School Absence

From USA Today:

"States tackle chronic absence in schools"

School attendance is about more than figuring out who is playing hooky. Until recently, schools mostly looked at the student body's overall attendance rate and the truancy—or unexcused absences—of individual students. Now a growing number of states and school districts are increasing their focus on students who are "chronically absent" from school—whether the absences are excused or unexcused. States have different definitions of chronic absence, but it is often defined as missing at least 10 percent of the school year for any reason. Chronic absence is a key indicator for problems such as dropping out and lower academic achievement, according to recent research, so educators are hoping to identify students early enough to intervene. "When it comes to instructional time, a day missed is a day missed," said Hedy Chang, the director of Attendance Works, a national and state initiative promoting awareness of chronic absence. "If you're not there, you can't benefit from instruction." A school's average daily attendance, which is often reported to states and the federal government for funding or accountability reasons, says nothing about the attendance record of individual students. In a school with an average daily attendance of 90 percent, for example, 40 percent of students could be chronically absent. A study last year by Robert Balfanz and Vaughan Byrnes at Johns Hopkins University's School of Education estimated that 10 percent to 15 percent of U.S. students, or between 5 million and 7.5 million of them, are chronically absent. The impact of chronic absence is significant. Research has shown, for example, that chronic absence in kindergarten is associated with lower academic performance in first grade; students who were chronically absent in Pre-K and kindergarten in Baltimore were more often absent in later grades and more likely to repeat a grade; and in Georgia, a 3 percent improvement in attendance, or five more days, would have led more than 55,000 students to pass standardized tests. Advocates note that all the school reform in the world won't help students who aren't in school.

According to a policy brief to be released Monday by Attendance Works:

• In Utah, 13.5 percent of students statewide were chronically absent, according to a 2012 analysis. Students who were chronically absent any year between eighth and twelfth grades were 7.4 times more likely to drop out of high school.

• In Oregon, more than 20 percent of students were chronically absent.

• In Indiana, chronic absence correlates to lower test scores and higher dropout rates for students at all income levels.

Among the states that are taking action to identify and address chronic absence:

• In California, State Superintendent of Instruction Tom Torlakson hosted a forum in May to encourage agencies to work together to fight chronic absence. Also this year, the state enacted a new school funding formula which will require every school district to monitor its chronic absence rate.

• In Hawaii, each school is required to set targets for reducing chronic absenteeism as part of its annual academic plans. The state has a data system, updated nightly, that can tell school officials which students have missed more than five percent of school days.

• In Maryland, which has tracked chronic absence longer than any other state, the public can view rates of chronic absence, average daily attendance and good attendance at every public school on the state's report card web site. In the 2013 legislative session, lawmakers adopted a law requiring school districts to intervene when a student misses 10 percent or more of school days for unexcused reasons.

• Massachusetts and Virginia monitor chronic absence as part of their early warning systems, which track a variety of metrics and alert officials when a student might be at risk of not graduating.

In addition to the states mentioned above, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, New Jersey, New York, Oregon and Rhode Island are also cited in the study as taking steps to address chronic absence.

Individual school districts across the country also have tackled chronic absence, many quite successfully. In New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg convened an Interagency Task Force on Truancy, Chronic Absenteeism and School Engagement, which has launched a wide-ranging campaign to get children to school, including wake-up calls from celebrities, mentors to encourage and help students to attend school daily, and attendance meetings where teams of administrators and community partners work to boost attendance. In Baltimore, a 2008 study found that 17 percent of elementary school students, 34 percent of middle school students and 44 percent of high school students were missing at least 20 days of school. In response, city and school officials convened parents, students, and representatives from city and state agencies, universities and nonprofits to combat the problem. Despite the progress across the country, most states still do not collect statistics on chronic absence.

^ I didn't miss that much school as a whole. usually it was just gym class. Schools and states don't seem to have a good overall policy for monitoring students. I know some places that give you at-home suspension when you skip school. That is as dumb as it gets. How is it a punishment to keep students at home for them staying at home? They should get in-school suspension. Also, may states and school districts punish the parents when their kids don't go to school. I can understand when it is little kids in elementary and middle schools, but those in high schools are mostly adults (or think they are) and even if the parents walk their kids to their homeroom the kids can still leave the building. ^

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/09/16/stateline-school-absences/2821959/