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Addressing Attendance and Chronic Absenteeism

Update for LCPS Board of Directors - 8.7.24

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Attendance Goal for 2024-25

Increase Attendance rate to 94%

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This is an ambitious goal, even though 94% attendance was common pre-pandemic

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  • 90.7% attendance overall: minimal change (-0.1) over the last month. This is our final attendance rate for the year.

  • Our biggest gaps - High Schools and Lodestar Elementary: Attendance has been most challenging at these sites, and we have increased our student and family follow-up.

  • Middle School Attendance is our bright spot with both Lodestar averaging 92.6% and Lighthouse at 92.1%

  • We received a state grant to address Chronic Absenteeism with Oakland Natives Give Back, as they have led efforts for select OUSD schools.

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Chronic Absenteeism Goal for 2024-25

Decrease Chronic Absenteeism 5% per year

(Last year - 32.8; Two years ago - 33.4%)

We had a slight decrease in our Chronic Absenteeism by .6%. We regularly look at two key metrics -

  • “Chronic Absence rate” (on track to missing 10% of days)
  • “Absence Rate” (percentage of student with 18+ absences).

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Chronic Absence Rate

Absence Rate

LCPS

32.8% (31.4% in April)

30.4% (21.4% in April)

Lighthouse Elementary

32.2% (31.9% in April)

30.3% (20.4% in April)

Lighthouse Middle

26% (21.9% in April)

24.8% (15.3% in April)

Lighthouse High

31.4% (29.8% in April)

28.9% (21.9% in April)

Lodestar Elementary

38.8 (36.3% in April)

36.2% (27.7% in April)

Lodestar Middle

24.6% (25.8% in April)

21.6% (13.6% in April)

Lodestar High

43.9 (42.2% in April)

37.3% (26.6% in April)

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Addressing Attendance and Chronic Absenteeism

Key Grade Level Gaps and Findings

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Elementary Students

Grade Level

Attendance Rate

Chronic Absenteeism Rate

Kindergarten

87.6%

46.1%

1st Grade

90.4%

36.9%

2nd Grade

91.4%

33.9%

3rd Grate

91.1%

31.5%

4th Grade

91.0%

36.8%

5th Grade

91.9%

31.7%

Middle and High School Students

Grade Level

Attendance Rate

Chronic Absenteeism Rate

6th Grade

92.7%

19%

7th Grade

92.5%

27.7%

8th Grade

91.8%

29.4%

9th Grade

90.7%

31.6%

10th Grade

89.0%

39.1%

11th Grade

90.8%

34.6%

12th Grade

84.5%

44.8%

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Addressing Attendance and Chronic Absenteeism

First 6 Weeks - Cycle 1 Strong Start Plan

Key Strategies Prior to Start of School

Identify attendance flagged students from previous year for tier 3 support:

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  • Individual phone call before the start of the school year
  • Identify areas of need and address them to ensure students are on site day 1.
  • Communicate with site based admin the list of names, and loop them into contact so they are aware.
  • Arrange a meeting or home visit week with family if student is not showing up to school.
  • Identify new students who may need a COST (Coordination of Student Team) meeting

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Addressing Attendance and Chronic Absenteeism

First 6 Weeks - Cycle 1 Strong Start Plan

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Key Strategies for First Six Weeks of School (Cycle 1) - MTSS Coordinators

Strategy 1: Visibility and Relationships

  • All: Welcome students and families at the front office from 8:25AM - 9:30AM every morning.
  • Elementary: Circulate through TK / Kinder classrooms and parents lingering in hallways; introduce yourself; build a relationship. Host TK/kinder event with families.

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Strategy 2: Tier 2 and Tier 3 Support for flagged students.

  • When attendance report is run by office managers and sent out, check for flagged students. If they are on the list, make a personal phone call home. Input family contact into Aeries.

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Strategy 3: Tier I Strategies

  • Support Teachers-in-Training to make personal phone calls home to students on the list. Distribute by grade. Input call into the attendance log on Aeries.
  • Set up attendance bulletin board.
  • Update school newsletter with attendance data.

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Addressing Attendance and Chronic Absenteeism

First Semester Workplan -

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July

  • Planning Cycle 1 Strong Start
  • Attended Attendance Webinars
  • Attendance Playbook revision
  • Finalize new data tracking platform
  • Attendance Meeting Agendas and trackers set for new year
  • Plan attendance training for sites staff
  • Purchasing incentives for semester 1
  • Plan TK / Kinder Attendance
  • Committee

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August

  • Set Up attendance bulletin board
  • Kindergarten tea
  • Launch Cycle 1 Strong Start
  • “Stalk the halls” + build
  • relationships
  • Contact families from previous

year’s chronic absenteeism list

  • School newsletter features
  • importance of attendance
  • Launch TK / Kinder attendance

committee

  • Launch Shared Services

Attendance Mtg

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September

  • Launch attendance team (Week 3 - after day 10)
  • Hold attendance team biweekly (cycle 1 - MS/HS weekly together, then biweekly)
  • Attendance Matters assembly
  • Implement SART / SARB process when applicable.
  • Attendance reports given to teachers to review at SLCs (conferences); attend any SLCs that are high priority.
  • Launch Monthly Good Attendance incentives
  • Shared Services Attendance Mtg

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Addressing Attendance and Chronic Absenteeism

First Semester Workplan

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October

  • Hold attendance team biweekly
  • Implement SART / SARB process when applicable.
  • Continue Monthly Good Attendance incentives
  • Shared Services Attendance Mtg
  • Update Attendance Board for Cycle 2

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November

  • Hold attendance team biweekly
  • Implement SART / SARB process when applicable.
  • Continue Monthly Good Attendance incentives
  • Flagged Students Initiative: incentive push before holiday break
  • Shared Services Attendance Mtg
  • Update Attendance Board for
  • Cycle 3

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December

  • Hold attendance team biweekly
  • Implement SART / SARB process when applicable.
  • Continue Monthly Good Attendance incentives
  • Attendance reports given to teachers to review at SLCs (Conferences); attend any SLCs that are high priority; utilize SLCs for SART / SARB if needed.
  • Shared Services Attendance Mtg:
  • Semester 1 Stepback Mtg