www. attendanceworks.org

Monitoring Chronic Absence: An Overlooked But Essential Tool for

Reducing the Achievement Gap

2

Why Does Attendance Matter?

Allocating resources

Identifying at risk

students

Enforcing compulsor

y education

laws

Assessing health of

school communit

y

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Unpacking Attendance Terms

Average Daily Attendance

• Definition: The % of enrolled students who attend school each day• Answers: What resources are needed to serve typical number of

students who show up to school?

Truancy

• Definition: Typically refers only to unexcused absences and is defined by each state and sometimes locality.

• Answers: How many/which students are skipping school and breaking the law?

Chronic Absence

• Definition: Missing 10% or more of school for any reason – excuse, unexcused, etc.

• Answers: How many and which students are missing so much school they are academically at risk? Do we need to improve attendance in order to raise achievement?

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Moving into Action Requires KnowingIf Chronic Absence is a Problem

Most Schools Only Track Average Daily Attendance and Truancy. Both Can Mask Chronic Absence.

Variation in Chronic Absence for Schools with 95% ADA in Oakland, CA

0.0%

2.0%

4.0%

6.0%

8.0%

10.0%

12.0%

14.0%

16.0%

18.0%

20.0%

5.8%

9.3%

12.4% 12.5%

14.2%

17.3%

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Chronic Absence Versus Truancy in San Francisco

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Sporadic — Not Just Consecutive – Absences Matter

A 407 alert is issued when student misses 10 consecutive days or 20 days over a 40 day period. It misses more sporadic absence.1 out of 5 elementary school children were chronically absent.

Source: Nauer K et al, Strengthening Schools by Strengthening Families, Center for New York City Affairs New School, Oct 2008

New York City Schools

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Variation Helps Identify Good Practice and Need for Intervention

Chronic Absence Levels Among Oakland Public Schools (2009-10)

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K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 120%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

% Chronically Absent Students By Ethnicity2010-11 School Year

African American

Asian

Latino

White

Grade Level

% O

f Act

ive

Stud

ents

African American and

Latino Students Most Affected

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Elementary Absenteeism Concentrated in West Oakland

10 10

Solutions Only Work If Grounded in Understanding Of What Leads to Chronic Absence

Discretion

Parents don’t know

attendance matters

School lacks a strong culture of attendance

Aversion

Child is struggling

academically

Child is being bullied

Barriers

Lack of access to health care

No safe path to school

Poor transportation

Special thanks to Dr. Robert Balfanz, Everyone Graduates Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD for providing this framework.

What Causes Chronic Absence?

1111

Recognize Good & Improved Attendance

Parent Engagement

Personalized Early Outreach

Attendance Data Team

Proposed Universal Strategies For Influencing Discretion and Identifying Causes of Absence

What Can Help?

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Increased Attendance Involves a 3-Tiered Approach that Fits with Most Reform Efforts

0-25% of a school’s

students

Students who were chronicallyabsent in prior year or starting to miss 20% or moreof school.

5-35% of a school’s

studentsStudents at risk for chronic absence

65-100% of a school’s

studentsAll students in the school

RecoveryPrograms

InterventionPrograms

Universal/Preventive Programs

High Cost

Low Cost