MMSD Attendance Trends: Hmong-Speaking High School Students August 29, 2005 MMSD Board of Education

Purposes of today’s discussion… Share information about attendance trends of Hmong-speaking students in MMSD Describe action plan for addressing these trends Solicit input into a plan of action Obtain feedback

Legal Parameters for Attendance Policies Compulsory Attendance (WI Stat ): All students between the ages of 6 and 18 are required to attend school regularly during the full period and hours, religious holidays excepted, that the public or private school is in session.

Legal Parameters (con’t) Habitual Truancy (WI Stat ): Applies to all students that are absent from school without an acceptable excuse for part or all of 5 or more days on which school is held during a school semester. Truancy [Madison Mun. Ord (2)(d)]: a pupil who is absent from school without an acceptable excuse for part or all of any day on which school is held.

BOE Policies on Attendance Legitimate Reasons for Absence: 1) A student who is physically or emotionally unable to attend school Examples: illness, bereavement (BOE 4031) 2) Good Cause (BOE 4031) Examples: Medical appointments, religious holidays, weddings, inclement weather, principal approved absences. All other absences can be considered unexcused.

DISTRICTWIDE PRIORITY In order to maximize learning, the building of social relationships and participation in school, MMSD BOE established the goal that all students’ attendance exceed the rate of 94% (<12 absences per year). Both excused and unexcused absences are included in determining this rate.

Progress Towards Goal Consistent attention on student attendance for past 8 years Steady Improvements across all levels Improvements in consistently applied policies and procedures

Average Attendance Rates Progress towards Goal of 94% Elementary 1997: 95.7%2004: 95.6% Middle School 1997: 93.6%2004: 95.2% High School 1997: 90.3%2004: 93.3%

Hmong-Speaking Students There are currently 1122 students that self-identify as Southeast Asian in MMSD (K-12). Of these students, 859, or 76% are Hmong-speaking. 361 Hmong-speaking students are in grades 8-12

Elementary Attendance

MIDDLE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE Middle school students as a group have met the 94% attendance rate goal for the past 5 years. The ethnic subgroups of Southeast Asian, Other Asian, and White, all exceeded the 94% goal in

HIGH SCHOOL ATTENDANCE Overall, the rate of attendance remains just below the 94% goal for high school students. The overall high school attendance rate declined slightly in from 93.6% to 93.3% due mainly to drops among the African American and Southeast Asian subgroups. Southeast Asian students dropped from 90.7% to 88.5%. White and Hispanic attendance rates remained almost unchanged from the prior year while rates for Other Asian students increased.

Percentage of All Students that Meet the 94% Attendance Goal

Hmong Students that Meet the 94% Attendance Goal

Where are our Hmong- Speaking Students? High Schools 9-12 East:111 Students Lafollette:66 Students Memorial:54 Students West:42 Students Alt Programs: 18 Students

Where are our Hmong- Speaking Students? Middle Schools: 8th grade onlyMiddle Schools: 8th grade only Black Hawk: 6Sennett: 14 Cherokee:8Sherman:15 Hamilton:3Toki: 9 Jefferson:2Whitehorse: 4 O’Keeffe:5Wright: 4

What contributes to the change in attendance patterns as Hmong students move through their high school years?

What strategies are effective in supporting students and families?

How can schools and community agencies work together to implement effective interventions?

Our Plan: May 2005 Hold Community meeting #1: April 29, Kajsiab House. Distribute notes Conduct focus groups with Hmong students Conduct attendance transition conferences with 8 th grade Hmong students with a history of poor attendance

Community Meeting #1 Kajsiab House Highlights –Representation from all 4 high schools and most middle schools –Representatives from community organizations –Small group discussions and networking –Relationship building and identification of next steps

Student Focus Groups Hmong speaking students May 25, 2005 Skippers and non-skippers

Why does attendance change? Trying to fit in with peers High school is open and allows more choices Students don’t like the courses they are placed in Classes don’t meet student’s needs Home problems

Is poor attendance a problem? Yes! Staying in school is important It holds you back if you don’t go It gives us a bad reputation Sometimes teachers mark our names wrong—they stereotype us

What might help? Adjust academic classes and provide choices of classes Place Asian students in sections where there are other Asian students Create a more welcoming environment for Asian students Be more understanding of family issues Address racism

What can students do? Arrange for students who have skipped and dropped out to speak to other students about their regrets Provide tutors and academic support Involve parents Try to motivate peers Do something fun!

Attendance Transition Meetings Early identification of students who may need additional support in high school –Spring interviews with 8th grade students experiencing attendance difficulties –Make connections to high school supports, (both student to student, and staff to student) in order to build relationships and problem-solving potential *Habitual Truancy Protocol

Our Plan: Semester 1, Host Community-School meeting #2 (include students) Share plan with secondary administrators and student support Conduct additional internal research Explore strategies used in other communities

Our Plan: Semester 2, Host Community-School meeting #3 (include students) Build cultural understanding and competency Review and develop high school structures to support Asian students