Addressing Chronic Absence in Schools

Addressing Chronic Absence in Schools

May 10 from 9:30am-12:30pm
Broome County Library, Decker Room
185 Court St., Binghamton, NY
Followed by 12:30–1:00pm Networking Session

Presentation and discussion around school attendance and creative interventions and strategies.

• Collect attendance tools
• Review attendance data
• Map resources and building capacity
• Develop tiered intervention strategies

With Ronald Cope II
National Center for Community Schools

All school professionals are invited to attend.

Workshop Overview

Today, in a country where more than one in 10 students miss nearly a month of school every year, improving student attendance is an essential, cost-effective but often overlooked strategy for ensuring our students are on track to learn and succeed.

Put simply, if students don’t go to school they can’t benefit from what is taught in the classroom. This is as true for kindergartners as it is for high school students.
-Attendance Works

This interactive workshop will engage school districts and communities served by Central/Western Community Schools Technical Assistance Center in group discussions and hands-on activities to create a shared understanding of what Chronic Absenteeism is, why it matters, and how we can address it through tiered intervention strategies.

Intended Learning Outcomes

1. Gain an understanding of current responses to Chronic Absenteeism implemented by participants
2. Learn strategies to implement a tiered intervention approach to addressing Chronic Absenteeism
3. Strengthen our understanding of district level data, which provides evidence of the impact of Chronic Absenteeism on academic achievement
4. Understand the importance of engaging families and community partners in addressing Chronic Absenteeism
5. Understand the importance of attendance data to detect systemic barriers and solutions
6. Understand the role of a Success Mentor

Agenda Outline
Why is it important to address Chronic Absence?

• Attendance Definitions
• Myths, Barriers and Aversions
• Levels of Absenteeism
• National Landscape of Chronic Absence

Data Review: Chronic Absences impact on Academic Achievement

• Kindergarten Readiness
• Grade Level Reading by 3rd Grade
• 6th Grade Attendance and Dropout Rates
• 9th Grade Attendance as a predictor of High School Graduation
• Cumulative effect of Chronic Absence on Graduation Rates
• High School Chronic Absence impacts College Persistence

Tiered Intervention Strategies

• Universal Strategies
• Targeted Strategies
• Intensive Services and Supports

Every Student, Every Day: Four Components

• Weekly Attendance Meeting
• School Wide Strategies
• Success Mentors for Targeted Students
• Connecting Families to Community Resources

What is a Success Mentor?

• Goals of a Success Mentor
• 7 Key Elements of the Success Mentor Role
• Core Responsibilities of a Success Mentor
• Who can be a Success Mentor?

School-Wide Strategies to Promote Good Attendance

• Attendance Celebrations
• Weekly Attendance Meetings
• Out of School Time Programs
• Engaging Families as Partners

Research and Results

Questions and Answers

For more information about the NYS Community Schools TAC or these webinars, contact us.

Central/Western Region
(NYS Judicial Districts 5, 6, 7, 8):
(607) 777-9383 or cstac@binghamton.edu

Eastern Region
(NYS Judicial Districts 3, 4, 9, 10):
(845) 627-5437 or cstac@rockland21c.org