IN-DISTRICT THERAPEUTIC SUPPORTS FOR ABSENTEEISM / SCHOOL REFUSAL / AVOIDANCEImpact StudyIn-District Therapeutic Services at Ridgewood High School

• Research shows that chronic absenteeism increases a student’s risk of academic failure and is an early predictor of high school dropout.1 Nationally, one in ten kindergarten and first grade students misses a full month of school in a single year, and the rates of chronic absenteeism in middle and high schools are even higher.2 Supports and strategies that reduce chronic absenteeism are important for students’ educational outcomes.• References

• (1) Attendance Works: http://www.attendanceworks.org/.(2) Ibid.

• https://www.sbh4all.org/school-health-care/health-and-learning/chronic-absenteeism/#one

Chronic Absenteeism

https://www.attendanceworks.org/chronic-absence/addressing-chronic-absence/3-tiers-of-intervention/

Ridgewood High School (2014-2015)• Student population = 1709• Number of General Education students = 1506• Number of Special Education students = 223

• Support staff:• 2 Assistant Principals (2 FTEs)• Grade Level Administrators (3 FTEs)• 2 School Psychologist (2 FTEs)• 1 Social Worker (1 FTE)• 2 part-time Crisis Counselors (1 FTE)

Presenting Problem

• RHS administrators noted increasing levels of behavioral and emotional challenges interfering with school performance for a subset of both general education and special education students.

• These students utilized an inordinate amount of support staff time.

• Characteristics of identified students included:• School avoidance• Extended and chronic absenteeism • Poor academic performance

• Students demonstrated significant emotional history:• History of hospitalizations• Emotional fragility – i.e., suicidal, cutting, severe depression/anxiety

• Typical outcomes:• CST referral• Out of District placement• Drop out

Intervention• Intensive Therapeutic In-District Program:

• The District recognized that there is a population of public school students who would benefit from therapeutic services yet do not need to be placed outside of the district.

• Professional licensed clinical therapists provide expertise in the therapeutic realm and work with education experts in the buildings to understand how to balance both of these to the benefit of students and educators.

• Having a licensed clinical therapist on site is an excellent adjunct to the work done by the child study teams and school counselors, and provides a higher level of care that serves public school students within their public school settings.

In-District Therapeutic Program Goals1. Early Intervention: Therapeutic services for general education students

who are identified as “at-risk.” Provide therapeutic services to students to maintain or increase attendance and prevent classification or out of district placement.

2. Return students from out of district placements: Ridgewood has approximately 90 out of district placements. Students are exhibiting significant at-risk behaviors including chronic absenteeism in the form of school avoidance or school refusal. Both the number and the needs of the students are increasing and require more focused intervention. The Superintendent and Director of Special Services, with the support of the high school administration wanted to establish services to help retain emotionally challenged students in district or return students from out of district placements who have made significant progress. These students will need continued therapeutic support to help them successfully transition back into RHS.

3. Shorten the length of time students are placed out of district: If a student is in need of an out of district placement, but has the potential to return when significant progress is made, a step down transition period can be built into the day and the therapeutic relationship can help facilitate that transition.

Services • Individual counseling

• Group counseling

• Family counseling

• Home visitations as needed

• Collaboration with CST, Guidance Counselors, Grade Level Advisors, Crisis Counselors (SACs) and administration

Referral Process

• Guidance counselor, Grade Level Advisors, members of the I&RS Committee, Crisis Counselors, and CST refer student to Assistant Principal/Director of Guidance.

• Assistant Principal/Director of Guidance meets with either the school psychologist or social worker and the head special education teacher, the student’s grade administrator, the student’s guidance counselor, and the therapist/clinician to determine if the student is appropriate for the intensive therapeutic program.

Impact Study BaselineBaseline information

• Attendance: school avoidance, cutting classes• GPA: at risk for dropping out, underperformance• Discipline: infractions were minor for all participants, thus not used

as an indicator

Collected for 1 year prior to program participation2012-20132013-2014

Data for 12 students identified for program• Attendance ranged from 70%-100%• GPA’s ranged from 2.2-3.6

Results: Attendance• 12 student participants 2014-2015

• 6 students - Year 1 in program• Increase - 3• Decrease - 1• No change (attendance 100% across years) - 1

• 6 students - Year 2 in program• Increase - 5• Decrease - 1

Attendance

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

2012-20132013-20142014-2015

Results: GPA• 12 student participants in 2014-2015

• 6 students - Year 1 in program• 1 exhibited increases in performance (GPA)• 5 exhibited decreases in performance

• 6 students - Year 2 in program• 4 exhibited increases or maintenance in

performance• 2 exhibited decreases in performance

Grades

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

2012-20132013-20142014-2015

Conclusions• In-district therapeutic services began in the 2013-2014

school year. • The study occurred during the first 2 years of inception.• Students in the study received services for 1 - 2 years. • Moderate increase in attendance overall• More students in Year 2 demonstrated increase in

attendance and GPA• Length of time positively impacts attendance and GPA• Students have been maintained in-district• Students have not been placed out of district as readily• 3 students returned to district

What’s happening now?• Having therapeutic services in-district has had a positive impact on attendance of at-risk students

• The district shifted from a private provider to a community mental health agency provider in 2017-2018 • Improved the ability to connect families to community

services • More cost effective • The agency is able to service more students in-district

• The program has been expanded to the middle school level for 2018-2019

• Collection of outcome data with the new provider will begin this school year

https://www.attendanceworks.org/chronic-absence/addressing-chronic-absence/3-tiers-of-intervention/