the prevalence of chronic early absence and think you don’t have an attendance problem if you only look at average daily attendance.
BUT in 2012, Rhode Island’s 4 core cities had an average daily attendance rate of 94%, BUT almost 1 in 5 students (19%) were chronically absent.
Chronic early absence can be reduced by using data to regularly identify and intervene with students who have multiple absences, engaging, educating and providing supports for families, personalizing the educational experience for all students, and educating communities to support school attendance.

7. Chronic absence is especially challenging for low-income children
Poor children are 4x more likely to be chronically absent in K than their highest income peers.
Children in poverty are more likely to lack basic health and safety supports (health care, transportation, stable housing, food, clothes, etc.) that ensure a child is more likely to get to school.
The adverse impact of absenteeism on literacy development is 75% greater for these children than for their middle class peers.
* (Romero & Lee 2007)

8. Student Attendance Is Key To Academic Success
High School Completion: Students who attend school regularly are more likely to graduate from high school
3rd Grade: Students who attend school regularly are more likely to be able to read proficiently by the end of 3rd grade.
Middle School Success: Students who attend school regularly are more likely to have passing grades in middle school
College Completion: Students who attend school regularly in high school are more likely to persist in college and graduate
K-1st Grade: Students who attend regularly in the early grades perform better on measures of academic and social and emotional capacities.

9. Defining Chronic Absence
Chronic absence is missing so much school for any reason that a student is academically at risk. Chronic absence is different from truancy (unexcused absences only) or average daily attendance (how many students show up to school each day).
Defining Chronic Absence
Chronic
Absence
Excused absences
Unexcused absences
Suspensions
ED Facts Definition: The unduplicated number of students absent 10% or more school days during the school year. Include all students grade Kindergarten through grade 12 who meet the definition of chronic absenteeism. Include students who were enrolled in the school for at least 10 school days at any time during the school year, and who missed 10% of the school days in which they were enrolled in the school.

10. Multiple Measures of Attendance
Average Daily Attendance
How many students show up to school every day? The percent of enrolled students who attend school each day. It is used in some states for allocating funding.
Who is missing school without permission? Typically refers only to unexcused absences. Each state has the authority to define truancy and when it triggers legal intervention.
Truancy
Who is missing so much school they are academically at risk? Broadly means missing too much school for any reason -- excused, unexcused, etc. Researchers commonly define it as missing 10% of school. Chronic absence is a required reporting and optional accountability metric in ESSA.
Chronic
Absence

11. This Is a Watershed Moment
No Child Left Behind
Success determined by academic standards.
Federal targets and interventions for schools; punitive system of responses.
Accountability and data for student sub-groups.
Each state defines and addresses truancy which typically emphasizes court based, punitive, interventions.
Every Student Succeeds Act
Success determined by academic & nonacademic standards.
States set goals; supportive framework.
Chronic absence is a required reporting & optional school quality metric. It emphasizes prevention and early intervention.

12. Who's In: Chronic Absenteeism Under the Every Student Succeeds Act
36 States and District of Columbia adopted chronic absence as a metric in their ESSA plan
And now, 36 states plus DC have included chronic absence in their ESSA plans. So there’s unprecedented attention being paid to chronic absence and the drivers of missing too much school, which gives us a real opportunity to transform the way we’ve traditionally thought about attendance – compliance and punitive measures – to thinking about how best to understand and support the needs of students and their families.
Who's In: Chronic Absenteeism Under the Every Student Succeeds Act
Future Ed, Georgetown University, September 2017.

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

14. Chronic Absence vs. Truancy

15. Chronic Absence = 18 days of absence = As Few As 2 days a month
Chronic Absence Is Easily Masked If We Only Monitor Missing Consecutive days
It’s easy not to notice when your child may be missing too much school. 10% of a school year is about 18 days of absence. That sounds like a lot but when you break it down, that’s just two days a month. Most parents don’t get too stressed out if their child misses two days of class in a month. But when it happens month after month, it becomes a problem. Why?
Chronic Absence = 18 days of absence = As Few As 2 days a month

16. What surprises you about this data?
Pair Share
What surprises you about this data?
Hedy--Acknowledge past year of work. Write individually share out loud.

17. Reflects New Paradigm on Attendance
Truancy
Counts unexcused absences
Emphasizes individual compliance with rules
Uses legal, typically more punitive solutions
Chronic Absence
Counts all absences
Emphasizes academic impact of missed days.
Focuses on systems change: prevention, engagement, problem-solving

18. How Can We Address Chronic Absence?

19. Factors That Contribute to Chronic Absence
Barriers
Illness, both chronic and acute
Lack of health, vision, or dental care
Trauma
Unsafe path to/from school
Poor Transportation
Frequent moves or school changes
Involvement with child welfare or juvenile justice systems
Negative School Experiences
Struggling academically or socially
Bullying
Suspensions and expulsions
Negative attitudes of parents due to their own school experience
Undiagnosed disability
Lack of appropriate accommodations for disability
Lack of Engagement
Lack of culturally relevant, engaging instruction
No meaningful relationships with adults in school
Stronger ties with peers out of school than in school
Unwelcoming school climate
Failure to earn credits/ no future plans
Many teacher absences or long-term substitutes
Misconceptions
Absences are only a problem if they are unexcused
Missing 2 days per month doesn’t affect learning
Sporadic absences aren’t a problem
Attendance only matters in the older grades

20. Pair Share
When you were a child, what helped you to get to school even when it was challenging?
Hedy--Acknowledge past year of work. Write individually share out loud.

21. Recognize that Going to School Reflects When Families Have
Hope
for a better future
Faith
that school will help you or your child succeed
Capacity
Resources, skills, knowledge needed to get to school

22. Invest First in Prevention and Early Intervention
Engagement + Attendance is also part of the webinar Series: Reducing Chronic Absence: It’s a Matter of 1, 2, 3!

23. Take a Data Driven Systemic Approach
Positive Engagement:
Uses caring relationships, effective messaging and a positive school climate to motivate daily attendance.
Actionable Data:
Is accurate, accessible, and regularly reported in an understandable format.
Community
District
Positive Engagement
Actionable Data
Students & Families
Schools
Shared Accountability
Capacity Building
Capacity Building Expands ability to work together to interpret data, engage in problem solving, and adopt best practices to improve attendance.
Shared Accountability:
Ensures chronic absence is monitoring & reinforced by policy.
At same time, we know schools and communities can understand why kids aren’t in school and turn attendance around when they implement these five strategies with fidelity. How schools carry them out can be tailored to their own realities and strengths.
Then – I go through and offer examples of what each one of these might look like. I also clarify that recognizing good and improved attendance isn’t just providing perfect attendance awards for a semester or year– which doesn’t help to motivate improvement among the students with the most problematic attendance.
Strategic partnerships
between district and community partners address specific attendance barriers and mobilize support for all ingredients.

24. Percent of Students Chronically Absent
Across the United States, chronic absence affects million students. It is widespread and highly concentrated.
In one out of five schools, 20 percent of students or more are chronically absent, while in slightly more than half of all schools it is < 10 percent
Percent of Students Chronically Absent
Number of Schools
Percent of Schools
Extreme Chronic Absence (30%+)
9,921
High Chronic Absence
(20-29%)
10,330
Significant Chronic Absence (10-19%)
28,320
Modest Chronic Absence
(5-9%)
21,190
Low Chronic Absence
(0-4%)
22,572
Grand Total
92,333

25. Schools with More Students in Poverty Have Higher Chronic Absence Levels

26. Resources from Attendance Works

27. Go to our website (www.attendanceworks.org) for free resources
Our excel-based District Attendance Tracking Tools (DATT) and School Attendance Tracking Tools (SATT)
Our web-based toolkits including Bringing Attendance Home, Teaching Attendance, Leading Attendance and more
The latest research
Policy briefs
Attendance Awareness Campaign resources

28. Proposed Webinars and Schedule for 2018
TEAM UP FOR ATTENDANCE:
Attendance Awareness Campaign 2018
Proposed Webinars and Schedule for 2018
Leadership Matters (3/28) will show the crucial role leaders play in mobilizing their communities to action.
Working Together Matters (5/8) will focus on building and training teams in schools with robust participation from community partners.
Community Matters (8/15) will focus on the role that a variety of key community partners can play in helping to reduce chronic absence.
Health Matters (9/12) will showcase our brief highlighting bright spots where successful strategies to address health barriers have reduced chronic absenteeism

29. Superintendents Call to Action
Own the issue
Mobilize the Community
Drive with Data
To sign-up for the Call to Action, or to learn more, please visit:

30. Chronic Absence is Like a Warning Light on Your Car Dashboard
THANKS!
Any questions?
You can find me &
The Parallels:
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?