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 chroinc absences was 4th grade with 17 students total. In 4th grade our goal is to reduce the number of students with chronic absentessim by 10 students (about 11.4%) for the 2018/19 schooo year. 

Goal 2: Overall chronic absence in 2017/18 was 17.99% (14.69% chroinc, 3.30% severe chronic). Our goal is reduce the overall chronic absences by 5% (about 28 students).

Goal 3: In 2017/18, 3rd grade had the highest level of students with satisfactory attendance with 55.96% 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

Tier 1 strategies implemented are: 
Monitor Data:

•  Frequent Parent Links will be disseminated, reminding parents and guardians of the school's attendance policy. The attendance policy is also noted in the monthly school newsletter.
•  At the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year, parents are provided with the Broward Truancy Intervention Program  (BTIP) Parent Acknowledgement which outlines the School Board attendance policy. Parents are required to sign and return the form to the school along with other first day requirements, documenting tier awareness of the criteria for absences and tardies.
• The attendance policy and identified school attendance SMART goal is publised in the monthly newsletter, and on the school's website.

• Teachers will also communicate the impact of attendance on student's academic achievement. This information will be communicated at the beginning of the year's Open House, SAC meetings, monthly parent nights, parent/ teacher conferences, and on interim and report cards. At the Annual Title 1 meeting, parents will be taught how to report absences.
•  The BASIS referral system will be utilized to communicate and request Social Worker assistance to determine the reason for the absences; district policy will be reviewed and social service/other referrals will be issued as deemed appropriate to ensure regular daily attendance for all students.

• Rock Island has instituted an Attendance Rocks Initiative. Each Quarter, the Social Worker and Community Liaison will review BASIS attendance records, and reward one class from each grade level with the best attendance with a Ice-Cream Party. The winning class each quarter will be announced via the school's morning announcements on 10/18/18, 12/21/18, 4/17/19/ 5/16/19. Rewards will be disseminated on 10/18/18, 12/21/18, 4/17/19/ 5/16/19. 
•  Extra curricular clubs (Chess, Performing Arts, Gardening, and Art) are available to all students who have 90%-100% attendance rate.
•  The school's IMT reviews attendance daily via Pinnacle and contacts teachers who have not taken attendance by 9:00a.m.
• Students with 100% attendance, will receive Perfect Attendance awards at quarterly attendance ceremonies.
• Rock Island implements a quarterly Spirit Week to encourage attendance. Quarterly Spirit week dates are: October 8 - 12, February 11 - 15, April 22 - 26.

• The leadership team monitors student attendance on a weekly basis  and identifies support to address chronic absenteeism and severe chronic absenteeism. The IMT provides administration with an attendance report each Friday.
• Front office staff has an established protocol for greeting parents and ensuring optimal customer service to create a welcoming environment.
• The attendance line is checked and cleared daily by the school's IMT. 
• Administration required and ensured that all teachers view the Attendance Brainshark for taking attendance and provided training completion certificates. 
•  All students are given the opportunity to participate in the district's attendance incentive and are informed of the attendance incentive each quarter.

•  School staff hosts a PreK transition meeting (Kindergarten Round-up) in March and provides parents with information regarding the attendance policy.
• The school provides free breakfast for all students each school day.
•  The Community Liaison hosts parent nights throughout the year to inform parents about the attendance policy and available services to increase attendance.
• A bike rack enclosed in a lock gate and monitored by staff

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

Tier 2 strategies implemented are: 
Monitor Data:

• The Support team will review attendance data at weekly meetings for trends for all students and identify how many and which students fall into the different tiers of support and evaluate whether persistent chronic absences need an appropriate tier 3 intervention. 
•  Late sign in sheets and early sign outs will be reviewed weekly and parents contacted by the Social Worker to identify areas of support, assistance, or family need. Social Worker and Community Liaison will maintain ongoing parent contact to ensure support is being received.

• Teachers will contact parents and guardians after a third consecutive excused absence. If parents are unable to be reached, a Social Worker referral will be initiated through BASIS.
•  Social Worker and Community Liaison will contact and work with families to set attendance goals and time frames. Students will track their daily attendance using the Student Success Binders and will receive a treat from the treasure box each week that the goal is achieved.

• ​ School Social Worker will work with stundents and familese to set attainable attendance goals to help improve attendance for at risk or chronically absent students.
• Recognize these students rountinely for good and improved attendance. Positive reinforcement and trusting relationships with staff improve attendance. 

• 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.

• Social Worker and Community Liaison will work with families to identify attendance barriers, and work with public agencies and community partners to identity resources to address barriers to attendance.
• The School Social Worker will work with chronically absent students to identify goals and action plans to achieving those goals.
•  The school nurse will follow up on medically related absences and train staff to recognize signs of illness.

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

Tier 3 strategies impletemented are:
Monitor Data:

• The Support team will review attendance data at weekly meetings (Optispool, BASIS, Pinnacle) for trends for all students and identify how many and which students fall into the different tiers of support. 
• Social Worker and Community Liaison will review attendance daily and ensure that Tier 3 students are in school each day. Absent tier 3 students will be contacted daily by the Principal, Social Worker, and Community Liaison.

• Social Worker and Community Liaison will provide each student with a mentor that meets with them weekly.
• The school will continue to abide by SBBC Policy 5.5 (Consequences for Non-attendance in Elementary Schools) and adhere to the BTIP process.
• The Broward Truancy Intervention Plan (BTIP) may initiate truancy letters to hold 5-day or 10-day meetings with parents, principal (or designee), district representative, and State Attorney Office for the 17th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida.

• Tier 3 students will receive a daily wake up call via Parent Link as a reminder to get to school on time.
• Tier 3 students participate in a weekly success group with the School Counselor to create and track goals for attendance and academics. 
•  Social Worker will refer students to appropriate service agencies (social services, human resources, counseling, housing, HEART).

• Connect students with chronic phyischal and mental health issues to medical providers.
• Assure that accomdations are avaialbe to students with chronic medical conditions who are eligible (i.e. 504 plan).
•  Students participate in Check In Check Out program weekly with the leaderdship team.
• Social Worker and Community Liaison will work with families to identify attendance barriers, and work with public agencies and community partners to identity resources to address barriers to attendance.