The counselors believe it is important to provide students with knowledge, skills, and attitudes to become critical thinkers who are college and career ready. Attendance is a key component in achieving these critical skills. Therefore, the school counselors, School Advisory Council along with the administrators studied the College and Career Readiness Performance Index (CCRPI) as well as attendance data from the previous school year. CCRPI is a comprehensive school improvement, accountability, and communication platform for all educational stakeholders that will promote college and career readiness for all Georgia public school students.
Through their analysis, it was discovered that 32 % of the student body had 6 or more absences which would not meet the CCRPI requirement. For that reason, the school counselors put a plan in motion to decrease the absenteeism while increasing student and parent awareness of the importance of attending school on a regular basis. The program goal stated: As of May 2016, 50 % of students who participated in an eight week attendance program will meet the yearly goal of five or less absences. Research conducted by Hedy Chang and Marijose Romero concludes that actions start when the school identifies the problem and can make a significant difference when they intentionally partner over time to promote attendance through universal strategies such as: offering incentives for attendance and educate the parents about the importance of attendance. This information led to the counselor’s plan of a daily check in system, a reward system, letter to parents, and core curriculum mini-lessons for the targeted students.
Three hundred nineteen students met the requirements to participate in the attendance program. The counselors met with all of these students by grade level to explain the program. These students were given an informational letter and a permission form to give to their parents. Additionally, the 3rd-5th grade students were given a pre-survey about school attendance. Out of 319 students, 171 returned the permission form, thus becoming the target group.
Next, the counselors met with students by grade level and completed a mini-lesson on the importance of school attendance and good versus bad excuses for missing school. The weekly, mid-point and end reward system was explained as well. At the four week mark, the counselors met by grade level again to check in and complete another mini lesson. The focus of this lesson was Responsible Routines to help get to school each day and on time. Each student created a flip book with ideas for morning, afternoon, and evening routines that would be helpful for their attendance success. At the eight week mark, the counselors met with the grade levels to talk about how this program helped them and what they were doing differently as a result. The 3rd through 5th grade students took the post survey as well. Over the eight weeks, the counselors periodically emailed the parents of these students to encourage consistent attendance. Furthermore, the principal posted in our school-wide, parent communication, the importance of attendance and how it impacts Kemp’s CCRPI score.
After a deep analysis of our results from the group participants and the overall school-wide attendance data, the counselors feel that this is a continuous problem and a large amount of our student body has 6 or more absences. Therefore, steps need to continue in order to decrease the overall percentage of absenteeism at Kemp Elementary. Future steps include developing a school wide initiative to increase the overall attendance rate of students. Additionally, it is imperative to educate the parents on the importance of school attendance. This education and awareness can be consistent through the email communication system, Open House, and newsletters. It is our belief that if parents knew the importance of their child’s attendance and the effect it has on the CCRPI score, they may be more diligent with their child’s attendance. Working as a team is also crucial in decreasing the amount of absences. Teachers can play a part by calling the parents after a student misses 2 consecutive days. In addition to this, the counselors, CSIS clerk, and school social worker can collaborate to ensure that the attendance protocol is strictly enforced. In addition to a school-wide initiative, we may need to continue the intensive attendance program for a smaller group of students that have a history of an extreme number of absences. We believe that we are able to connect with and make a bigger impact with a smaller group of students.