Los Angeles Unified School District Pupil Services and Attendance Plus One

1. Los Angeles Unified School District Pupil Services and Attendance Plus One Superintendent’s Intensive Support and Innovation Center August 1st, 2012

2. presentation outline • Pupil Services Mission and Unit Organization • Why Attendance is Critical • Ensuring Student Success • Data and Accountability • Tools for Schools • Attendance Improvement Strategies • Upcoming Tasks and Events • Support and Assistance

3. Pupil Services Mission • Ensure that all LAUSD students are enrolled, attending, engaged, and on-track to graduate. Ensure that all LAUSD students are enrolled, attending, engaged, and on-track to graduate

4. Pupil Services Central Office Educational Service Centers SpecializedPrograms Attendance Improvement Program Homeless Education Program Student Attendance Review Board Diploma Project Neglected or Delinquent Youth School Site PSA Counselors Foster Care High Schools Foreign Student Admissions Middle Schools Permits and Student Transfers Elementary Schools Organizational Chart CDD Collaboration Alternative Education Sites

5. Valerie Corcoran, LCSWPSA Field CoordinatorPlus 1 • Assign school purchased PSA Counselors to your schools • Supervise SARB Chairs and process for ISIC schools • Supervise and evaluate school-based PSA Counselors • Provide monthly professional development and support to PSA Counselors • Interpret and Enforce Compulsory Education Laws (SARB) and District Policies • Strategize with principals and directors to increase attendance • Guide schools in creation and implement ion of a meaningful Attendance and Dropout Prevention Plan • Conduct attendance trainings for parents, students, school staff, and ESCs in the areas of Child Welfare and Attendance (CWA) • Analyze and assess monthly attendance data reports

6. Attendance is critical • It’s the law: California Ed Code 28800 • ADA is critical to funding our programs: • Over $155 million lost in 2010-11 school year • Affects budgets for per pupil funded schools • Chronic absenteeism (missing 10% of school days) in kindergarten predicts low academic achievement in fifth grade

7. Attendance is critical • Necessary to increase academic proficiency, test scores, reclassification of EL students and graduation rates • It takes about one week for a student to recover academically after missing just one day – rethink that suspension! • Chronic absenteeism is a predictor of high school dropout

8. Missing Classes Puts High School Graduation at Risk % Graduated in Four years Days Absent per Semester (The Consortium on Chicago School Research at the University of Chicago).

9. Ensuring Student success • Enroll ALL students immediately • Do not ask parents to submit documents not required by law or District policy • Do not delay enrollment or screen resident students (foster, homeless, etc.) • Provide a welcoming environment

10. Engage STAFF, Parents and students • Teach attendance at staff & parent meetings, open house • Communicate both good and problematic attendance • Blackboard Connect • Letters • Personal Phone Calls • Award Assemblies • Conduct bi-annual targeted attendance meetings • Offer resources and assistance • Tutoring, Counseling, Basic needs support

11. Keep students in school DO NOT ALLOW: • Checking out of 18 year-old students not on track to graduate • Checking out of students displaying behavior problems • Inappropriate or excessive issuance or cancellations of Opportunity Transfers (OT’s) • Finalizing grades several weeks prior to the end of the school year • Encouraging students failing classes, poor test takers, or those not on track to graduate to stay home • Unofficial suspensions – often with no school return dates • Checking out any student without ensuring they are enrolled in another program.

12. Pushout / Force Out Practices • Against District policy and Superintendent’s directive • Against the California Education Code • Reduce ADA revenue • Contribute to the attendance decline at the end of the school year • Is unethical, hurtful to children and increase student dropouts • Students will show up on YOUR dropout list as the last school of attendance

13. STUDENT ATTENDANCE DATA

14. Attendance DATA changes Before Currently Manual elementary attendance cards Secondary daily attendance only Reports from SIS and DSS Automated attendance Secondary attendance by period My Data reports At-Risk Reports address multiple student factors Attendance not submitted Performance Meter School Performance Framework

15. Benefits of improved data • Increased accountability • Ability to analyze trends • Apply strategic tiered interventions • Use limited resources effectively

16. District-WideMonthly Attendance Monthly Data through May 25, 2012

17. Educational Service CenterCumulative Attendance July – May 2012 Data Cumulative through May 25, 2012

18. Tracking Attendance Data Performance Meter Goal 2011-12: 66% of students 2012-13: 71% of students Chronic Absence

19. 96% or Higher Attendance Rate by Grade LEVEL (July - May 2012) Performance Meter Target (2011-12): 66% of students attending at 96% or higher Performance Meter Target (2012-13): 71% of students attending at 96% or higher Data Cumulative through May 25, 2012

20. Educational Service Center96% or Higher AttendanceJuly – May 2012 Performance Meter Target (2011-12): 66% of students attending at 96% or higher Performance Meter Target (2012-13): 71% of students attending at 96% or higher Data Cumulative through May 25, 2012

21. Educational Service Center (ESC)Attendance Submittal and Rates May 2012 Monthly Attendance Data through May 25, 2012 Submission Rate from May 1 - 31, 2012

22. What we have found • Aggregate data overlooks individual students issues • The lowest attending grades are often kinder and ninth • Attendance suffers when culmination ceremonies are held prior to the last day of school • Students often stay home on Mondays, Fridays, rainy days • The district must be strategic when scheduling furlough and pupil-free days • You can use this data to find your attendance targets and encourage attendance as needed

23. Upcoming tasks and events • Day 1 No shows/T-DAP Issues • ASAP Identify your Attendance Team • September Attendance Awareness Month Student Recovery Day - Friday, September 14th Dropout Lists Refer to Attendance Master Calendar for Additional Recommended Tasks Pupil Services, LAUSD, 2011-12

24. Tools for schools • Electronic Attendance Manual • School Attendance and Dropout Prevention Plan • Registration and Enrollment procedures • Attendance recording and finding Attendance not Submitted • Recording permits, opportunity transfers, special populations, etc • Clearing no show, early leaver and dropout lists • Notifications of Truancy and Mandated Cost Recovery • Blueprints for Attendance, Intervention Protocols, Forms • What you need to survive an audit • Master Calendar with activities by month

25. Tools For Schools • MyDATA • ISIS Stats at a Glance • Specialized Unit Assistance • ISIC attendance data will be provided monthly • PupilServices.lausd.net • Marketing attendance: • September is School Attendance Month • Student Recovery Day: September

26. The “Grad Van” • PURPOSE • Community & Parent Engagement • Bring Information and resources to parents at non-school sites. • CORE ACTIVITIES • Provide personalized information about grades and attendance • Provide information about all resources within LAUSD • Reserve with Central Pupil Services • 213-241-3844

27. Pupil services/Operations Collaboration • Ensure that schools follow the law and district policy • Assist with student placements • Intra-district permit appeal decisions • Attendance and Dropout Prevention Plans • Resolving student and parent issues and complaints

28. Attendance Improvement Strategies • Create a meaningful Attendance Plan with a big team approach • Analyze school data and report cards to target attendance issues and populations • Use resources efficiently: • Think MACRO level interventions • Increase accountability at all levels and teach clear attendance goals and annual targets to all stakeholders

29. Attendance Improvement Strategies • Promote attendance awareness to parents, staff, students, and community members • Follow mandated attendance procedures • Implement incentives for positive attendance and behavior • Monitor data monthly and modify attendance plan accordingly • Provide quality customer service in a welcoming environment

30. Remember ! • All resident students must be enrolled immediately • Keep students enrolled until all interventions and LAUSD protocol has been utilized. • Do NOT check out students without an immediate school assignment • Follow-up to ensure student has enrolled in new school

31. Have a great school year !