The study session involved reviewing the beginning of the school year and what the numbers looked like. Black Ridge and Dry Creek Elementary Schools opened this fall and there were 12 new principal assignments. STARS had 275 children in 10 schools participate in this program over the summer. We have 83 schools-55 elementary, 12 junior high/middle school, 8 high schools, and 8 special purpose schools with an enrollment of 74,310 students. We had about 80 teachers retire and about 100 teachers resign.
September is attendance awareness month and the district supports that increasing student attendance will improve academic outcomes. The district referred to a 2012 University of Utah study (http://www.utahdataalliance.org/downloads/ChronicAbsenteeismResearchBrief.pdf). The district stated that they have 2 goals- 1. to have reading ability on grade level by 3rd grade, 2. 90% or higher graduation rate and students will be career/college ready. The district defines chronic absenteeism as missing 10 or more days of school. They also stated that students are academically at risk if they miss 10% of the school year for any reason-regardless of if these are unexcused or excused absences and that this risk occurs as early as kindergarten.
Because the study lumped all absences together, I find the study a little difficult to swallow. The study showed a link between chronic absenteeism and students dropping out of school. There is a difference between a child who is truant and a child who has to miss school due to a medical condition. According to this study, my 12-year-old is at high risk for dropping out because he was chronically absent in 3rd grade due to a tonsillectomy. And my daughter's best friend is at high risk for dropping out because she traveled to Spain and missed 10 days of school. I think failing to differentiate between truancy and excused absences misses a huge point.
During the presentation, an at-risk assessment was displayed. This at-risk assessment showed factors such as 3rd grade reading level, 6th grade DRA scores, and failing the CRT in math or language arts. There was also a section for behavioral issues. A board member asked who entered info under behavioral issues and the question was never really answered. It was a little frustrating to me to see that my child's 3rd grade reading ability could be a red flag to the district for him dropping out. And it also made me think of children who have a difficult start in life. My husband and I have been foster parents and children in foster care already have a black mark in their files. Add to that a low reading score due to circumstances not under their control, and they spend the rest of their school careers fighting those labels. I understand the need to use data to provide solutions, but lumping data together without looking at individual circumstances does a disservice to our students.
Do you feel the district should distinguish between truancy and excused absences as they create policy?
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