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.

Based upon the 2017-2018 school year, the grade level with the most chronically absent students was 12th grade with 1177 students for second semester (295 chronic absenteeism and 59 severely chronic). In the 12th grade, it is our goal to reduce this absenteeism by 10% for the 2018-2019 school year. The overall chronic absenteeism for 1st semester was 11.22% and severe 2.58% in 2017-2018. During the 2nd semester chronic absenteeism was 13.87% and severe 2.84%. It is our goal to reduce these values by 5% in for all grades in 2018-2019. In the 2017-2018 school year, we had 3,015 students or 63.13% and 2,489 students or 52.39% in the 1st and 2nd semesters with satisfactory attendance. The goal is to increase the number of students with satisfactory attendance 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

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

• Every two weeks, the Behavioral Specialist team will review the non-attendance report generated by Opti-School. Students will be identified, parents will be notified.
• Weekly, using BASIS, the leadership 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, as part of the leadership 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.
•  If needed, parents and student will work with the School Counselor or Behavioral Specialist to develop a personalized “Student Success Plan for Attendance” to make sure the child doesn’t miss too many days and gets 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 correct the family with services (food pantry, clothing assistance, literacy programs, transportation).

• We will work with students and families to set attendance goals and time frames that are 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 improves attendance.

• Social/Emotional Learning (SEL) in our school will include teaching the value of each member of our community, supporting an expression of care when we interact with others.
• Parent-Teacher Conference with support staff will be scheduled to discuss absences and challenges to identify the barriers we may be able to assist with. 

• For the 6th and future absences per quarter, a referral will be created for a pattern of non-attendance. Documentation will be requested from the parent to address any mitigating circumstances. Dependent on the circumstances, the appropriate school resource will be used to include the school's social worker, behavioral specialist, resource officer, or RTI group. 
• Excessive tardies will result in a parent contact, warning of possible referral to the Behavior Specialist, documentation request, and may require a follow-up procedure.
• Sign Ins/Sign Outs over five whether excuse or unexcused will result in a referral to administration for a possible pattern of non-attendance.

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

• The attendance office will identify students who are absent 20% or more school days during the year.
• Daily attendance will be monitored for those students already on Tier 3.
• The leadership team will monitor the non-attendance report from OptiSpool, data from BASIS to identify students that are missing too many school days.

• Students will be referred to appropriate service agencies (social services, human resources, counseling, housing, the HEART team for homeless education, or health services).
• When appropriate, a truancy petition will share data with appropriate agencies and ensure that agencies are using chronic absence as an indicator for assisting families.
• Students who are under the age of 16 will be referred to the social worker who will initiate a referral to CINS/FINS.

• Positive reinforcements will support students for improved attendance such as rewards, field trips, assemblies, and recognitions.
• 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. 

• A consult with the School Social Worker will be implemented as a resource for helping families with attendance problems.
• When the student misses school, personnell will ensure there is a follow up on each absence.

• The school will identify those barriers such as, health, transportation and or housing.
• The school will connect students with chronic physical and mental health issues to medical providers.