1. Strategies for Reducing Habitual Truants
Connection to PIMS data
What is the source of Truancy Data?
What are data implications of habitual truancy?
What strategies can we employ to not only improve the quality of the data, but also use the data in a meaningful way?
You may be thinking, “What does this have to do with PIMS?”
What is the connection to PIMS data?
It’s all about the data!
It’s your data to use for policy and decision making.
But it’s got to be correct to be useful.
On the surface – ‘Habitual Truancy’ is reported in the Location Fact template in the Safe Schools collection
All PIMS reporting is at year-end, but regular data verification/comparison is critical for accurate decision making throughout the year.
What is the source of the Truancy Data?
Daily Attendance Entry
Child Accounting (unlawful absences)
Data received from out-of-district placements
What are other data implications for habitual truancy?
Child Accounting: subsidy implications for students dropped from rolls
Grad, Dropout, Cohort: higher dropout rate; lower graduation rate; part of SPP
Safe Schools: Ensure correct reporting of Suspensions and Truancy
What strategies can we employ to not only improve the quality of the data, but also use the data in a meaningful way?
Is Incident data for Suspensions and Truancy connected systematically to Attendance data?
What procedures are in place to validate data?
Verify absences are recorded correctly on a daily basis.
Some students may be at a different location, but the teachers may be marking them as absent.
Receiving excuses on a timely basis.
Examine your internal procedures for sharing and coordination of information.
Share information among Safe Schools Coordinator, Child Accounting Coordinator and building principals in your LEA
Gather information about suspensions and expulsions for out-of-district placements.
Look at how attendance is recorded for Suspensions
IU example:
Different people entering data (Teachers enter Attendance, staff in buildings submit Incidents)
Different systems or disconnected tables within the same system
Child Accounting Coordinator and Safe Schools Coordinator meet regularly to compare Daily Attendance Data and Safe Schools reports of Suspensions
Safe Schools Coordinator compares police reports with incident reports and researches discrepancies
Safe Schools Coordinator meets with supervisors at year-end to review Safe Schools data prior to LLE review and PIMS submissions
Local Discussion: 10 minutes
How are you validating Truancy Data used in various collections?
Where is the data collected - same or different systems.
Who is entering the data? Are they aware of the connections to PIMS reporting?
Brainstorm ideas of how you can improve accuracy of data and how data can be used to reduce the overall truancy rate