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: Chronic absenteeism schoolwide was 19.21% in 2017/18.  The goal for 2018/19 is to decrease overall chronic absenteeism by at least 1%.

Goal 2: Satisfactory attendance decreased from 2016/17 (62.6%) to 2017/18 (55.7%).  The goal for 2018/19 is to increase overall satisfactory attendance by at least 1% from the previous year.

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

• Administrators will ensure that all teachers have completed the Brainshark training for taking classroom attendance at the middle school level (6-8). The administrator should maintain a record of teachers that have completed the training.
• Monitoring attendance-taking procedures will take place weekly by the attendance clerk and as requested by administration.
• Each week the attendance clerk will print out the list of unexcused absences to present at RtI meetings on Tuesdays.
• ​Ensure that all teachers are trained to take attendance accurately. Encourage all to take attendance in a timely and accurate manner. (Teacher Attendance Codes: P, PN, AU, TU).
• When teachers make phone calls home, include information about attendance (ex. "thank you for getting her to school on time every day"; "she was absent two days last week and we missed her"; "he is on track for perfect attendance this month.")

• School staff will be encouraged to reach out to parents by phone or email to remind parents about the importance of attendance in the early grades.
• Bi-monthly Parent Links will be made reminding parents about the importance of attendance in middle school.

• ​The administrator responsible for attendance will ensure that students have opportunities to participate in district-wide attendance recognition events (certificates, Miami Heat games, Florida Panthers, Miami Marlins, etc.)

• School staff will host a transition meeting for students moving from 5th grade into middle school.  Families will see classrooms, tour the school, and learn more about the importance of regular attendance for their child's academic success from middle school through their senior year.  This will help develop positive habits associated with academic success.
• Counselors will coordinate with high schools to work with a successful transition plan for 8th graders moving up to high school to relieve student/parent stress about the switch to a bigger school.
• Attendance will be included on all student report cards.
• The school will integrate information about chronic absences into parent programs and communications throughout the school year.

• Attendance Line (phone number) easily accessible on the school website.
• This school provides free breakfast for all students, every school day.
• A bike rack enclosed in a locked gate is available for students that arrive by bicycle.  The rack is locked after school begins and is unlocked and monitored by staff after school.
• The School Community Liaison will attend parent nights throughout the year to inform parents and guardians about services, programs, and District policies.

• Unexcused absence occurrences are run in Data Warehouse every other Monday morning. Grade level counselors meet individually with students to determine the reason for unexcused absences.
• Parents are contacted to confirm absences, correct any discrepancies, and create a plan to decrease unexcused absences.
• Assistant Principals intervene with excessive unexcused absences, and referrals are made to the school social worker by grade level counselors for instances where intervention is needed.
• Monthly parent links will be sent out reminding parents that it is their obligation to report reasons for absence to the school follwing the school's protocol.

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

• Monthly, the leadership team will review the non-attendance report during leadership meetings.  Students will be identified and teachers will be notified which of their students might be at risk.
• Weekly, using BASIS, the counselors, social worker, and admin team will review the attendance report and identify students who have enough absences to be considered chronically absent.
• Teachers will monitor attendance using Pinnacle and BASIS and consult with support staff for help in redirecting absenteeism behavior.

• School counselors, as part of the leadership team and support will be encouraged to reach out to parents of chronically absent students to identify any needs for support to the families.
• If needed, parents and students will work with the school counselor or school social worker to develop a personalized "Student Success Plan for Attendance" to make sure the child doesn't miss too many days and get back on track with good attendance.  There is a correlation between good attendance and good academic performance.

• ​We will work with students and families to set attendace goals and time frames that are attainable to help improve attendance for at risk

• We will work with students and families to set attendance goals and time frames that are attainable to help improve attendance for at-risk, or chronically absent students.
• We will recognize these students routinely for good  and improved attendance.  Staff will use positive reinforcement and build trusting relationships with students to help improve attendance so students will want to go to school.

• Involve public agencies, commuity partners, and resources as needed to address barriers identified through parent conferences, communications with family, or other sources.
• Involve the school nurse when necessary to follow-up on medically related absences and train staff to recognize signs of illness.
• Connect families with the school social worker to provide insight as to the role of a school social worker, establish a relationship, and provide clinical support and 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

• Identify students with a history of severe chronic absenteeism (missing more than 20% of a school year).
• Leadership team will monitor the non-attendance report  and data from BASIS to identify students that are missing too many school days.
• Attendance date is one of the main metrics brought to discussion for Collaborative Problem-Solving Team (CPST) and Response to Interention (RtI).  Attendance data may help uncover bigger issues the student or family are experiencing. 

• Refer students to appropriate service agencies (social services, human resources, counseling, housing, the HEART team for homeless education, or health services).
• Share data with appropriate agencies and ensure that agencies are using chronic absence as an indicator for assisting families.
• Utilize best practices from schools within the District that have been able to decrease chronic absences and increase satisfactory attendance.

• ​The administrator responsible for attendance will ensure that students have opportunities to participate in district-wide attendance recognition events (certificates, Miami Heat games, Florida Panthers, Miami Marlins, etc.)

• School staff will host a transition meeting for students moving from 5th grade into middle school.  Families will see classrooms, tour the school, and learn more about the importance of regular attendance for their child's academic success from middle school through their senior year.  This will help develop positive habits associated with academic success.
• Counselors will coordinate with high schools to work with a successful transition plan for 8th graders moving up to high school to relieve student/parent stress about the switch to a bigger school.
• Attendance will be included on all student report cards.
• The school will integrate information about chronic absences into parent programs and communications throughout the school year.

• This school provides free breakfast for all students, every school day.
• A bike rack enclosed in a locked gate is available for students that arrive by bicycle.  The rack is locked after school begins and is unlocked and monitored by staff after school.
• The School Community Liaison will attend parent nights throughout the year to inform parents and guardians about services, programs, and District policies.

• Unexcused absence occurrences are run in Data Warehouse every other Monday morning. Grade level counselors meet individually with students to determine the reason for unexcused absences.
• Parents are contacted to confirm absences, correct any discrepancies, and create a plan to decrease unexcused absences.
• Assistant Principals intervene with excessive unexcused absences, and referrals are made to the school social worker by grade level counselors for instances where intervention is needed.