________________________________________ Director, Hedy Chang, REVISED AUGUST 2010

The 3 As School Success Framework Attendance Every Day Achievement Every Year Attainment Over Time Developed by Annie E Casey Foundation & America’s Promise Alliance For more info go to

Chronic Absence: missing 10% or more of school over the course of an academic year for any reason. Research shows 10% is associated with declining academic performance. No standard definition exists. Good Attendance: missing 5% or less over the course of an academic year for any reason. Truancy: refers only to unexcused absences and is defined by each state, according to NCLB. Average Daily Attendance (ADA): the percent of enrolled students who attend school each day.

DEBUNKING MYTHS PART I:

Attending kindergarten regularly doesn’t really matter. Myth 1

Chronic K absence is linked to lower academic performance in 1 st grade for all children, especially reading for Latino children. Source: ECLS-K data analyzed by National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) Note: Average academic performance reflects results of direct cognitive assessments developed & conducted specifically for this national study Reality: Chronic K Absence Affects Academics

Among poor children, chronic absence in kindergarten predicted lower 5 th grade achievement. Source: ECLS-K data analyzed by National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) Note: Average academic performance reflects results of direct cognitive assessments developed & conducted specifically for this national study Reality: Chronic K Absence Affects Academics

Reality: Poor 6th Grade Attendance Predicts Drop Out Source: Baltimore Education Research Consortium

Reality: 9 th Grade Attendance Predicts Graduation Better Than 8 th Grade Test Scores Source: Allensworth & Easton, What Matters for Staying On-Track and Graduating in Chicago Public Schools, Consortium on Chicago School Research at U of C, July 2007

We don’t need to worry about large numbers of students missing school until middle or high school. Myth 2

1 out of 10 K & 1 st grader are chronically absent nationwide. Levels can be even higher in some localities. (Across 9 districts, range = 5% to 26.7% K-3 rd ) Source: Present, Engaged & Accounted For, 2008 Reality: Chronic Early Absence Can Reach High Levels

Chronic Absence Levels in New York City Schools COMPARING CHRONIC ABSENCE MEASURES PK-12 Note:. A 407 alert is issued when student misses 10 consecutive days or 20 days over a 40 day period. The 407 alert misses more sporadic absences while these are captured in chronic absence. 1 out of 5 elementary school children were chronically absent. Source: Nauer K et al, Strengthening Schools by Strengthening Families, Center for New York City Affairs New School, Oct 2008

Education of all children can be adversely affected when teachers divert attention to meet the needs of chronically absent children. Addressing chronic absence can increase resources available to all students when funding is tied to attendance. Chronic early absence could be a sign to intervene before problems are more entrenched. Reality: Chronic Early Absence Matters

Most educators regularly monitor when students are chronically absent. Myth 3

Schools typically only track data on average daily attendance and truancy (unexcused absence). But both can mask chronic absence. Especially in the early grades, children are not likely to be home without the knowledge of an adult who can call in absences. Not common knowledge when absences are problematic. (90% ≠ A ) Reality: Most Do Not Monitor Chronic Absence

Reality: ADA Masks Chronic Absence Chronic absence rates varied markedly at 10 schools with average attendance rates of 95% or higher. Chronic Absence Rate School Source: Baltimore School Attendance Initiative

Data is rarely used to examine problematic attendance patterns (e.g. by classroom, grade, school, neighborhood or sub- population) so school communities can identify how to best intervene. Educators may overlook sporadic vs. consecutive absences. Absences/attendance are not always built into longitudinal student data systems. ( Not required by the America Competes Act or NCLB.) Reality: Most Do Not Monitor Chronic Absence

Because families are ultimately responsible for children getting to school every day, schools can’t do anything to address chronic absence. Myth 4

Characteristics of Effective Strategies Partner with community agencies to help parents carry out their responsibility to get children to school. Make chronic absence a priority, set attendance targets and monitor progress over time. Examine factors contributing to chronic absence, especially from parent perspective. Clearly communicate expectations to parents. Begin early, ideally in Pre-K. Combine universal and targeted strategies. Offer positive supports before punitive action. Source: Present, Engaged & Accounted For Reality: Schools + Communities CAN Make a Difference

A Comprehensive Programmatic Response

1.When chronic absence occurs in the early years, consider the role schools, families and communities can play in contributing to and addressing attendance. 2.As children grow older, pay more attention to issues affecting youth as well (e.g. boredom in school, family responsibilities, peer pressure.) 3.Key factors contributing to chronic absence can vary by community. 4.High levels of chronic absence suggest systemic challenges affecting the school or community. Tailored Approaches are Most Effective

IMPLICATIONS FOR ACTION

1. Create attendance data team to regularly review patterns of good attendance & chronic absence by grade, classroom and sub-population. 2. Offer attendance incentives school-wide. 3. Educate parents, starting ideally in pre-K, that attendance matters & encourage them to help each other get to school. 4. Reach out to chronically absent students & their families & find out barriers to attendance. 5. Partner with community agencies and parents to promote attendance & address barriers. 6. Include strategies to improve attendance in annual school improvement plan. For Practice

For Policy 1.Track absences for individual students, starting in pre-K 2.Adopt standard attendance, chronic absence and truancy measures at local, state and federal levels. 3.Include attendance in longitudinal student data systems. 4.Calculate & report on chronic absence and other attendance measures by district, school, grade & sub-population. Include in data dashboards and electronic communications. 5.Establish school & district attendance teams to review data and develop programmatic and policy responses.

For Policy 6.Address chronic absence in school improvement plans. 7.Offer incentives for schools, educators and community partners (e.g. preK, afterschool, etc.) to improve attendance and reduce chronic absence. 8.Invest in professional development to help educators recognize chronic absence as an early warning sign and adopt strategies for improving attendance. 9.Use chronic absence to guide allocation of relevant community resources (e.g. pre-K, health care & insurance, afterschool, free tax prep & EITC outreach).