Practical Strategies for Addressing Chronic Absenteeism

1. @flpsrti, #ESSEI17 Practical Strategies for Addressing Chronic Absenteeism Amber Brundage Iris Williams David Chamberlin Lisa Kern Jonathan Hinke Pamela Brown Donna Sicilian Beth Duda Kristi Jarvis KarieCapiello Mike Henriquez

2. Advance Organizer • Introductions • Orientation to Padlet • Chronic Absenteeism Overview • Panel Discussion & Audience Questions

3. Introduction of Panel Members

4. Padlet Instructions • To submit questions to the panel members: • Go to this URL to add Postings.double-click anywhere on the wall to add your question or comment.  • https://padlet.com/gmpearcy/ESSEI2017

5. Chronic Absenteeism

6. Chronic Absenteeism (CA) • No standard definition • Often based on total number of days missed • Does not differentiate reasons for absences • Includes: excused, unexcused and suspensions • Frequently defined as: • Missing 10% or more of instructional days • HB7069 K-8 EWS • FL reports students missing 21 or more days per year • Missing 15 or more days of school per year • Important Differences - • Truancy= unexcused absences (s. 1003.26(b), F.S.) • Average Daily Attendance = how many students show up each day • Chronic Absence = missing so much school for any reason that a student is academically at-risk - missing 10% or more of school

7. Prevalence of CA in FL • According to data reported to FL DOE during the 2015/2016 school year, 10.10% of K-12 students were absent 21+ days 318,787students- an increase from 304,060 students in 14/15

8. 2015-16 District 21+ Absence Rates 0 – 9.9%  10% – 14.9%  15% – 19.9% 20% – 30+% Statewide Average 10.10% Source: Education Information and Accountability Services, Florida Department of Education

9. Chronic Absenteeism by Demographics Balfanz & Byrnes, 2012

10. Chronic Absenteeism OCR Data

11. 2015-16 SWD Chronic Absenteeism Rates 0 – 9.9%  10% – 14.9%  15% – 19.9% 20% – 30+% Statewide Average 15.05% Source: Education Information and Accountability Services, Florida Department of Education

12. Padlet Test • What do you think are contributors to chronic absenteeism rates? • Why do you think chronic absenteeism rates among SWD are higher? • Submit answers via padlet: • https://padlet.com/gmpearcy/ESSEI2017

13. Student Reported Reasons for CA

14. Accurately Recalled/Reported Absences MESSAGING

15. Perceptions of Absences: Compared to Peers

16. Panel Discussion

17. Panel Questions- Background • Why has chronic absenteeism (CA) been on your radar? • How did you identify key areas related to CA? • What are the components that you think are necessary for a comprehensive plan to address CA? • Who are the key players? • Does this differ for SWD?

18. Audience Questions • Please submit questions related to Section 1-Background via padlet: • https://padlet.com/gmpearcy/ESSEI2017

19. Panel Questions- Strategies • What some things you’ve tried that weren’t as effective? • Summarize some things (interventions, structures, policies, practices) that have worked. • What are you trying right now that you think will work (but don’t yet have data)? • How do we move from a reactive approach to a more proactive mindset?

20. Monroe County

21. Pinellas County Absences Codes

22. Pinellas Nudge Letter

23. Sarasota County Data Dashboard • https://app.powerbi.com/view?r=eyJrIjoiMjBlZjkxMGUtMTE1Zi00ZGUyLWEwYmMtMGMxNDBmNjcxODFiIiwidCI6ImI3NzFkYTEzLWQzMWQtNDc0NS05ZGE2LTNhMWNjODc0NTJkMSIsImMiOjF9

24. Pasco County Schools

25. Percentage of schools that identified attendance on their School Success Plan

26. District Attendance Committee • Membership across all divisions • Examine policies and procedures that impact or are impacted by attendance • Student Code of Conduct • Grading policies • Attendance codes • Recognize schools efforts to improve attendance • Look at ways to engage the community in the effort to improve student attendance and engagement

27. Some data to consider…

28. Drilling Down to Student Level

29. Goal: Increase Access to Services • Contract with 7 mental health providers • Co-locate mental health services on 11 school sites • Community school initiative underway at one Title I location – • Partner w/local FQHC for dental services • Planning expansion to include physical and mental health services

30. Our Model for Health Services • Registered professional School Nurse (RN/BSN preferred) assigned to 2 – 3 schools • Unlicensed assistive personnel (Clinic Assistant) located in each school clinic (may be LPN, CNA, etc.) • SN delegates to CA and is responsible to monitor practice regularly (supervise and direct LPNs) • LPNs assigned to campuses for daily care of medically fragile students • Current allocations: SN – 39; CA – 85; LPN – 16 (does not include 10 charter schools)

31. Goal: Improve Student Health Addressing health related causes of CA thru partnerships: • Health Department • Free ARNP services at select high schools twice/month • Free mobile dental health (sealants) at all Title I locations • Fully operational (daily) dental health clinic at Title I elementary school – expansion planned (medicaid) • USF Pediatric NP services available any location (free) • Flu vaccination clinics annually (no cost) • Vision Quest – mobile vision services • Medical Mobile Unit – onsite health services near schools

32. Example of Recognition

33. Health Outreach Services

34. Other Supportive Health Services Keeping students in school, improving academic performance & grad rates, fostering engagement & positive health outcomes: • School nurses prevent/treat health and behavioral issues; lead as health expert informing school teams; if in a school, all day every day can assess and intervene to keep kids in class (5% vs. 18%) • School breakfast programs (food insecurity) • Later start times (wish we had that!!); PE and recess • Trauma sensitive schools; SEL; staff self-care (working on this!)

35. The facts… • Groups disproportionately affected by high rates of illness – low income, children of color, disabled • Outreach services including intensive school health supports should be focused here since access to care is often the reason for the disparity • Typical illnesses causing absences: asthma, influenza, diabetes, obesity and related illness, seizure disorders, mental health and anxiety and vision problems • Estimates 27% of students have a health condition

36. Florida Students with Chronic Health Conditions Per Florida School Health Program Services data summary reports

37. Final Thoughts… • Given opportunity, time and access, Florida school nurses are uniquely positioned to help decrease chronic absenteeism • School nurses in Pasco will continue to identify and develop creative partnerships within their school communities that are designed to improving student health and access to care

38. Audience Questions • Please submit questions related to Section 1-Background or 2- Strategies via padlet: • https://padlet.com/gmpearcy/ESSEI2017

39. Panel Questions- Outcomes • What outcome data or changes in practice and/or policy can you share?

40. Example of Recognition

41. Audience Questions & Reflections • Please submit questions related to Section: • 1-Background, • 2- Strategies • or 3- Outcomes via padlet: • What resonated with you? • What are next steps?

42. Contact Information Amber Brundage Abrundage@usf.edu @flpsrti Iris Williams iriswilliams@usf.edu Mike Henriquez (Monroe) Mike.henriquez@keysschools.com Donna Sicilian (Pinellas) SICILIAND@pcsb.org KarieCappiello (Volusia) klcappie@volusia.k12.fl.us Pamela Brown (Putnam) pbrown@my.putnamschools.org Jonathan Hinke (Putnam) jhinke@my.putnamschools.org Kristi Jarvis (Sarasota) Kristi.jarvis@sarasotacountyschools.net Beth Duda (Sarasota) Bduda@thepattersonfoundation.org

43. Additional Readings Allensworth, E. M., & Easton, J. Q. (2005). The on-track indicator as a predictor of high school graduation. Consortium on Chicago School Research, University of Chicago. Retrieved from http://ccsr.uchicago.edu/publications/p78.pdf Allensworth, E. M., & Easton, J. Q. (2007). What matters for staying on track and graduating in Chicago public high schools. Consortium on Chicago School Research, University of Chicago. Retrieved from http://ccsr.uchicago.edu/publications/07%20What%20Matters%20Final.pdf Allesnworth, E. M., Gwynne, J. A., Moore, P., & de la Torre, M. (2014). Looking forward to high school and college Middle grades indicators of readiness in Chicago public schools. Consortium on Chicago School Research, University of Chicago. Retrieved from https://ccsr.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/publications/Middle%20Grades%20Report.pdf Balfanz, R., & Byrnes, V. (2012). Chronic Absenteeism: Summarizing What We Know From Nationally Available Data. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Center for Social Organization of Schools. Balfanz, R., Herzog, L., MacIver, D., (2007). Preventing student disengagement and keeping students on the graduation path in urban middle-grades schools: Early identification and effective interventions. Educational Psychologist, 42(4), 223-235.

44. Additional Readings Continued Chang, Hedy N. & Romero, Mariajosé 2008. Present, engaged and accounted for the critical importance of addressing chronic absence in the early grades. National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP): The Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. Connolly, F. & Olson, L. S. 2012. Early elementary performance and attendance in Baltimore City Schools’ pre-kindergarten and kindergarten. Baltimore Education Research Consortium, Baltimore, MD. Henderson, T., Hill, C. & Norton, K. 2014. The connection between missing school and health: A review of chronic absenteeism and student health in Oregon. Upstream Public Health. Olson, L. S., 2014. Why September matters: Improving student attendance. Baltimore Education Research Consortium, Baltimore, MD. Retrieved from : http://baltimore-berc.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/SeptemberAttendanceBriefJuly2014.pdf Chang, H., & Balfanz, R., (2016). Preventing missed opportunity: Taking collective action to confront chronic absence. Attendance Works and Everyone Graduates Center.