As the school year progresses, there are bound to be days when a student has to miss school. Missing some school is normal and often times unavoidable but missing too many days can have a ripple effect on students and their development. This article will share some facts about the importance of attending school and provide tips for speaking with families about attendance.
What is School Attendance or Absenteeism?
There are many reasons why children are missing school, whether they are not feeling well, getting poor sleep, or feeling worried or fear about going. As there are many different reasons why a student miss school, these different reasons are categorized:
In New York State, if a child misses 10% or more of the school year (which is about 18 days), they are considered chronically absent. Schools keep track of chronic absenteeism and report it to the Department of Education as part of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Under ESSA, chronic absenteeism is one way schools measure student success beyond test scores. ESSA allows schools to use other measures to assess how well students are doing and chronic absenteeism is a valid way to measure school performance and its impact on learning. To qualify as an ESSA indicator, the criteria must be valid and reliable, applicable to all students, comparable across state school districts, allow for differences in performance among schools to be detected, permit summarized and disaggregated data, and have a proven impact on achievement, all of which are criteria chronic absenteeism meets.
Why is Missing School a Problem and the Impact of Chronic Absenteeism
Chronic absenteeism has many long-term effects on students. It is useful to speak with caregivers to emphasize although missing one or two days here and there may not seem like a big deal, these can add up quickly and impact their child in many areas.
Research shows:
It is important to note all types of absences, whether excused or unexcused, count toward chronic absenteeism, and even excused absences can have negative impacts on a child’s education.
Speaking with Families about Attendance
Find the Why
There are a number of reasons as to why a child may miss school. Asking questions to identify factors is crucial to building connection with families. Some of these factors include socioeconomic factors, access to transportation, housing or food, physical and mental health status, home, neighborhood, or community violence or trauma. It is also important to consider students’ feelings and attitudes toward school, as well as their caregivers’, in addition to their relationship with the school and staff. When providing recommendations to families, it is important to acknowledge the why and what is behind missing school.
Depending on factors contributing to absenteeism, you can better tailor recommendations to meet their unique needs, whether connecting them to community resources and supports available or giving them information on strengthening their relationship with the school.
Working with Families Experiencing School Refusal
School refusal impacts many school-age kids. This is when a child avoids attending school or has difficulty staying in the classroom during the school day. Below are some strategies to try:
Share Accessible Resources with Families
Attendance Works (https://www.attendanceworks.org/) has free, evidence-based resources to use with families (and kids!) to teach the importance of attendance. These include handouts for families, and posters highlighting why attendance is important to keep in your office where caregivers can view them!
Key Terms:
School Attendance is tracking students' presence at school.
School Absenteeism is when student is not at school.
Excused absences happen when a child misses school for reasons like a religious holiday, a family emergency, a medical appointment, or illness. Schools usually require a note or proof.
Unexcused absences occur when there’s no note or valid reason provided, or if a child misses school for things like a family vacation.
Truancy is missing school without an acceptable excuse.
Chronic Absence refers to missing 10% or more of the school year. In New York State, that’s about 18 or more days of school during the year.
School Refusal happens when a child avoids going to school or struggles to stay in class.
References