Select School Year

Schoolwide Attendance Plan

School Name

Crystal Lake MS (1871)

School Year

2018 - 2019

 


 

Data for 2017 - 2018 (Last year)

 

Population

Chronic Absenteeism
(10% or More Days)

Excessive Absences
(21 Days or More)

Grade Level

Total Number

Number

%

Number

%

 

Purpose of Plan

  1. Describe where the school is currently, using quantitative data. Include other data if needed, cite the source of the data, (e.g. Data Warehouse)

  2. Describe where the school wants to be (use precise data points), be specific and simply state what you plan to do, using the SMART guidelines in writing your goal statement.

 

Strategies To Be Implemented

Describe each strategy and include benchmarks/data points per quarter.

2: Goals for the Attendance Plan

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.

Attendance CategoryPercent of days missedLevels of strategies and Interventions
Satisfactory Attendance0 - 4.99Tier 1
At-Risk Attendance5.0 - 9.99Tier 1 and 2
Chronic Absenteeism10.0 - 19.99Tier 1, 2, and 3
Severe Chronic Absenteeism20.0% or higherTier 1, 2, and 3


Goal 1: In the 2017/2018 school year the seventh and eighth grade level students had the same amount of severe chronic absentees, ranging in 5% across 2 semesters.  Eighth grade students totaled 52 severe chronic absences and seventh grade students totaled 50 severe chronic absences over the 2017-2018 school year.  In 8th and 7th grade, our goal is to reduce the number of students severe chronic absenteeism by 10%.

Goal 2: Overall chronic absence in 2017/18 was 14.92% (10.47% Chronic and 4.45% Severe Chronic).  Our goal for the 2018-2019 is to reduce overall chronic absence by 5% (about 12 students less than the previous year).  

Goal 3: In 2017/2018, 6th grade had the highest level of students with satisfactory attendance with 69.84% of students attending 95% or more school days.  The goal for satisfactory attendance is to increase the percentage of students attending 95% of more in every grade level at least 5% higher by the end of 2018/2019.

Goal 4: Satisfactory attendance whole school ranges from 2016-2017 school year (66.18%) and 2017/2018 school year (63.04%).  The goal for the 2018-2019 school year is to increase the satisfactory attendance for the whole school to 68%.

 

 

 

2: Tier 1 Strategies for Attendance

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 teachers have completed the attendance Brainshark training for middle school.  Administrators will maintain records on this training.
*Attendance is also monitored through pinnacle by teachers and school social worker.  If students show an excessive amount of tardys and/or absences students are referred to guidance and school social worker.  Tardys are monitored through Data Warehouse.  
*At the end of each quarter student reports are pulled from HERO and analyzed by the discipline committee.

B. Engage Students and Families:
*Automated call system will notify parents of absence and students will be refered to guidance and/or school social worker.
*Teachers will contact the student's guardian, when indicated.
*School gets parents to sign the attendance agreement at the 5-day BTIP letter.
*Parent Link phone calls to home regarding absences.
*School Social Worker will engage referred student/family to address attendance concerns, sign attendance agreement and open lines of communication to enforce policy 5.5.

C. Recognize Good and Improved Attendance:
*Positive Behavior Plan addresses Attendance through Cougar Power Points (HERO, online positive intervention sight) in the form of arriving to class early and on time. This initative is all year and teachers are randomly checked twice a week to make sure points are being disseminating to students by the Discipline Committee based on the Cougar Power Point Calendar.  Students are able to log into HERO and monitor their own progress for receiving point in regards to attendance.    Students who reach the targeted goal of points receive student incentive prizes.  
*Participate in Attendance Counts.

D. Provide Personalized Outreach:
* School will host a transition meeting for students moving from 5th grade to 6th grade.  Families will be able to tour the school and see classrooms.  Families will hear from administration on the importance of attendance.
*Guidance Counselors will organize High School events at CLMS in order for 8th grade students to learn about high school, relieve the stress of entering high school and hear about the importance of attending high school regularly for academic success.
*Attendance is included on student report cards.  
*Provide imformation to students regarding chronic student absence during parent events.

E. Remove Barriers
* 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 bike lock enclosure is locked after school begins and is unlocked and monitored by staff after school.
* Parent nights will be hosted throughout the year to inform parents about services, programs, and District policies.





 

 

 

2: Tier 2 Strategies and Interventions to Improve Attendance

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
* The leadership team will review the non-attendance report from Opti-Spool during leadership meetings.  Studetns will be identified, and teachers will be notified which of their students might be at-risk.
• Teachers will monitor attendance using Pinnacle and BASIS and consult with support staff for help in redirecting absenteeism behavior.
• School Counselors, will monitor attendance with the leadership team to help identify students that may have a need for more wrap-around services.
* Determine if health-related absences need more restrictive interventions such as documentation from a health care provider or consideration of other programs such as 504 Plan or hospital homebound services.


B. Engage Students and Families
• 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 any needs for support to 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).
* Parent contact with teacher, guidance and/or school social worker to assess whether the excused absences are medically-related or due to other reasons.


C. Recognize Good and Improved Attendance
• 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.
• Recognize these students routinely for good and improved attendance. Positive reinforcement and trusting relationships with staff improve attendance.

D. Provide Personalized Outreach
• Parent-Teacher Conferences with support staff will be scheduled to discuss absences and challenges to identify the barriers we may be able to assist with.

E. Remove Barriers
• Involve public agencies, community 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.




  

 

 

2: Tier 3 Interventions

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).
• Guidance will monitor the non-attendance report from OptiSpool, data from BASIS to identify students that are missing too many school days.
• Attendance data is one of the main metrics brought to discussion for Collaborative Problem-Solving Team (CPST) and Response-to-Intervention (RtI). Attendance data may help uncover bigger issues the student or family are experiencing.

B. Engage Students and Families
• 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.
* Guidance will contact the parent regarding excessive early dismissals via phone conference, email, teacher/parent conference or letter. If early sign outs continue, a formal referral for early sign outs may be made to administration/school socialworker/guidance counselor with supporting documentation of parent contact and non-medical early sign outs stapled to the referral. 

C. Recognize Good and Improved 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.
• Tangible incentives may be utilized to help students and parents improve attendance.

D. Provide Personalized Outreach
• 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.

E. Remove Barriers
• Implement agreed upon family intervention plan. Monitor for progress.
• Connect students with chronic physical and mental health issues to medical providers.
• For cases of suspected abuse, neglect or endangerment, contact the appropriate agencies to report.