December 9, 2013

Important School Attendance Information for Parents


Missing school relates to missing graduation & positive experiences. . . and what to do

Missing school is a big deal. When students miss class, they have to catch up and when one absence becomes many, this may lead to a failure to graduate, according to growing research.

In Hawaii’s public schools, “chronic absenteeism” means missing 15 or more days of school during the school year. Hawaii’s Department of Education doesn’t count prekindergartners’ and medical-emergency absences as part of chronic absenteeism.

However, when it comes to how absences affect on-time graduation or the failure to graduate, there’s no difference between excused, unexcused, counted or uncounted absences. A student is either present in class or not. It’s not about why a student is absent, but rather it’s that a student is absent.

Across-the-board findings

Here’s how absences have hurt students, says The Importance of Being in School: A Report on Absenteeism in the Nation’s Public Schools by John Hopkins University:

·      Chronically absent students in prekindergarten and kindergarten often continue that pattern and are more likely to fail and have lower achievement.
·      Students who came to school academically ready but were chronically absent in kindergarten and first grade scored almost 100 points below good attenders on third-grade math tests and 60 points less on reading tests.
·      Children from low-income families who were chronically absent in kindergarten achieved at the lowest level in fifth grade.
·      Students with high test scores who missed 10 or more days of school each semester were more likely to fail than students with low test scores who missed five or less days.
·      Nationally, students with 10 or more absences in the 10th grade were three times as likely to drop out, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

In the Windward District

Chronically absent students have felt test anxiety and anger, and experienced banishment from peer groups, said Laie Elementary School Counselor Debra Hilweh of the things she’s seen on campus. “Absenteeism affects academics and social connections. ... The more the student misses, the harder it is to play catch-up. Many give up," she said of tardy and absent students.

“Good school experiences aren't often the case for students who are chronically absent," said Kahuku High and Intermediate Interim Principal Annette Ostrem. "Loss of learning influences students' motivation, knowledge and readiness for future classes, and may impact them well into adulthood."

Furthermore, "it is obvious that attendance and related absenteeism are key indicators for monitoring student learning in high schools,” said Castle High Acting Principal Darrel Galera.

Hawaii parents face the law

Parents and legal guardians are responsible for their children’s absences. If there is educational neglect – failure to give children proper educational care and attention – those adults may pay a price. Examples of educational neglect are failing to enroll a child in school and allowing a child to continually miss school. 

Immediate consequences for parents, said Windward District Social Worker Patt Sornsin, can include:

·      standing before a judge and explaining why their child is not attending school
·      facing a court order to attend services like parenting and anger-management classes, and counseling/therapy
·      receiving judge’s orders to appear in court more often
·      answering to state agencies like the departments of human services and health if the judge says so.

 Present-in-class payoffs

Besides graduating on time and avoiding the law, good attendance can:

·      lead students out of poverty
·      result in children from low-income families gaining more literacy skills than classmates from higher-income families during kindergarten and first grade
·      produce readiness for college, career and community.

Just do it

Parents are asked to ensure that students attend school whenever they’re healthy and to always message the school when their child is absent, regardless of the number of absences or the reasons. Excuse notes for illnesses, and visits to the doctor and dentist will allow students to make up schoolwork but these absences count toward chronic absenteeism, as mentioned in this report’s second paragraph.

At Laie Elementary, the Attendance Matters program motivates students to attend school daily and on time. Each month, one class in each grade with the best attendance and least tardies gets to share a traveling trophy. The one class with the best attendance in the entire school gets a larger trophy in its class each month. Sometimes they enjoy longer PE periods and healthy rewards.

"Attendance Matters takes advantage of students' competitive nature and positively reinforces attendance from a group approach," said Principal Matt Ho. "The best way to get students to school is to instill the self-drive to want to come to school daily and on time.” Parents and the community can also see attendance data in Laie’s newsletter.

Other schools message parents through phone calls, emails and letters each time a student is absent. Additionally, Kahuku High and Intermediate contacts parents when their child’s absences reach five days. At 10, parents get a letter requesting a conference.

Furthermore, in early 2014, the Be Pono - Be in School campaign that includes 16,000 students in all 31 Windward District schools will launch a video contest with celebrity judges and exciting prizes, said Paula Wong, district educational specialist.

Take control

Tardiness and absenteeism challenges "can be resolved earlier by seeking support from your school,” Kahuku High's Ostrem said. “Contacting the counselor can start your child’s return to class and learning."

Guardians can also talk with their child’s teacher, ask for help if needed, and take advantage of school websites and technology for attendance information.

The efforts and evidence surrounding chronic absenteeism are in: From prekindergarten forward, good attendance leads to a high school diploma. Coming to school every day now means graduating on time later.