One in five kids at risk due to absences, study finds - The ...

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One in five kids at risk due to
absences, study finds
Stefanie Knowlton
Statesman Journal
Chronic absence in Oregon
Students who miss 10 percent or
more of school days per year are
considered chronically absent.
This is the percentage of students
who are chronically absent in the
state’s largest school districts.
Salem-Keizer: 22 percent
Portland: 21 percent
Eugene: 20 percent
May 2, 2012
One in five Salem-Keizer students missed about 18 days of school last
year, putting them at risk for missing academic targets in later grades,
according to data released by Oregon’s Chalkboard Project today.
Forest Grove: 20 percent
Beaverton: 16 percent
Source: Oregon’s Chalkboard
Project
About 22 percent of students were chronically absent, which means they missed 10 percent or
more of school days. That number is slightly higher than the state’s average of 21 percent and
more than Oregon’s four other large districts, according a follow-up report on chronic absence
in Oregon.
Economic consulting firm EcoNorthwest developed the initial report in February using Oregon
Department of Education data, which found a clear relationship between early attendance and
later achievement in Oregon.
For example, chronically absent kindergarteners and first-graders had the lowest reading test
scores in fifth grade. They also were more likely to be chronically absent later. The report did
not distinguish between excused and unexcused absences or the reasons why students
missed school.
Absenteeism is the strongest predictor of whether students pass their classes or drop out,
according to research. Of the eighth-graders in Philadelphia who missed more than 20 percent
of the school year, 78 percent eventually dropped out, according to “Unfulfilled Promise,” by
Ruth Curran Neild and Robert Balfanz.
But chronic absence gets little attention, especially compared with other indicators such as test
scores, said Phyllis Jordan with Attendance Works, a national and state initiative on school
attendance and one of the supporters for Oregon’s study. The Children’s Institute also
partnered with Chalkboard on the study.
“No state has really looked at its chronic absence rate until now,” Jordan said.
This year, Oregon school districts will need to set benchmarks on the percentage of
sixth-graders who miss fewer than 10 percent of the school year as part of their new
achievement compacts with the state.
But boosting student attendance might prove difficult.
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Attendance still is the biggest challenge at McKay High School, even after it posted record
gains in test scores and course pass rates as part of its $5.6 million federal grant and
schoolwide push to improve.
“It doesn’t matter if we are the best school in America,” said Principal Ken Parshall. “They
won’t learn if they don’t come.”
Mentors and behavior specialists monitor student attendance and reach out when students
miss school. Slowly, McKay bumped its average daily attendance from 90 percent to 92
percent during the past two years.
Salem-Keizer administrators often meet with parents of students who miss school to explain
the importance of attendance and supports needed for students, said Melissa Cole, director of
middle school programs.
Schools also use a variety of interventions and incentives including mentors and support
groups, she said.
“Principals really know those students, and they make personal phone calls to those families,”
said Meera Kreitzer, director of Salem-Keizer elementary school programs.
One barrier for elementary schools in particular is that Oregon law doesn’t require school
attendance until age 7, said Ron Speck, who also directs Salem-Keizer elementary school
programs. He also worries about the effect of chronic absences combined with as many as six
furlough days next year.
Districts with the most at-risk students often battle the highest rates of absenteeism, according
to the Oregon report. But those students also are the ones whose education is most affected
when they miss school, said Jordan with Attendance Works.
In some cases, at-risk students need more targeted help with issues including homelessness
and chronic health problems. But it starts with closely monitoring attendance to find possible
solutions.
In Providence, R.I., teachers discovered that parents working the night shift were falling asleep
before school started so the school opened an early care and breakfast program so parents
could drop children off before going to sleep.
“You start out with making your schools a place kids want to come,” Jordan said, “and targeting
kids who just need a little push.”
sknowlto@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6735 or follow on Twitter @SJEducation
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