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: Overall chronic absence in 2017/18 was 12.6% (9.4% chronic, 3.2% severe chronic). Our goal is to reduce overall chronic absence by 5% (about 1.5 students less than the year before).

Goal 2:  Goal 2: In 2017/18, the grade level with the most students with chronic absence was 8th grade with 17 total students (13 chronic absence and 4 severe chronic absence). In 8th grade, our goal is to reduce the number of students with chronic absenteeism by 2 students for the 2018/19 school 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

Our attendance line phone number is now easily accessible on the school website.  
Attendance clerks (grade level secretaries) will monitor the messages and keep current on recording attendance to there is always space on the voice mailbox.
Students will be rewarded each semester for perfect attendance during honor roll breakfasts and awards ceremonies.

Tier 1 Strategies 
A. Monitor Data
• The administrator responsible for school attendance 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 bi-weekly by the Attendance Clerk and to discuss at RTI meetings. 
Tier 2 interventions.
• At the end of each quarters, the guidance team will request from the IMT to provide a report for
current year attendance categories to monitor improvement and steer the direction of attendance
initiatives.
B. Engage Students and Families
• School staff will be encouraged to reach out to parents by phone or email to remind parents about the
importance of attendance in the grades.
Attendance and the Chronic Absenteeism categories, celebrating the students that are attending 95% or
more.
• Front office 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).
• The Attendance Phone line will be checked and cleared daily by the attendance clerk.
C. Recognize Good and Improved 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-based attendance recognition events will occur at the end of the school year. These will include
yearly certificates and school-based attendance recognition and may be combined with honor roll
assemblies.
D. Provide Personalized Outreach
• 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 about the importance of regular attendance for their child’s
academic success from middle school through their senior year. Developing 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.
• Integrate information about chronic absence into parent programs and communications throughout the
school year.
E. Remove Barriers
• This school provides free breakfast for all students, every school day.
• A bike rack enclosed in a lock 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.
 

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

Refer families to appropriate services (social worker, guidance counselor, HEART, health services).
Identify barriers (transportation, housing income) and work with families to overcome those barriers.
Nurture teacher interest in helping to reach out to chronically absent students.

Tier 2 Strategies 
A. Monitor Data
• Bi-Weekly, using BASIS, the RTI team will identify students that 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, will monitor attendance with the leadership team to help identify students that may
have a need for more wrap-around 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).
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.

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

Through the RTI process determine which students have a historry of missing 20% or more days of school.
Share data with appropriate agencies to coordinate services.
Use appropriate protocol for B-TIP, CINS/FINS agencies as a last resort.

Tier 3 Strategies 
A. Monitor Data
• Identify students with a history of severe chronic absenteeism (missing more than 20% of a school year).
• RTI and Guidance team 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.
C. Recognize Good and Improved Attendance
• For the students at Tier 3, the school social worker develops attendance contracts ” to support continued improved attendance. This attendance contracts will be reviewed with the parents, School Counselor, and School Social Worker.
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.