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 second semester of 2017/18, the grade levels with the highest percentages of chronic absences were Kindergarten (11.05% chronic, 2.91% severe chronic) and 3rd grade (12.15% chronic, 2.21% severe chronic). Our goal is to reduce the number of students with chronic absenteeism in these grades by 3% for the 2018/19 school year.

Goal 2: Overall chronic absence in the second semester of  2017/18 was 13.47% (11.68% chronic, 1.79% severe chronic). Our goal is to reduce overall chronic absence by 5%.  

Goal 3: In the second semester of 2017/18, 2nd grade had the highest level of students with satisfactory attendance with 52.17% 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 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

Monitor Data:  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.

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 early grades

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.) 

Provide Personalized Outreach:  Attendance will be included on all student report cards. We will integrate information about chronic absence into parent programs and communications throughout the school year.

Remove Barriers:  This school provides free breakfast for all students, every school day. Additionally, 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

Monitor Data:  Teachers will monitor attendance using Pinnacle and BASIS and consult with support staff for help in redirecting absenteeism behavior.  Additionally, School Counselors will monitor attendance with the leadership team to help identify students that may have a need for more wrap-around services.

Engage Students and Families:  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).

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.  We will recognize these students routinely for good and improved attendance. Positive reinforcement and trusting relationships with staff improve attendance.

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.

Remove Barriers:  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

Monitor Data: We will 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.

Engage Students and Families: We will utilize best practices from schools within the District that have been able to decrease chronic absences and increase satisfactory attendance.  Relatedly, we will share data with appropriate agencies and ensure that agencies are using chronic absence as an indicator for assisting families.

Recognize Good and Improved Attendance: Tangible incentives may be utilized to help students and parents improve attendance based on the development and incentives in the Attendance Success Plans.

Provide Personalized Outreach: 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. 

Remove Barriers:  Implement agreed upon family intervention plan and monitor for progress.  For cases of suspected abuse, neglect or endangerment, contact the appropriate agencies to report.