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How to Implement Strong Tier 2 Strategies and Supports
Meeting in the Middle: Good Morning, I’m Kathy Gall the Attendance Promotion and Truancy Prevention Manager for the Albuquerque Public Schools. In this session we are going to dive into the critical importance of implementing Tier Two strategies in your school. We will also give you some ideas of effective Tier 2 strategies. You will have a bit of time to brainstorm ideas that will best fit your school, so when you go back to plan with your team, you will be ahead of the game. How to Implement Strong Tier 2 Strategies and Supports
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High Cost Catch the students now! Low Cost PROVIDE AS HANDOUT
I know that there are people here that are probably new to working this deeply in attendance, and I want to make sure that we are all grounded in the three-tiered model, so our discussion about Tier Two will make sense. The model is really more like a funnel (demonstrate). Keep in mind that I want you to think about two important elements to the model: school level systems and strategies, and student level strategies. When schools are implementing a targeted and comprehensive tiered approach, we should see both of these elements in place. For example, a school implements a system strategy to make sure that the school has consistent and accurate data (MAKE SURE TEACHERS ARE TAKING ATTENDANCE EVERY DAY EVERY PERIOD). They would also be implementing student level outreach and intervention strategies for groups and individual students. In this session we are going to talk about both of these elements, and this afternoon, you will be able to learn more about student level outreach and intervention in the breakout called Planning Attendance Strategies Across the Tiers (Who does What, When). So, a tiered approach to school attendance focuses on attendance, attachment and achievement. It allows busy schools to target both school level and student level strategies toward student needs. Low Cost
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Foundations to the Approach
Strategies in all three tiers are critical Prevention is key! Build, foster, and maintain caring and supportive relationships Integrate attendance into all staff and school functions, structures and partnerships Although we are focusing on Tier Two in this session, it is really important that schools have strategies in each tier. When implemented effectively, it will allow you to build a culture of attendance for all students, families and staff, and then proactively identify and provide outreach and support to students as early as possible. This allows you to have a preventative stance and get students back in classrooms. This approach is also about building relationships and a partnership with students and families. In the long run, we have seen stronger impact on attendance with this, than with the older punitive approaches. Attendance has to be part of everything in your school and should not be seen as an add on. It IS the work of schools because if students are not there, they can’t learn. This may be a challenge in some schools, where teachers and other staff have come to see attendance work as the responsibility of the clerk, family liaison or counselor. So it is important that attendance messages and efforts are transparently integrated into all aspects of the school. Hopefully, someone from your team is in the other room participating in the Working SMART: How Leaders can Align Attendance with School Goals, Structures, and Functions session, because that is what they are focusing on.
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Pair - Share Activity Reflect on your school’s attendance strategies, messaging, and initiatives. Which tier(s) do you think is/are your school’s strengths? Which tier(s) do you think is/are your school’s areas for growth? With an elbow partner, discuss your school’s strengths, growth areas, and possible reasons you’ve identified the tiers as you did. Introduce the activity – track time – popcorn 3-5 (if there’s time)
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Tier 2 Overview and Purpose
Intentionally and proactively decrease barriers for students at risk of or starting to show signs of absenteeism and to increase positive connections that motivate improved attendance. Now that we have the overall picture of the tiered approach to school attendance, and maybe in your discussion you recognized that your school needs a bit more emphasis in Tier Two strategies, let’s give that our attention. Tier Two is focused on students and families who need more encouragement and support. The purpose or goal of Tier Two is to: Intentionally and proactively decrease barriers for students at risk of or starting to show signs of absenteeism and to increase positive connections that motivate improved attendance.
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Critical Components Prevention Efforts Target Population Strategies
Students and families identified by assessing and addressing contributing factors and common barriers. Disengaged students and families. Target Population Strategies Students with previous absence issues. Target populations at high risk for absence issues. Early Outreach and Intervention Students starting to meet absence threshold – 3 to 5 days. Tier Two is really about three things: School Level Prevention - removing barriers to attendance that students could have Targeted interventions that remove identified barriers – like unsafe routes to school - consider starting a walking school bus Supports for Target Populations who are shown to have previous attendance issues or be at risk for attendance issues Intervention strategies are focused on the at risk target populations. Student Level Early Outreach and Intervention - Establishing a system to identify and provide early outreach to students who are starting to have significant absences. Catch the students who are at risk of becoming chronically absent before they do!
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Assessing and addressing contributing factors and common barriers
MYTHS BARRIERS AVERSION DISENGAGEMENT Absences are only a problems if they are unexcused Sporadic versus consecutive absences aren’t a problem Attendance only matters in the older grades Lack of access to health / mental health or dental care Poor transportation Trauma No child care No safe path to school Homelessness Conflicting work / school schedules Child struggling academically or socially Bullying Ineffective or inconsistent school discipline Family had negative school experience Undiagnosed or unsupported disability Lack of engaging in relevant instruction No meaningful relationships with adults in school Vulnerable to being with peers out of school vs. in school Poor school climate National research, which is consistent with what we are seeing in APS shows that the factors contributing to students not attending are themed into four common areas. There are a variety of ways to gather information specific to your school to further focus your strategies and interventions based on your school’s needs. Word of mouth, survey, focus group, information from outreach to students/families, etc.
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Strategies to Consider to Reduce Barriers
Myths Give families and community information on the importance of attendance and add a specific call to action Barriers Offer contacts for health support APS Medicaid Enrollment, Nurse for asthma or diabetes management support Connect to Walk to School Companion (Walking School Bus) Aversion Build relationships with families, address bullying Disengagement Recruit into engaging before or after school and extracurricular activities We know that we have families with barriers to school attendance who may not understand how to access support, families who see school as “the deliverer of bad news.” Here are some strategies to overcome barriers. Explain Attendance – recently I heard two parents talking in an elementary school office saying – I’m taking my daughter out – nothing happens the last hour of the day anyway. What can they learn? Offer supports to overcome barriers Build relationships with families and address bullying – kids might tell their parents they have a stomach ache, but really there is a bullying issue on the playground – by having a relationship with the family, you can come to the root cause and can offer supports to overcome this barrier Entice kids to participate in before or after school and extracurricular activities – this helps kids make connections and engage
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Target populations at high risk for absence issues
Start with subpopulation data! Special Education, English Language Learners, Gender, Grade Levels, Transfer Students, Identify barriers and issues unique to the population Target strategies Attendance conversations in IEP meetings Family assembly for transfer students (build carpools, share their data, etc.) Identifying target populations at high risk for absence issues starts with data. Once you’ve identified these populations, you can work with them to identify the barriers and issues that are unique to the population. If you have identified special education students at risk for absence issues, make sure to discuss attendance at your IEP meetings. Would a parent gathering help make connections for carpooling if you have a group of transfer students who aren’t making it to school due to lack of transportation?
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Target Populations - Students with previous absence issues
Review/Update last year’s or develop an Attendance Success Plan Make a personal phone call and/or home visit to parent/guardian during registration Partner with families/students to develop a Student Attendance Success Plan Assign caring mentors (staff and or community volunteers) Check in at classroom, greet at curb, text, etc. Refer family to appropriate school based resources and/or community support agencies Supporting students with previous absence issues. One of our social workers met up with a HS student and his family during registration. She knew from last year’s data that the student had attendance issues. She worked with the student and family to create a SASP to start off on the right foot. Way to be proactive! Caring mentors. When students see that they have someone at the school who cares they will feel a connection and tend to come to school because they know they have someone there. Refer to school based or community support agencies
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Students starting to meet absence threshold – 3 to 5 days
Establish a system for identifying students, providing outreach/support and monitoring absences. Identify which staff will make contact, at which absence threshold, and ensure it is documented in Synergy so that others can see. Make calls to and/or meet with families to inquire about student’s absence and provide information regarding the importance of attendance. (Best if first contact is conducted by the classroom teacher). Build strong and positive relationships with families while being clear about the consequences to their child, their classrooms, and the school. Help the family identify the root cause for their child’s absences. Partner with families/students to develop a basic Student Attendance Success Plan (as applicable). Refer family to school based resources and/or community support agencies (as applicable). Students at the 3-5 day threshold Establish a system for identifying students, providing outreach and support and monitoring absences. Schools need to decide: Who will make the call or other contact with families – best if it is the classroom teacher first. When will the calls be made? Document all contacts in Synergy Explain consequences of absences Consider developing a basic SASP This is School-wide and Personalized Outreach and Intervention to catch our students before they become chronically absent. Your team will dig deeper into this during the afternoon session called – Planning Attendance Strategies Across the Tiers (Who Does What, When) for APS. Remember that each team needs to send one person to that session.
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Activity - Work individually, or as a team to fill in the following for your school:
Prevention / Reducing Barriers Strategies for Target Populations Early Outreach and Intervention What are we already doing? What should we consider doing? Explain activity allow 15 minutes – Identifying the Tier 2 Components that you are doing and should consider doing – popcorn responses if time allows
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Tier 2 Breakout Session Debrief
What is one thing you will take back to your school? Share out – any ah ha moments or ideas?
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The Key to Tier 2 Catch students who are at risk of becoming chronically absent before they do! Prevent and remove barriers to attendance Look at target population data and target strategies Build a system for early outreach and intervention See slide text
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We are here to support you
We are here to support you! Your District Attendance Support Person is part of your attendance team. Please invite him/her to all attendance team meetings for your school. Kathy Gall Manager: Attendance Promotion and Truancy Prevention Every school in the district has a person to support their efforts. Please make sure to use us to support your school’s efforts to improve attendance.
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