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Report on Teacher Absence for School Year 2009-2010 Developed for the Providence School Board March 28, 2011

Report on Teacher Absence for School Year 2009-2010 Developed for the Providence School Board March 28, 2011. Presented by: Marco Andrade, Ph.D. Office of Research, Planning and Accountability Sharon L. Contreras, Chief Academic Officer. Presented by: Tomas Ramirez, Ph.D.

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Report on Teacher Absence for School Year 2009-2010 Developed for the Providence School Board March 28, 2011

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  1. Report on Teacher Absence for School Year 2009-2010 Developed for the Providence School BoardMarch 28, 2011 Presented by: Marco Andrade, Ph.D. Office of Research, Planning and Accountability Sharon L. Contreras, Chief Academic Officer Presented by: Tomas Ramirez, Ph.D. Office of Human Resources Carleton Jones, Chief Operating Officer 1

  2. Background Office of Human Resources and Office of Research, Planning and Accountability Two studies conducted on teacher absence rates for the 2009-2010 school year • HR Study-provide descriptive info on substitution coverage relative to teacher absence -identify areas for improvement to minimize classroom splitting; identify recommendations for collective bargaining • RPA Study -provide descriptive info on teacher absence -determine possible relationship to student performance/behavior 2

  3. Background • Research indicates impact of policies/contract provisions on teacher attendance • Average teacher absence is 5% or 9-10 school days • Using systems such as AESOP appear to be associated w/higher absence • Reporting absence directly to a principal reduces absenteeism; also providing proof of illness • Some studies show M & F with higher frequency absences, some W. • Days around holidays have higher frequency of absences. • Staff instability Office of Human Resources and Office of Research, Planning and Accountability 3

  4. Background • Cost of high absenteeism is: • financial expense (e.g., subs); • subs may not be highly qualified or have a certificate in the area in which they are substituting • less opportunity to develop a student-teacher relationship; • continuity of instruction; • (elementary level) split classrooms where student may spend day in different grade level classroom; and • lower student achievement. Office of Human Resources and Office of Research, Planning and Accountability 4

  5. Background • PPSD grants 20 sick days to each teacher per year. • Teachers can accumulate up to 150 Sick days (Article 4-1, 4-3, CBA). • In addition to the 20 sick days, teachers can also ‘buy in’ to an Emergency Sick Leave Bank (Article 4-9, CBA). Office of Human Resources and Office of Research, Planning and Accountability 5

  6. HR Study • What was the frequency and pattern of sick leave across schools and levels? • How do teacher attendance rates compare to student attendance rates? Office of Human Resources and Office of Research, Planning and Accountability 6

  7. HR Study • Approximately 20% of teachers do not require substitute coverage (i.e., social workers, home visitors [a.k.a.- truant officers], others) • HR provides substitute coverage whenever a teacher needing substitute coverage is away from his or her assignment (note that this is different than a teacher being absent from work; the teacher might be attending an all day PD workshop) Office of Human Resources and Office of Research, Planning and Accountability 7

  8. HR Study • Teacher attendance analysis based on last year’s data as captured in Aesop (the district’s automated substitute placement and absence management system) • Baseline data on percentage of teachers by school extracted from budget office • Data analysis conducted by HR staff and RPA staff • Used 1926 as number of teachers Office of Human Resources and Office of Research, Planning and Accountability 8

  9. HR Study • PPSD teachers are out sick an average 15 days per year, higher than the national average of 9-10 absences per year. • In general, teachers away from their assignment worsened as the year progressed with the month of June representing the highest number of teacher absences on average. • Next slide shows teachers who were away from their assignment. Not all required a sub. Office of Human Resources and Office of Research, Planning and Accountability 9

  10. Office of Human Resources and Office of Research, Planning and Accountability

  11. HR Study • During the 2009-2010 School Year there were uncovered classrooms each month with the highest number of unfilled classrooms occurring in June. • Inversely, as teacher ‘aways’ increased throughout the school year, the number of filled classrooms decreased. Thus, classrooms were filled less effectively as the need increased. Office of Human Resources and Office of Research, Planning and Accountability 11

  12. HR Study • In many of our schools, teacher absences were higher than student absences, especially among the district’s elementary schools. Office of Human Resources and Office of Research, Planning and Accountability 13

  13. HR Study • Teachers are away from assignment at school for various reasons: an illness, a bereavement, a personal day, an allowable Family Medical Leave (FMLA), Union business, for religious observance days, to attend his/her own wedding, and for court service such as jury duty, amongst other. • Additionally, teachers are away from their assignment by action of Administration such as to attend district-mandated professional development/curriculum development work sessions. In some instances, Administration also places teachers on Administrative Leave with Pay while it investigates a teacher discipline matter. Office of Human Resources and Office of Research, Planning and Accountability 17

  14. HR Study The Collective Bargaining Agreement provides teachers with the following allowable absences at full pay: • 20 sick days per year (can accumulate up to 150 days) • 2 days for his or her own wedding • 3 days for religious observance • Up to 5 days per year for teachers selected by the Union to serve as delegates to a meeting of the AFL-CIO or any of its affiliates • 2 personal business days • Up to 3 additional personal days as might be granted by the superintendent; each request shall be given individual consideration by the superintendent and approval shall not be unreasonably withheld • Up to 2 days for purposes connected with the welfare of the school and/or community • 1 full day per year for visiting schools or 0.5 days per term • 5 bereavement days for immediate family member; 3 bereavement days for close family member; 1 bereavement day for extended family member (Note: the terms immediate, close, and extended are words chosen by the presenters and not as defined by the CBA) • Other (Court Service) Office of Human Resources and Office of Research, Planning and Accountability 18

  15. HR Study • Implementation of Optional PD Days for the 2010-2011 School Year has decreased the percentage of PSD PD away from assignment • By aggressively maintaining the number of LTSPs there has been a 5% increase in the number of filled classrooms for the 2010-2011 school year as opposed to the 2009-2010 school year.   • The biggest improvement came in November where the district’s “fill rate” improved from 76% in 2009-2010, to 86% in 2010-2011. Office of Human Resources and Office of Research, Planning and Accountability 20

  16. HR Study • Develop board policy on the district’s expectation for what is an acceptable number of teacher absences per year. • For example, CBA currently provides teachers up to 20 full pay sick days per year which, in the absence of board policy, creates the impression that these 20 days are an entitlement rather than a safeguard to be used in the event of a serious illness. Office of Human Resources and Office of Research, Planning and Accountability 21

  17. HR Study • CBA Implication: In addition to 20 sick days, teachers are also granted two personal days per year. Instead of forcing teachers to take the days rather than lose them, the district could consider a financial incentive similar to the sick day bonus to encourage teachers to "cash" the personal days and thus lower the district's absences per year. Office of Human Resources and Office of Research, Planning and Accountability 22

  18. HR Study • Allow teachers to “cash” in unused sick days when retiring would provide a financial incentive for teachers to accumulate sick days rather than discharge them and thus lower the district’s absences per year. Office of Human Resources and Office of Research, Planning and Accountability 23

  19. HR Study • Aggressively maintain the required number of substitute teachers as per the CBA (201 teachers as LTSPs for 2010-2011) • Aggressively utilize per diem teachers ($100 per day) and retired teachers ($200 per day) to be on call Office of Human Resources and Office of Research, Planning and Accountability 24

  20. HR Study • Procedural change: Change the current call-out protocol. Currently, teachers are allowed to call out sick from work up until the start of school. This often leaves HR without the necessary time to find coverage. Requiring notice earlier would help ensure classroom coverage Office of Human Resources and Office of Research, Planning and Accountability 25

  21. HR Study • Explore alternate methods of providing substitute coverage; Administration can provide substitute coverage at significantly lower costs than the LTSP (Long Term Substitute in Pool) model under the current contract • Providence Public Schools may be the only district in the nation that provides substitute teachers with health benefits, union membership, guaranteed paid hours of professional development, and the right to almost all contractual provisions of the CBA including the right to file grievances Office of Human Resources and Office of Research, Planning and Accountability 26

  22. RPA Study Presented by Marco Andrade, Ph.D.

  23. RPA Study • What are the patterns of teacher absences for the 2009-2010 school year? • What overall relationship is there between teacher absence and student absence? • What influence, if any, did teacher absence have on student performance on the NECAP and SAT10? Office of Human Resources and Office of Research, Planning and Accountability 28

  24. RPA Study • 1326 teachers common across available spreadsheets (AESOP & REG 2000) • 32.9% missed 0-9 days • 67% missed 10 or more days • 37.2% missed 19+ days • Average # days absent = 21 Office of Human Resources and Office of Research, Planning and Accountability 29

  25. RPA Study Office of Human Resources and Office of Research, Planning and Accountability

  26. RPA Study • 3 most cited reasons for absence • Sickness • Personal day • Professional development Office of Human Resources and Office of Research, Planning and Accountability 31

  27. RPA Study • Complicated to analyze due to students having multiple teachers • Students of ‘teachers with few absences’ (TFA=10 or fewer; M = 20.80) had statistically significantly more absences than students of ‘teachers with many absences’ (TMA=30 or more absences; M=20.03) • Students of TMA had higher rate of in-school and out-of-school suspensions Office of Human Resources and Office of Research, Planning and Accountability 33

  28. RPA Study • Preliminary analysis of impact of teacher absence on NECAP & SAT-10 • Findings were mixed; no consistency in scores across students with TFA or TMA • Research lit supports impact of teacher absenteeism on student achievement – for every 10 days = .3 SD lower. Further analysis required. Office of Human Resources and Office of Research, Planning and Accountability 34

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