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 2017/18 the grade level with the most students with chronic absence was Kindergarten with 56 total students (37 chronic absence and 19 severe chronic absence).  In Kindergarten our goal is to reduce the number of students with chronic absenteeism by 5 students, about 10%, for the 2018/19 school year.

Goal 2: Overall chronic absence in 2017/18 was 21.75% (16.75% chronic and 5% severe chronic),  Our goal is reduce overall chronic absence by 5% (about 10 students).

Goal 3: In 2017-18, 2nd grade had the highest level of students with satisfactory attendance with 59% of students attending 95 percent of school days.  The goal for satisfactory attendance is to increase the percentages of students attending 95% or more in every grade level by the end of 2018/19.

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

At PLE, we have a direct extension posted on our website for school attendance.  Our designated attendance manager is Ms. Diane DeSilva.  We will promote attendance using our Twitter accounts and spotlight students and families that are making strides to be at school every day, on time.

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 elementary level (K-5). 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
• At the beginning of each month, the administrative 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

• 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
• 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.
• The Attendance Phone line will be checked and cleared daily by the attendance clerk.
• 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). 

•  School-based attendance recognition events will occur throughout the school year. These will include quarterly certificates and school-based attendance recognition and may be combined with honor roll assemblies. 

• 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. 

• 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.
• During Open House adminsitration informs parents about the importance of timely arrival and attending school daily.

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 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. 

• 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.
• Staff will help identify any family needs and connect the family with services (food pantry, clothing assistance, literacy programs, transportation). 

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

• Our school will utilize “PALs (People are Loving),” Adults and responsible students volunteer to partner with atrisk students to form relationships that encourage better attendance.
• Parent-Teacher Conferences will be scheduled to discuss absences and challenges to identify the barriers we may be able to assist with. 

• 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).
• 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.

• 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 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. 

• Tangible incentives may be utilized to help students and parents improve attendance.

• Ensure continued positive and regular contact with the family. 
• 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.
•  For cases of suspected abuse, neglect or endangerment, contact the appropriate agencies to report. 
• Monitor progress of chronically absent students.