Goals for the Attendance Plan

1. A school's response for this section should be in SMART format for improving attendance for each category reported in the data tables.
• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Realistic/Rewarding
• Timely
2. Address early grades at your school level (K & 1, 6th Grade, 9th Grade). Analyze school-wide data to determine needs at grade levels and times of year when challenges occur more often.

School attendance data are provided reporting percent of students with satisfactory attendance, at-risk attendance, chronic absenteeism, and severe chronic absenteeism. The two-year trend allows for comparison of attendance over time and an indication of how strategies implemented to improve attendance are working.

Goal 1: From the 2017-2018 school year, the 1st semester chronic absenteeism categories averaged 13.92% for the whole school. The grade levels above that average were Kindergarten (15.06%), 2nd Grade (16.27%), 4th Grade (14.28%), and 5th Grade (14.13%). In the 2nd semster, the overall chronic absenteeism totaled 15.38% showing an increase in absences during the 2nd semester. The grades that increased were Kindergarten (20.41%), 3rd Grade (+2.2% to 12.7%), 4th Grade (16.95%), and 5th Grade (17.28%). The goals for all grades in elementary is to decrease chronic absenteeism by at least 1% in each semester and reduce the difference between semester 1 and semester 2 by the end of the 2018-2019 school year.

Goal 2: Overall chronic absence in 2017 - 2018 was 12%. Our goal is to reduce overall chronic absence by 1% in the 2018-2019 school year.

Goal 3: Satisfactory attendance in grades K-5 averaged 60% in the first semester in 2017-2018, while the 2nd semester satisfactory attendance averaged 56.3%. The greatest decreases in satisfactory attendance occured in Kindergarten and 4th Grade. The goal for the 2018-2019 school year is to close the gap in satisfactory attendance for the spring semester by improving attendance in all grade levels, with special attention to grades Kindergarten and 4th grade. 

Tier 1 Strategies for Attendance

Tier 1 Strategies for Attendance - Address all five core ingredients. Tier 1 is aimed at 100% of students, parents, school staff, and community stakeholders. This is where you cast a wide net. Strategies are general to reach the largest audiences and include all employees and stakeholders.

Tiered plans will include strategies and interventions for the 5 core ingredients.

• Monitor Data
• Engage Students and Families
• Recognize Good and Improved Attendance
• Provide Personalized Outreach
• Remove Barriers

A. Monitor Data

• The administrator responsible for school attendance will ensure that all teachers have completed the brain shark training for taking classroom attendance a the Elementary Level K-5.
• The administrator should maintain a record of teachers that have completed the training.
• Teachers are encouraged to take attendance in a timely and accurate manner.

• Teachers provide phone number to parents at the beginning of the school year.
• Attendance Line (phone number) easily accessible on school website.
• Attendance is promoted in the Country Isles Chronicle (monthly newsletter) which is provided online and in the front office.
  • First Chronicle of the School Year is sent home the first week of school
• Attendance information is provided in the Student Handbook which is accessible on our Country Isles Website.

• Students are recognized (quarterly) for excellent attendance on the morning annoucements.
• Students will recieve a "brag tag" quarterly for excellent attendance.

•  Attendance will be included on all student report cards.
• Integrare information about chronic absence into parent programs and communications throughout the school year.

• The school provides free breakfast for all students, everyday.
• A bike rack enclosed in a lock gate is available for students that ride by bicycle. The rack is locked after school begins and unlocked and monitored by staff after school.

Tier 2 Strategies and Interventions to Improve Attendance

Tier 2 Strategies and Interventions to Improve Attendance - Address all five core ingredients. Tier 2 identifies students using early warning indicators to make connections with students and families at the onset of the school year or emergence of patterns of non-attendance. Early warning indicators include prior year chronic absenteeism, 3 or more absences in the first 4 weeks of enrollment, more than 10% of school days absent in any time period from the beginning of enrollment.

- Tier 2 represents between 10-20% of students at all schools in Broward County. This is true at individual schools and across the District.

- Chronic Absenteeism: Absent for 10% or more school days. These absences include excused, unexcused, and suspensions as days of instruction missed.

Tiered plans will include strategies and interventions for the 5 core ingredients.

• Monitor Data
• Engage Students and Families
• Recognize Good and Improved Attendance
• Provide Personalized Outreach
• Remove Barriers

A. Monitor Data

• ​Assemble an attendance team that consist of Principal, Assistant Principal, Guidance Counselor and IMT.
• Each member is assigned two grade levels to support and monitor:
  • Principal: Kindergarten and 3rd Grade
  • Assistant Principal: 1st and 4th Grade
  • Guidance Counselor: 2nd and 5th Grade
• Montior students who are absent 4 or more days in a quarter (excused or unexcused).
• Meet with teacher to discuss absences. 

• Follow up with parents regarding academic growth/lack of.
• Contact parents to discuss the importance of attendance.

• Recognize students routinely for good and improved attendance.
• We will work with work with students and families to set attendance goals and time frames that are attainable to help improve attendance for at risk or chonically absent students.

• Discuss importance of attendance with school community (PTA, SAC, Open House, Newsletters, website)
• Parent teacher conferences with support staff will be scheduled to discuss the absences and challenges to identify the barriers we may be able to assist with

• Connect families with a school social worker to provide an insight as to the role of a school social worker, establish a relationship and provide clinical support and services.
• Involve public agencies, community partners and resources as needed to address barriers identified through parent conferences, commnuications through families or other services. 

Tier 3 Interventions

Tier 3 Interventions - Address all five core ingredients. Tier 3 is the highest level of intervention and support for students that are absent 20% or more school days during the year.

- At most schools, Tier 3 interventions are utilized for about 5% (or less) of the student population.

Tiered plans will include strategies and interventions for the 5 core ingredients.

• Monitor Data
• Engage Students and Families
• Recognize Good and Improved Attendance
• Provide Personalized Outreach
• Remove Barriers

A. Monitor Data

• Assemble an attendance team that consist of Principal, Assistant Principal, Guidance Counselor and IMT.
• Each member is assigned two grade levels to support and monitor:
  • Principal: Kindergarten and 3rd Grade
  • Assistant Principal: 1st and 4th Grade
  • Guidance Counselor: 2nd and 5th Grade
  • IMT: Montiors and pulls chronic absenteeism reports
• Meet with teacher to discuess absences.
• Give guidelines to teachers to review and provide information to administration.
• Monitor students who are absent 4 or more days in a quarter (excused or unexcused).

• Follow up with parents regarding academic growth/lack of.
• Contact parents to discuss the importance of attendance.

• Tangible incentives maybe utlizied to help students and parents improve attendance.
• Create an Attendance Success Plan with each indivdual student.
  • Appropriate postitive reinforcement will be included.

• Discuss importance of attendance with school community (PTA, SAC, Open House, Newsletters, website),
• When the student misses school, ensure that the assigned personnel is following up on each absence.

• Determine if student should have an agency involved
  • 5 days - State Atttorny Office alerts parents and there is a meeting with the Assistant Principal. Social worker is also involved at this time.
  • 10 days - Meet with BTIP commitee which consist of the Assitant Prinicpal, Social worker, State Attorney, and BTIP Coordinator.
• Connect with students with chronic physical and mental health issues to medical providers.