1. Attendance & Truancy Among Virginia Students
Module 8: Recognizing Good and Improved Attendance
Welcome to Module 8 of a twelve-session series entitled Attendance and Truancy Among Virginia Students, a collaboration between the Virginia Department of Education and Attendance Works, a national and state initiative that promotes better policy and practice around school attendance. This session is entitled Recognizing Good and Improved Attendance, and offers tools and tips for recognizing good and improved attendance. Please note that there is a Facilitator/Participant companion guide for each session which is located on the Virginia Department of Education Web site. The facilitator/participant companion guide allows viewers, whether working individually or in a group, to follow each session and answer reflection questions and create a working document to address the critical issues related to attendance and truancy in schools, divisions, and communities.
As the facilitator you should make sure to set the stage for the group. Thank them for being there and give them an overview for the purpose of gathering this group. Introduce yourself and your team and share with them the goal and expectations for your time together, such as the school division has determined to update its strategies for combatting absenteeism.
Introductions: For smaller groups invite each person to introduce themselves. For larger groups rather than have individual introductions you can organize groups of people by asking people to stand up based on categories such as school superintendents, the heads of student services, principal, teacher, social worker, etc. based on the appropriate categories for your school division.
Presentation Description
Module eight offers tools and tips for recognizing good and improved attendance.
Facilitation
Have the participants review the module and reflections. Each reflection is designed to help participants further their understanding and learning of key concepts, frameworks, and strategies for reducing chronic absence.

2. The Purpose
This PowerPoint serves as No. 8 in a series of modules designed to equip Virginia school divisions to reduce truancy and absenteeism.
This module identifies the strategies for recognizing good and improved attendance including the use of incentives.
Slide narration: You’ve now reached module 8, which explores the strategies for recognizing good and improved attendance. This includes the use of incentives.

3. Today’s Agenda Learning goals review
What school leaders can do to recognize and reward good attendance
How schools can use incentives to build a culture of attendance
Resources
Slide narration: Recognizing good and improved attendance and using incentives can help build a culture of attendance and engage students, families and community partners.
Facilitator: Review the agenda with the team

4. Learning Goals
Educators will learn how to recognize and reward good and improved attendance, not just perfect attendance.
Educators will learn the importance of having a school-wide approach to attendance incentives.
Educators will learn tips for establishing low-cost and no-cost incentives.
Slide narration: There are several key principles for recognizing student attendance and proven practices for using low-cost or no-cost rewards to keep students coming to school every day. Learning goals for today’s session include how to recognize and reward good and improved attendance, the importance of having a school-wide approach to attendance incentives, and tips for establishing low-cost and no-cost incentives.
Facilitator: Review learning goals with team

5. Warm Up and Introductions
Small Group Discussion
Think about what your school does to recognize good and improved attendance. How has it worked?
Reflection/Slide narration: Think about your school’s culture: Are you emphasizing the importance of attendance in positive ways? Are you noticing when students are absent? Take a moment and then write down any approaches or strategies that your school currently uses.

6. A School-based Strategy for Improving Attendance
Slide narration: Recognizing good and improved attendance is a school-based, Tier 1 strategy that can reduce absenteeism for all students. It can be an essential component to building a culture of attendance in you school, but it cannot stand alone.

7. Principles for Recognizing Attendance
Schools & community partners can reinforce a culture of attendance by:
Recognizing good and improved attendance, not just perfect attendance.
Measuring attendance at regular intervals, not just at year’s end.
Rewarding timeliness, not just showing up.
Slide narration: Students need to know that the school values attendance. And one of the best ways to show them is by recognizing those who show up regularly and offering simple rewards. It’s important to remember to recognize improved attendance, as well as perfect attendance. Not every student can achieve perfect attendance, but everyone can improve their attendance. In that regard, it’s helpful to measure attendance in shorter intervals – a week, a month, a quarter – rather than an entire year. That way the student who missed two days to the flu in September can still compete for the best attendance the following month. If you’ve got a problem with tardiness, make a point of recognizing on-time attendance.
Reflection (for this & the slide before)  
Does your school do anything to recognize attendance on a weekly or monthly basis? Are you rewarding timeliness?

8. Best Practices for Using Incentives
Incentives should be part of a comprehensive approach to foster a culture of attendance.
Incentives should accompany a deeper commitment to student and family engagement.
Friendly competition among classes or schools can motivate students to attend regularly.
Low-cost or no-cost rewards can be just as effective as fancy prizes.
Information for parents and rewards acknowledging them for their child’s improvement can engage families.
Slide narration: One of the best ways to promote good attendance is by recognizing students for their efforts to show up more regularly. You can use incentives as part of a broader effort to create a culture of attendance and to engage families. Incentives need to be backed up by other approaches, particularly using data and reaching out to students headed off track. Many schools have found that competition among students, classrooms, or schools are effective in improving attendance rates. This is a universal, Tier 1 strategy, aimed at influencing attendance for all students. The rewards don’t have to be anything fancy. They can be as simple as recognition on a school bulletin board, or as elaborate as a high school raffle for a car. And don’t forget the parents. The more they know about the incentives, the bigger role they will play in getting their children to school on time every day. Think about offering incentives to parents, as well. Especially in the early grades, parents are doing the heavy lifting in getting students to school everyday. A gift certificate or a letter can go a long way toward recognizing their hard work.
Reflection for this slide:
What sort of incentives is your school or division using to recognition good and improved attendance?

9. Use Attendance Displays
Displays showing attendance rates by classroom or grade can inspire students to show up everyday and let them know the school values attendance.
Side narration: Some schools post attendance rates by class or rate; Some post pictures of students with perfect attendance for the month. Some post class selfies. These public displays reinforce the notion that attendance is valued at school. In addition to these displays, Attendance Works offers a series of banners and posters that can be downloaded for free.
Reflection:
In what ways does your school already publicly recognize students or families who have the most improved attendance? What else might your school do to notice students and families that have the most improved attendance?
Resources: Promotional material from Attendance Works.

10. Engage Students in Tracking Their Own Attendance
As early as preschool, students can keep track of their own absences using stickers and gold stars. Some teachers find attendance tracking has the added advantage of teaching math skills.
Slide narrative: As early as preschool, students can keep track of their own absences using stickers and gold stars. Some teachers find tracking attendance has the added advantage of teaching math skills. The Perfectly Punctual program offers worksheets that younger students can fill out with stickers. Older students can use the “Get Schooled” online calculator or simple calendar sheets to track their own attendance.
Reflection for this and the displays slide before it
Which of these approaches has your school or division tried?
Which do you think would work best given your student population and community?
Resources
Perfectly Punctual materials:
Get Schooled attendance calculator:

11. Create Contests Among Students
Create friendly competition among classrooms or grades. Classes can compete for most improved or highest attendance in a certain time frame (i.e. a month or a quarter)
Challenge classes to take a “classroom selfie,” and reward the class that has the most students present.
Get Schooled sponsors nationwide attendance competitions for middle & high school students.
Slide narration: There’s nothing like a little competition to motivate students to attend school. If it’s a classroom competition, this may not only motivate students to attend regularly, but could also work to urge friends to show up for class. Local celebrities and sports stars can visit the winning classes.
Resources:
Attendance Challenge Toolkit:
Leveraging Sports Stars handout:
Get Schooled website:

12. Find the Right Reward Ask students what would motivate them.
Come up with small, low-cost rewards.
Offer special privileges.
Use assemblies or newsletters to recognize students .
Plan a special meal or pizza party for the winning classroom or students.
What you can do for free
For younger students
Extra recess
Lunch with teacher
For older students
10 points on final exam
Attendance certificate to show employers
Slide narration: If you’re not sure what rewards would work best for your students, ask them. You may be surprised at how simply you can meet their needs with low- or no-cost incentives or with an assembly or school bulletin board. Special privileges, such as an extra recess or lunch with a teacher, can also work. If students respond better to prizes, this is an area where you can tap the business community and other partners. Movie tickets, free pizza, or gift certificates for parents might be just what you need to help improve attendance.
Reflection for this and the slide before it:
Does your school or district use contests to promote good attendance? Would that approach work with your student population.
Have you engaged community partners in providing recognition and rewards?
Resource: Attendance Works Handout:

13. Summary Reflections
Is recognizing good and improved attendance a regular practice in our school?
What sort of recognition to student receive? Does it extend to families?
What does our school offer as incentives for good and improved attendance?
Which community partners can help?
Talking Point: Take a moment and reflect on the following questions: Is your school recognizing good and improved attendance, or just perfect attendance? Are you offering the right incentives? Are there community partners who can help you with this work?

14. Summary Reflections
5. Are we doing enough to convey that attendance matters in our school?
6. How can recognize and reward good and improve attendance?
7. How can we engage families and community partners?
Slide narration: In summary, this module shows how schools can improve attendance using competition and incentives to motivate students to show up every day. Has your school taken advantage of this strategy? Are you recognizing perfect attendance or student improvement? Are you engaging families and community partners?
Put as separate reflections:
Reflection 5
Are we doing enough to convey that attendance matters in our school?
Reflection 6
How can recognize and reward good and improve attendance?
Reflection 7
How can we engage families and community partners?

15. Action Step
Develop a plan for how you will recognize and reward good attendance.
Consider using:
Attendance displays
Student tracking
Competitions
Rewards
Talking Point/Reflection: Spend some time thinking about the strategies discussed in this module and about what your school does now to recognize attendance. Develop a plan that your attendance team can implement, possibly with the help of community partners.

16. Learn More
Before moving on with the additional modules, learn more about this issue. Specifically please consider reading:
Establishing School-wide Attendance Incentives: content/uploads/2010/05/incentives.pdf
Attendance Challenge Toolkit:
Leveraging Sports Stars handout:
Get Schooled website:
Before moving on with the additional modules, learn more about this issue. Specifically please consider accessing and reading the documents listed on this slide.

17. Virginia Absenteeism & Truancy Professional Development Series
1. Understanding Chronic Absenteeism
2. Frameworks for Reducing Chronic Absence
3. Establishing School Attendance Teams
4. Using Data to Drive Action
5. Messaging Attendance
6. Integrating Attendance In Parent Engagement
7. Utilizing Parent-Teacher Conferences to Talk with Families about Attendance
8. Recognizing Good and Improved Attendance
9. Providing Personalized Early Outreach
10. Identifying barriers
11. Creating opportunities for peer learning
12. Engaging Community Partners
13. State Attendance Laws and Regulations
Talking points: We have finished module 8 on recognizing good and improved attendance. The next session is Providing Personalized Early Outreach. Thank you.
Facilitator: This slide is meant as a follow up to slide two so that participants can see the full list of modules available.