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 2017/2018, the grade with the most students with chronic absences was 1st grade with 15.15% (total of 20.5 students - 15 chronic absence and 5.5 severe chronic absence). In 1st grade, our goal is to reduce the number of students with chronic absenteeism by 5 students (about 25%) for the 2018/2019 school year. 

Goal 2: Overall chronic absence in 2017/2018 was 11.425% (9.9% chronic,  + 1.44% severe chronic. That is 99.5 students out of a total of 870.5 students). Our goal is to reduce overall chronic absence by 5% (about 5 students). 

Goal 3: In 2017/2018, 3rd grade had the highest level of students with satisfactory attendance with 69.22%  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 2018/2019. 


 

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

• Attendance Clerk reviews teacher attendance records for accuracy daily per administration. Teachers will be reminded by attendance clerk to record attendance through Pinnacle when not completed by 9:00 am 
• At the beginning of each month, administrator responsible for attendance will request from IMT a report for current year attendance categories to monitor improvement and oversee  the direction of attendance initiatives. 

• School staff (administration, teachers, guidance counselor) will reach out to parents by phone or email about the importance of attendance in the early grades. 
• Attendance line is listed on the back of student take home folder which goes back and forth from school to home. 
• Attendance Line is listed on school website. Parents are made aware of the attendance policy through the school handbook as well as through the school website, email blasts, robo calls

• Highlight those students who have perfect attendance each quarter during school announcements to promote attendance. Students will earn an incentive award. 
• Recognition events will occur throughout the year. These will include (but not limited to) quarterly certificates and/or shared during honor roll assemblies.

• During Kindergarten round-up meetings, families will tour the school, meet with teachers and learn about school expectations and the importance of regularly attending school will lead to greater academic success as they progress thorough the years. 
• Attendance will be included on all student report cards. 
• Integrate information about chronic absences into parent programs and communication throughout the school year.

• Our 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 in unlocked and by custodians 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

• Administration, leadership team, and support staff will review the non-attendance report from Opti-Spool during child study meetings. Students 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. 
• School counselor will monitor attendance wit with the leadership team to help identify students that may have a need for more services.   

• School counselors as part of the leadership team will reach out by phone to speak with parents of chronically absent students and identify if any support is needed for the family.
• If needed, parents and students will work with the School Social Worker to develop a personalized "Student Success Plan for Attendance" to make sure the child avoids missing too many days. The School Counselor and Social Worker will share with the family that there is a strong correlation between good attendance and good academic performance. 

• Recognize these students routinely for good and improved attendance through positive reinforcement. For example, allowing these students to have lunch with the principal or perhaps spending time with a former teacher who they have a good relationship with.  Building strong bonds with staff will improve attendance. 

• Parent-Teacher conferences with support staff will be scheduled to discuss absences and challenges to identify the barriers that school personnel may be able to assist with. 

• Public agencies and community partners will be contacted to address the barriers identified through parent conferences, communication 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 clinical support and services if needed. 

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

• Identify students with a history of severe chronic absenteeism (missing more than 20% of a school year). 
• CPST - Collaborative Problem-Solving Team and RtI - Response to Intervention will use the attendance data to lead discussion. The data will help uncover greater 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 as an indicator for assisting families. 
• Utilize best practices schools within the District that have been successful at decreasing chronic absenteeism and increasing satisfactory attendance. 
• The BTIP - Broward Truancy Intervention Plan may initiate truancy letters to hold meetings with parents, administration, District representative and State Attorney's Office for the 17th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida. 

• Be sure to continbue positive and regular contact with the family. Communicate with parents at regular intervals. Plan itself has to be monitored if to be successful 
• Consult with School Social Worker as a resource for helping families with attendance issues. 
• When the student misses school, assigned personnel will follow up on each absence and report findings. 

• Implement agreed upon family intervention plan with fidelity. Monitor progress
• For cases of suspected abuse, neglect or endangerment, contact the appropriate agencies to report.