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.

By the end of the 2018-2019 academic school year, Apollo Middle School will reduce the chronic and excessive absences of students by:

1. Goal 1:  In 2017-2018, 8th grade demonstrated an increase from 39 to 60 students with chronic absences.  Our goal is to reduce the number of overall absenteeism all categories by 30 students for 2018/19 school year.  
2. Goal 2: Overall chronic absence in 2017-2018 was 12% with 3% severe chronic absenteeism.  Our goal is to reduce the overall number of absences by 5% (about 10 students less than the year before) in 2018-2019.
3. Goal 3:  In 2017-2018, 7th grade had the highest level of students with satisfactory attendance with 58% of students attending 95% or more school days.  The goal for satisfactory attendance is to increase the percentage of students in all three grade levels by 3-5% by the end of 2018-2019.
4. Goal 4:  Baseline from 2017-2018 was a total of 5%, with 6th at 56%, 7th 58%, and 8th at 54%.  Satisfactory attendance ranges from 54% to 56% in the second semester (which is an approximate 10% increase from semester 1 to semester 2 in all three grade levels).  Within three years from the baseline year, (by the year 2019-2020) our goal is to have all three grade levels at 77% or higher for students attending 95% or more school days.  The end of this year each grade level should decrease by at least 1%.  

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

• Determine what constititues chronic or severe absenteeism; 5 or more days absent or equivalent minutes (1800 minutes);10 or more days absent or equivalent minutes (3600 minutes)
• Using the OptiSpool District Report, the attendance team will keep an accurate count of daily attendance on Pinnacle.  This includes entering excused attendance calls from the Attendance Hotline. The team is also responsible for recording early sign-outs and entering information when there is a substitute.  
•  Daily class attendance is monitored on Pinnacle with automated phone calls are generated by ParentLink to inform parents every time a student misses class during any period during the day (unexcused absence).
• Any student that arrives to school after the Period 1 late bell will report to the front lobby until 10:00 am.  The student is logged into the system and given a pass to the corresponding class.  Students who arrive after 10:00 a.m. will report to the front office. The student is logged into the system and given a pass to the corresponding class.
• Students with perfect attendance will be monitored quarterly by grade-level guidance counselors.
  Students with perfect attendance quarterly will be recognized with a Perfect Attendance Recognition Assembly that includes Breakfast and perfect attendance certificate.
  Scheduled with the Honor Roll Recognition Assemblies

• A teacher will make contact via the phone if a student has two unexcused absences (skipping class). If the parent contact phone number is not correct, the teacher will notify the grade-level secretary via e-mail within 24 hours.  The grade-level secretary will obtain a working phone number from the emergency card.

•   Organize a comprehensive plan to offer Miami Heat tickets and field trip to Perfect Attendance for 4 Quarters, Field Trip to 1 Quarter Perfect Attendance, Certificate for Improved Attendance
•   Incentive/Reward Plan for Perfect Attendance
• Reward for students with perfect attendance for the school year will be determined at a later date. 

• 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 the importance of regular attendance their child's academic success from middle school through thier senior year.  Developing postive 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. 
• integrate information aout chronic absence into parent programs and communications throughout the school year.  

• The school provides breakfast for all students every day. 
• A bike rack enclosed in a lock gate is available for students that arriv by bicycle.  The rack is locked after school begins and is unlocked and monitored by designated staff after school. 
• The Community Liaison from Family and Title I Coordinator will host parent nights throughout the year to inform parent 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

1. Monitor Data

•  Utilize the RMG Community Liaison and IMT log for attendance to identify chronic absenteeism and respond accordingly with a phone call, home visit, teacher conference, and guidance referral.  
• Daily class attendance is monitored on Pinnacle with, this along with constant followup with students that demonstrate a trend, from 3 or more consecutive days, to severely chronic absenteism will be flagged for parent contact by 1 or more faculty members.
• Weekly data chats with Community Liaison regarding students that demonstrate 1 or more warning signs will be closely monitored, offered a mentor. 
• Teachers will recieve an email or be asked to communicate any special needs they identify in order to support the student.  

•   A teacher will make contact via the phone if a student has two unexcused absences (skipping class).
• Teachers will also be offered support for engaging parents via SEL or Community Liaisons and Guidance.  

• With personalized outreach provided by faculty, including PASL teachers and Community Liaison, identify and acknowledge students and parents that have increase attendance. 
• Recognition is as informal as follow-up phone call, teacher to reach out parents, certificate of improvement, and invitation to parent engagement event. 
• Also, teachers will recognize students personally, in our newsletter as Most Improved/ Participation awards for grade levels. 

• Continue to offer Before and After care to students and parents that have transportation, housing, employment issues that keep students from attending school.  Also, engage and communicate with feeder schools to monitor trends infamilies with multiple students that demonstrate warning signs that include absenteeism.  Advertise free breakfast for every student and hot meal during after care. 
• Utilize Community Liaison and mentors to engage and reach out to parents and students to support and address studtents' needs.

• Apply SEL through PASL classes, electives and effective teacher/ student relationships to identify needs specific to each child.  Work with community partners to support and address the needs of our community. 
• Engage all SEL resources that include Faculty, Mentors, Incentives, Community Partners. 

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

Tier 3 interventions include all Tier 2 strategies, in addition to:
Provide Personalized Outreach
  Refer students to Guidance based on grade level:  that include, but are not limited to:  
- Conferenciing with school/parent/student
- Follow-up guidance counseling (weekly)
- Notify School Social Worker; wth a BASIS referral (Ms.  Perez) or Family Counselor referral (Phillipe)

• Grade 6 – Ms. Hernandez
• Grade 7 – Ms. Desmond
• Grade 8 – Mr. Rosen

• Continuous collaboration between Admin.,School Social Worker teachers, Community Liaison, and guidance to determine student needs.
• Schedule follow-up and home visits by Community Liaison to determine barriers outside of school.
• Provide alternate academic setting that is conducive to student need.
• Constant and accurate data collection and review of Terms L-Panel 

• Disseminate District-generated letter to parents and students. 
• Use parent engagment events and conferences to ensure parents are informed of all supports, interventions, and consequences of absenteeism.
• Collaborate with feeder schools to engage families and parents with students in mulitiple schools.
• Review District policies and procedures.
• Inform parties of driver’s license implications (state law).
• Develop a collaborative plan/contract for individual students.

• Collaborate with staff and faculty support to idenify and recognize improved attendance.
• Align Positive Behavior and Incentives Plan to identify and reward students with improved attendance on a school to school .
• Invite and acknowledge parents that support and help increase attendance. 
• Use Community Liaison to work with and keep in contact with parents as a proactive measure to addressing gaps that cause absenteeism and provide tips to decrease absenteeism  
• For students give scheduling options. 

•  Refer students with Mentors, and Peer Mentors 
• Use PASL teachers and teacher mentors to monitor and support students.  
• Community Liaison engages with families thorugh phone calls, home visits, students with constant monitoring. 
• Document interventions on L27 panel

• Ensure parents have all pertinent information.
• Collaborate with IMT, Community Liaison, Teachers, Registrar, Attendance Team, SEL Liaison, and Admin to create an appropriate and comprehensive attendance plan.  
• Engage school Family Counselor, Social Worker and Support staff to work with students beyond academics. 
• Use resources provided by the District / Community
• Learn how to families can address financial/ employment and mental health issues.