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 absences was Kindergarten with an average of 24 students.  (quarter 1 17 chronic and 5 severe chronic absences.  quarter 2 21chronic absences and 5 severe chronic absences). In Kindergarten our goal is to reduce the number of students with chronic absenteeism by (5%)  for the 18/19 school year.
Goal 2: Overall chronic absences in 17/18 was 14% (85 chronic and 18 severe chonic). Our goal is to reduce overall chonic absences by 5%.
 

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

• Administration, Support Staff, and teachers have completed the Brainshark training for taking classroom attendance at the elementary level (K-5).
• Attendance Clerk will monitor daily attendance and procedures and report to administration weekly.
• Maria Lozano is our designated staff member in the front office who is the Attendance Manager

• Attendance Line is posted on school website
• Attendance policy was addressed at Open House and Meet and Greet for all parents
• Attendance information posted on school newsletters and website
• Front office staff have been trained and discussed customer procedures to ensure a welcoming environment.
• The attendance phone line will be check and cleared by the attendance clerk daily.

• Attendance was addressed and recognized at school wide grade level assemblies for students
• Quarterly "Time to be proud" recognition and certificate during Honor Roll Assembly
• Partners are utilized for award incentives for perfect attendance

• Reminders posted in monthly newsletters and parent link phone calls
• Parents and students also sign the Code of Conduct handbook
• Teachers will contact parents when a students is absent for more than 3 days
• Require parents to personally sign in all students when they arrive to school late
• Post school start time on outside easel in car loop
• Palm Cove hosts a Kindergarten Roundup in the Spring for all new Kindergarten students and Pre-K students
• Attendance information is included on students report cards

• Palm Cove provides free breakfast to all students every day.
• The bike racks are available to students and locked during the school day to ensure safety for students that arrive by bike each day.

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

• School Social Worker and Assistant Principal monitor attendance trends included in the PCE Attendance Plan.
• Each week, the leadership team will review the non attendance report during meetings and identify at risk students
• Teachers will monitor attendance using Pinnacle and BASIS and consult support staff and social worker for help
• The school Guidance Counselor will monitor attendance to help identify students that may need interventions put into place or counseling

• School Counselor will reach out by phone to speak with parents of chronically absent students to identify if any support is needed for the family.                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
• 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.
• Staff will help identify any family needs and connect the family with services (food pantry, clothing assistance, literacy programs, transportation).

• Perfect Attendance and Improved Attendance Awards are given at quarterly assembly.
• 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.

•  Staff will help identify any family needs and connect the family with services (Pac-A-SAC program, HEARTE, programs for families in need of food and clothing)
• RTI process is utilized for students who are chronically absent or tardy
• Assistant Principal and teachers contact families of absent students
• School Nurse contacts students with medical related absences and follows up
• Classroom Teachers follow up and contact families with absences in the classroom

• 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 torecognize 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

• Social Worker and Administration serves as BTIP contact and meets with parents regarding patterns of non attendance and documents interventions on a log on the L27 panel and BASIS and serves as liaison to the State Attorney Office
• Office staff maintain logs to monitor absent and tardy students and Social Worker and Administration identify students with a history of severe chronic absenteeism
• Leadership team will monitor the non attendance report from Optispool, data from BASIS to identify students who are missing too many days
• Attendance data is one of the main metrics brought to discussion for Collaborative Problem-Solving Team
  (CPST) and Response-to-Intervention (RtI).

• 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

• 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.

• School Social Worker makes home visits to verify student addresses
• 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.

• 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.