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10/23/2012
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What is Chronic Absence? Why Does it Matter?
Chronic Absence Is A Critical Tool for Community Schools
It can serve as:
A unifying, common goal
Effective tool for resource allocation
Easy to understand measure of progress and success
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10/23/2012
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Unpacking Attendance Terms
Average Daily Attendance
• Definition: The % of enrolled students who attend school each day
• Answers: What resources are needed given the number of students who typically show up to school?
Truancy
• Definition: Typically refers only to unexcused absences and is defined by each state and sometimes by school district.
• Answers: How many/which students are skipping school and breaking compulsory attendance laws?
Chronic Absence
• Proposed National Definition: Missing 10% or more of school for any reason – excuse, unexcused, etc.
• Answers: How many and which students are missing so much school they are academically at risk? Do we need to improve attendance in order to raise achievement?
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Nationally, Students Who Miss More Than 10% Of School (18 out of 180 days) Are At Grave Risk
When 90% Doesn’t Earn an “A”
Chronic Absence(=>10% absence)
Warning Signs(<10% but >5% absence)
Satisfactory Attendance(=<5% absence)
0-90%
91-94%
95 %+
Emergency: =>20% absence
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3
5
64%
43% 41%
17%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
No attendance risks Small attendance risks Moderate attendance risks High attendance risks
Percent Students Scoring Proficient or Advanced on 3rd Grade ELA Based on Attendance in Kindergarten and 1st Grade
Students Chronically Absent in Kindergarten & 1st Grade Much Less Likely to Read Proficiently in 3rd Grade
No risk Missed less than 5% of school in K & 1st tSmall risk Missed 5-9% of days in both K & 1st
Moderate risk 5-9% of days absent in 1 year &10 % in 1 year High risk Missed 10% or more in K & 1st
Source: Applied Survey Research & Attendance Works (April 2011)
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The Long-term impact of Chronic Kindergarten Absence Is Most Troubling for Poor Children
Source: ECLS-K data analyzed by National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) Note: Average academic performance reflects results of direct cognitive assessments conducted for ECLS-K.
5th Grade Math and Reading Performance By K Attendance
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Absenteeism Is A Problem Even For Higher Achieving Students
Difference in ELA CST Percentile Points by Number of Days Absent
‐10
‐8
‐6
‐4
‐2
0
0 3 6 9 12 15 18
Difference in
ELA
CST
Percen
tile Points
Below Basic and Far Below Basic Last Year
Basic Last Year
Proficient and Advanced Last Year
Number of days absent
Number of days absent had a significant negative effect on CST percentiles in English Language Arts for elementary students in
Redwood City CA
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Chronically Absent 6th Graders Have Lower Graduation Rates
Average % days missed, 6 to 8 0 to <2.5% absent 2.5 to <5% absent5 to <10% absent 10% or more absent
Gra
duat
ion
Rate
0.0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1.0
SESFree lunch Reduced lunch Paid lunch
Spradlin, et al. (2012). Examining the prevalence, scale, and impact of chronic absence in Indiana student‐level data analysis. CEEP, University of Indiana.
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9th Grade Attendance Predicts Graduation for Students of All Economic Backgrounds
Note: This Chicago study found attendance was a stronger graduation predictor than 8th 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
Need to recolor chart
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Moving into Action Requires KnowingIf Chronic Absence is a Problem
Most Schools Only Track Average Daily Attendance and Truancy. Both Can Mask Chronic Absence.
98% ADA = little chronic absence, 95%ADA = don’t know; 93% ADA = significant chronic absence
7%
12% 13% 13%15% 16%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
A B C D E F
Chronic Absence For 7 Elementary Schools in Oakland, CA with @ 95% ADA in 2012
% Chronic Absence
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Sporadic — Not Just Consecutive –Absences Matter
A 407 alert is issued when student misses 10 consecutive days or 20 days over a 40 day period. It misses more sporadic 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
New York City Schools
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Chronic Absence Versus Truancy (San Francisco Unified School District)
(Note: SFUSD identified chron/hab truants as = 10 unexcused absences)
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Chronic absence data (as well as other attendance measures) should be examined by classroom, grade, school, neighborhood or sub-population.
If chronic absence is unusually high for a particular group of students, explore what might be common issues (unreliable transportation, community violence, asthma and other chronic diseases, poor access to health care, unnecessary suspension for non-violent offenses, lack of engaging curriculum, child care or afterschool programming, foreclosures, etc.)
If chronic absence is unusually low for a high risk population, find out what they are doing that works.
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Data is Needed for Identifying Programmatic Solutions
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Schools + Communities CAN Make a Difference
Characteristics of Successful Attendance Initiatives
Partner with community agencies to help families carry out their responsibility to get children to school.
Make attendance a priority, set targets and monitor progress over time.
Engage parents and students in identifying and addressing school, family, and community issues that contribute to chronic absence.
Clearly communicate expectations for attendance to students and families.
Begin early, ideally in Pre‐K.
Combine targeted interventions with universal strategies that nurture an engaged learning environment, build a culture of attendance and ensure physical health and safety at school.
Offer positive supports before punitive action.
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Increased Attendance Involves a 3‐Tiered Approach that Fits with Most Reform Efforts
A small fraction of a school’s
students
Students who were chronicallyabsent in prior year or starting to miss 20% or moreof school
Someof a school’s
studentsStudents at risk for chronic absence
All of a school’s
students
All students in the school
RecoveryPrograms
InterventionPrograms
Universal/PreventivePrograms
High Cost
Low Cost
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Solutions Only Work If Grounded in Understanding Of What Leads to Chronic
Absence
Discretion
Parents don’t know
attendance matters
School lacks a strong culture of attendance
Aversion
Child is struggling
academically
Child is being bullied
Barriers
Lack of access to health care
No safe path to school
Poor transportation
Special thanks to Dr. Robert Balfanz, Everyone Graduates Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD for providing this framework.
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Recognize Good & Improved Attendance
Parent and Student
Engagement
Personalized Early Outreach
School Team Monitoring
Attendance Data & Practice
Proposed Universal Strategies For Influencing Discretion and Identifying
Causes of Absence
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• Case management and wrap-around services
• Referral as last resort for court-based intervention
• Early outreach, support, mentoring for students with poor attendance
• Identify and remove barriers
• Attendance contracts
• Safe and supportive school environment
• Engaging classroom environments
• Parent education about why attendance matters and how to help each other get students to school
• On-going attention to attendance data
• Recognition for good and improved attendance
• Collaboration with afterschool and early childhood
• School-based health support
Recovery
Programs
Strategies for 3 Tiered Approach
Intervention
Programs
Intervention
Programs
Universal/Preventive
Programs
Intervention Programs
Universal/Preventive Programs
Recovery Programs
Universal strategies are part of tiered interventions
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Positive Messaging
Capacity Building
Actionable Data
Shared Accountability
Ingredients For Success &Sustainability in a District
Is accurate, regularly
reported and easily
obtained
Ensures monitoring & incentives to reduce chronic absence
Expands ability to interpret data and adopt best practices
Conveys importance of building a habit of
attendance & what is chronic absence Strengthens
Family/School Relationship
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Own the Issue
Mobilize the
Community
Drive With Data
The Superintendents Call to Action
Taking a Bottom Up Approach to Policy Change
To sign‐up for the Call to Action, or to learn more, please visit: www.attendanceworks.org/superintendents‐call‐
to‐action
10/23/2012
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Absenteeism in the Chicago Public Schools: Exploring the Earlier Years
Stacy Ehrlich and Elizabeth SoriceUniversity of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research
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What CPS wanted to know
1. What is the extent of absenteeism among CPS students in the early grades (preschool – grade 3)?
2. Who exhibits chronic absenteeism?
3. Why are students absent from preschool?
4. How is attendance in preschool related to learning outcomes in preschool?
5. How is attendance in preschool related to outcomes in later grades?
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Preschool programs and children in CPS, 2011‐12Program Total Slots % Total Preschool
SlotsClassrooms Schools
Preschool for All (State‐funded) 14,900 47.9% 393 240
Community Partnerships (CPP)* 7,178 23.1% 481 229
Head Start 7,300 23.5% 246 129
Child‐Parent Centers (CPC) 1,200 3.9% 30 10
Tuition‐based Preschool 540 1.7% 27 17
* Not included in our analyses
Data retrieved from Office of Early Childhood Education, CPS (updated June, 2012): http://www.ecechicago.org/about/glance.html
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
Hispanic AfricanAmerican
White Asian Other
• 88% qualify for free and reduced lunch
• 29.4% qualify for English Language Learners (ELL) services
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Preschool students miss much more school than students in K‐3rd grade
Data included in these analyses were obtained from the Chicago Public Schools. Data cleaning and analyses were conducted by the Consortium on Chicago School Research. Please direct any data questions to CCSR.
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
14%
16%
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Age
Average Absence Rates by Age in 2008‐09, 2009‐10 and 2010‐11
2008‐2009
2009‐2010
2010‐2011
Longitudinal analyses, following the same children over time, look similar. The largest increase in attendance is from age 4 to 5.
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More preschool students are chronically absent than students in kindergarten and beyond
48%
41%
23%
17%14%
12%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Age 3 Age 4 Age 5 Age 6 Age 7 Age 8
Percent of students
Proportion of Students in the Chicago Public Schools who were Chronically Absent, 2010‐2011
20+ %
10% < 20%
Data included in these analyses were obtained from the Chicago Public Schools. Data cleaning and analyses were conducted by the Consortium on Chicago School Research. Please direct any data questions to CCSR.
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Roughly 1/3 of chronically absent 4‐year‐olds continue to be chronically absent in kindergarten
Age 4
Chronically absent
Left CPS
Non-chronically
absent
Age 5
(6.9%)
(85.7%)
(7.5%)
(33.5%)
(52.6%)
(13.9%)
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A quarter of chronically absent preschool students are still chronically absent two years later
Age 6
(4.8%)
(82.3%)
(13.0%)
(24.2%)
(56.6%)
(19.4%)
Age 4
Chronically absent
Left CPS
Non-chronically
absent
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Extent of Early Absenteeism: Key Trends
Preschool students miss more school than do students in kindergarten and the primary grades
- Absence rates decrease substantially from age 4 to age 5
While not all chronically absent preschool students continue to be chronically absent in kindergarten, 33% of them do
- This continues into early elementary school: Roughly a quarter of chronically absent preschool students are still chronically absent in 1st grade
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African Americans more likely to be chronically absent than race/ethnic other groups
Data included in these analyses were obtained from the Chicago Public Schools. Data cleaning and analyses were conducted by the Consortium on Chicago School Research. Please direct any data questions to CCSR.
31%
60%
33% 33%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
White AfricanAmerican
Latino Asian
Percent of Chronically Absent Preschool Students by Race/Ethnicity
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Preschool students from high poverty neighborhoods more likely to be chronically absent than students from moderate/low poverty neighborhoods
Is race or poverty driving these differences?
Data included in these analyses were obtained from the Chicago Public Schools. Data cleaning and analyses were conducted by the Consortium on Chicago School Research. Please direct any data questions to CCSR.
40%
62%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Low/Moderate Poverty High Poverty
Percent Chronically Absent Preschool Students by Neighborhood Poverty
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African American Preschool Students more likely to be chronically absent even after taking into account poverty
31%
57%
33% 32%
64%
43%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
White African American Latino Asian
Percent Chronically Absent by Race/Ethnicity and Poverty
Lighter = Low/Moderate Poverty Darker = High Poverty
Data included in these analyses were obtained from the Chicago Public Schools. Data cleaning and analyses were conducted by the Consortium on Chicago School Research. Please direct any data questions to CCSR.
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Students enrolled in Child Parent Centers more likely to be chronically absent than students in other programs
Data included in these analyses were obtained from the Chicago Public Schools. Data cleaning and analyses were conducted by the Consortium on Chicago School Research. Please direct any data questions to CCSR.
69%
46%
41%
16%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Child ParentCenter (4.2%)
Head Start(32%)
Preschool ForAll (62%)
Tuition Based(2.1%)
Percent of Chronically Absent Preschool Students by Program Type
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Who misses school more?
African‐American and high‐poverty children attend preschool less regularly
Attendance also differs depending on the program
- Child‐Parent Centers have lower attendance than other programs
- Partially due to who they serve; do not have information on programmatic activities that may influence attendance
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What are the reasons why students are absent from preschool?
What the most common reasons why preschool students are absent?
Are reasons for absences different for students with different background characteristics or in different programs?
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Reasons for Absences: Data Source
Teacher logs, 3 times over school year (3‐week periods)
60 randomly selected, representative preschool classrooms
Time 1: October 31st – November 18th
Time 2: January 30th – February 17th
Time 3: April 23rd – May 11th
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Attendance over the course of nine weeks
Over these three timepoints (nine weeks), school was in session for an average of 32 days
The average student in our sample was absent 3.4 daysover that same time period, which is an absence rate of 11.7%
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Medical‐related reasons account for more than half of preschool absences
"Other" includes: school phobia, lack of sleep, religious observances, weather, safety issues, and a general other category.
4.0%
54.2%
3.5%
7.5%
3.3%
10.3%
12.2%
5.0%
Reasons for Absences
WellnessAppointmentSick (non‐chronic)
Sick (chronic)
Logistics
Vacation
Family
Don't Know
Other
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African American students are they are more likely to be absent for reasons other than illness
"Other“ reasons include: school phobia, lack of sleep, religious observances, weather, safety issues, and a general other category.
1% 1%
4%
7%6%
3%
1%
2%
1%
1%
2%
1%
1%
1%
2%
1%
1%
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
14%
16%
White(n=157)
African American(n=456)
Latino(n=475)
Asian(n=31)
Reasons for Absences, by Race/Ethnicity
Other
Don't Know
Family
Vacation
Logistics
Sick (chronic)
Sick (non‐chronic)
WellnessAppointment
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High‐poverty students are absent more with more illness, family, and transportation‐related reasons
"Other“ reasons include: school phobia, lack of sleep, religious observances, weather, safety issues, and a general other category.
1% 1%
4%
6%8%
1%
1%
2%
1%1%
1%
2%
1%
1%
2%
1%
1%
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
14%
16%
18%
Low poverty(n=141)
Moderatepoverty(n=851)
High poverty(n=178)
Reasons for Absences, by Poverty Level
Other
Don't Know
Family
Vacation
Logistics
Sick (chronic)
Sick (non‐chronic)
WellnessAppointment
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Child‐Parent Centers have highest rates of sick‐ and family‐related absences; tuition‐based have higher rates of vacation
"Other“ reasons include: school phobia, lack of sleep, religious observances, weather, safety issues, and a general other category.
1%
10%7%
6%
2%
2%
2%
1%1%
1%
3%
1%1%
1%
3%
2%
1%
2%
1%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
Child‐ParentCenters(n=42)
Head Start(n=266)
Preschool for All(n=806)
Tuition‐based(n=56)
Reasons for Absences, by Program Type
Other
Don't Know
Family
Vacation
Logistics
Sick (chronic)
Sick (non‐chronic)
WellnessAppointment
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Early implications
While many students will have better attendance rates as they get older, there is reason to focus on chronic absenteeism in preschool
Providing solutions around transportation may help improve attendance for those in most need (Full‐day vs. half‐day programs? Parent carpools?)
Other reasons – particularly family‐related reasons –need further research to understand whether there are social supports that can help reduce absences within these families
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Continuing work
Teacher responses to CPS survey
Teacher perspectives on: (a) how integrated preschool is with elementary grades, (b) the role of the teacher as an educator, (c) parent involvement, (d) attendance policies, and (e) importance of preschool
Parent survey (n=633)
Follow‐up parent interviews (n=40)
To better understand: (a) experiences with preschool program, (b) importance of preschool, and (c) reasons for absences
Links between absences and outcomes (in preschool and in early elementary years)
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a) Scale and scope of the problem
b) Grand Rapid’s main strategies for addressing chronic absence
c) Impact to date
d) Implications for early childhood
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The Grand Rapids Story
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Chronic Absence Ranged from @ 2% to over 20% across districts in Kent County.
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Chronic absence Associated with Significantly Worse Achievement in Grand Rapids
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• Superintendent and Principal Leadership
• District and Building Attendance Policy
• Teacher/Staff Buy‐in
• Regular Attendance Meetings
• Parent Outreach
• Attendance Incentives
• Interagency Casemanagement
• Year End Assessment
Critical Ingredients For Success in Grand Rapids
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0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
30.0%
35.0%
40.0%
45.0%
50.0%Axis Title
Absenteeism Trends Overtime in KSSN Schools
Alger Middle
Burton Elementary
Coit Creative Arts
Harrison Park
Martin Luther King
Sibley
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