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: In the spring of 2017/18, the grade level with the highest increase in chronic absenteeism is was kindergarten with 33 total student ( 10 chronic and 13 severely chronic absensences).In kindergarten , our goal is to reduce the number of students with chronic absenteeism by 10 students (about 9%) for the 2018-2019.

Goal 2: Overall chronic absence in 2017-2018 was 19.94% (15.31% chronic and 4.63% severe chronic). Our goal is to reduce overall chronic absenteeism by 3% (about 19 students).

Goal 3: In 2017/2018, grade 2 had the highest level of students with satisfactory attendance with 56.57% (56 students) of students attending 95% or more school days. The goal for satisfactory attendance is to increase the percentage of students attending 95% or more in every grade by the end of 2018-2019.

After reviewing the data, our goal is to increase our satisfactory attendence rate by 5% from 49% to 54% by June 2019.

SBBC policy 5.5 states: All compulsory age students (those 6 - 16) are required to attend school every day of the 180-day schoo year (based on Florida State Statute). Poor academic prerformance is associated with non-attendance. Schools will respond in a timely manner to prevent the development of patterns of non-attendance, which can be an indication of early signs of truancy.

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

Strategies we will implement to reach our goal is to focus on educating our parents on the role that good attendance helps to promote student achievement.
A. Monitor Data:

• Attendance line is monitored daily by office personnel
• Office personnel ensures attendance is submitted correctly and unexcused absences are corrected in Pinnacle when parents call attendance line or submit absence notes.
• Attendance clerk monitors attendance-taking procedure sdaily as requested by administration.
• Once each quarter, teachers will monitor BASIS and Data Warehouse to set goals for students in school-wide recognitions
• Adminstration will be responsible for school attendance will ensure that all teachers have completed the brainshark training for taking classroom attendance at the elementary level (K-5). The administrator should maintain a record of teachers that have completed the training. 

• During quarterly parent nights and Open House parents are reminded of attendance policies
• Parents are reminded through parent link of attendance.
• School Administration and Title I liaison provide families with a parent/student compact regarding the importance and responsiblity for good attendance.
• School Twitter account will follow and re-Tweet relevant messages about attendance for our stakeholders. Messages on the school website will be positive and supportive.
• Front office/Support staff will meet each month to discuss customer service responsibilities and adapt procedures for ensuring a welcoming environment when visitors enter the front office (students, parents, guests, District staff). 
• School staff will be encouraged to reach out to parents by phone, Class Dojo, and email to remind parents about the importance of attendance in the early grades.
• The Attendance Phone line will be checked and cleared daily by the attendance clerk. 

• Student Incentives-perfect attendance awards such as school store prizes are given quarterly during awards ceremonies
• Parent are reminded through parent link and school meetings about the importance of good attendance.
• The administrator responsible for attendance will ensure that students have opportunities to participate in District-wide Attendance recognition events (certificates & prizes)

• Administration meets-biweekly with the Social Worker to discuss attendance concerns.Social Worker reaches out to families regarding excessive absences or tarties.
• School staff will host a transition meeting for students moving from Pre-K into Kindergarten. Families will meet the team of teachers, tour the school, and learn about the importance of regular attendance for their child’s academic success through their senior year.
• Attendance will be included on all student report cards. 
• Integrate information about chronic absence into parent programs and communications throughout the school year
• Teachers and administration meet with parents regarding attendance issues.
• Teacher contacts parents when student miss 3 days of school

• The school provides free breakfast to all students for an extended period from 7:00 - 7:40 every school day. 
• A bike rack enclosed in a lock gate is available for students that that arrive by bicycle. the rack is locked after school begins and is unlocked and monitored by staff after school. 
• Parents are invited to family nights throughout the year and they are informed about services, programs, District policies. 

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:

• Teachers monitor attendance using Pinnacle and BASIS and consult with Administration regarding reaching out to parents of students with chronic attendance.
• Office personnel monitor late students by keeping an attendance log of all students arriveing late to school.
•  Weekly, using BASIS, the leadership team will identify students that have enough absences to be considered chronically absent.
• School Counselors, will monitor attendance with the leadership team to help identify students that may have a need for more wrap-around services.

• After 5 unexcused absences, letters are sent home to parents of students with a patttern of non-attendance
• Classroom teachers and administration submit social worker referrals for excessive absences
• Administration meets with social worker bi-weekly to discuss attendance concern.
• School Counselors, as part of the leadership team and support, will reach out by phone to speak with parents of chronically absent students to identify if any support is needed for the family.
• If needed, parents and student 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.
• Staff will help identify any family needs and connect the family with services (food pantry, clothing assistance, literacy programs, transportation). 

• We will work with parents and students to set attendance goals to help improve attendance that are attainable to help improve attendance for at-risk or chronically absent students. 
• Recognize students for good and improved attendance through recogintion awards and verbal positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement and trusting relationships with staff improve attendance. 

• ​Parent-Teacher conferences with administration and school counselor are scheduled to discuss absences and barriers/challenges with which we can assist.
• Our school will utilize “Attendance Buddies.” Adults and responsible students volunteer to partner with atrisk students to form relationships that encourage better attendance.

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 chronic absences.
• Attendance data is discussed during Collaborative Problem Solving/RtI to help indentify whether attendance is a factor in student achievement.
• Leadership team will monitor data from BASIS to identify students that are missing too many school days.
•  Attendance data may help uncover bigger issues the student or family are experiencing. 

• Guidance Counselor and Social Workers refer families to outside agencies for support and assistance regarding barriers to attendance.
• Refer students to appropriate service agencies (social services, human services, counseling, housing, the Heart program for homeless education, or health services.)
• Utilize best practices from schools within the District that have been able to decrease chronic absences and increase satisfactory attendance.
• Share data with appropriate agencies and ensure that agencies are using chronic absence as an indicator for assisting families.
• The Broward Truancy Intervention Plan (BTIP) may initiate truancy letters to hold 5-day or 10-day meetings with the parents, principal (or designee), District representative, and State Attorney’s Office for the 17th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida.

• School Social worker and administration will work with parents to incorporate an attendance contract to improve student attendance. 
• For the students at Tier 3, appropriate positive reinforcements will be included in their “Attendance Success Plan” to support continued improved attendance. This plan will be developed with the parents, School Counselor, and School Social Worker. Plans and goals will be shared with the child’s teachers. 

• Adminstration and social worker meet with to implement a attendance contract when all prior strategies did not result in improved attendance
• Administration and Social Worker meet with parents during a Broward Truancy Intervetion Program (BTIP) meeting. Parents are informed that if the chronic-severe absenteeism continues, the case will be sent to court.
• Ensure continued positive and regular contact with the family. 
• Check-in on “Attendance Success Plans” and communicate with parents at regular intervals. If the plan is not referenced regularly with positive reinforcement, the plan is not being supported. 
• Consult with the School Social Worker as a resource for helping families with attendance problems.
• When the student misses school, ensure the assigned personnel is following up on each absence. 

• Connect students with chronic physical and mental health issues to medical providers or mental health  (On campus, District or County)
• For cases of suspected abuse, neglect or endangerment will immediately contact the appropriate agencies to report abuse.
• Implement agreed upon family intervention plan. Monitor for progress