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The data on chronic absenteeism is well documented across all grade levels and further broken out across ethnic and socioeconomic subgroups. According to the report published by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) titled: Chronic Absenteeism in The Nation's Schools, and data collected from the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), over 7 million students missed 15 or more days of school in 2015-2016. This equates to 16% of the student population overall or about 1 out of 6 students. Across grade levels, the data has shown that the rates of chronic absenteeism have increased from elementary to middle to high school with 1 out of 5 high school students recorded as chronically absent. All ethnic groups fell in the range of 8.6% to 26% of students chronically absent. These are the hard facts which educators must reconcile, even though it is difficult to pinpoint the specific causes. The USDE report suggests that the causes can range from poor health, limited transportation, and a lack of safety which can be considerably more problematic amongst disadvantaged populations.
Adding the layer of systemic trauma that schools and communities are now facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the data that is yet to be collected is the impact of the pandemic on current rates of absenteeism. Generally speaking, schools tended to focus on average daily attendance. However, with remote learning, hybrid learning, asynchronous and synchronous models being implemented all across the state, how will absentee data be uniformly and equitably recorded?
At the VDOE, we recognize that superintendents and principals across the Commonwealth are personalizing strategies based on the needs of their respective communities. We encourage you to build professional learning communities and continue the necessary work to engage our students, minimize the damage due to missed instruction, and capitalize on engaging instruction reimagined. To promote dialogue, we asked a few principals to share key ingredients in engaging students to promote attendance. Excerpts are included our new Field Notes (pdf) section.
Dr. Aurelia Ortiz
Director
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Promotion of Quality Leadership
Leaders across the Commonwealth work diligently to promote quality in their schools. Please take some time to recognize those leaders.
The Office of School Quality is happy to announce the names of school leaders who were recognized for their leadership in Classroom Lesson Evaluation. You can view the list of individuals on November QT Leadership Recognition.pdf
Based upon this month's theme of Chronic Absenteeism, nominate a principal who has embodied exceptional leadership in any of the following criteria. Complete the nomination form by December 23, 2020, for consideration.
The principal implements, monitors and evaluates chronic absenteeism by using these criteria:
- Attendance Planning
- Data Collection
- Causation Analysis
- Communication
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Support for High-Quality Educational Environments
Effectively collecting, monitoring, and using student attendance data to identify attendance trends, set and track goals, and identify chronically absent students is critical to supporting student success. Principals can work with school attendance teams to enable the collection of high-quality, comprehensive attendance data by creating an attendance taxonomy that is both exhaustive and mutually exclusive. In addition to collecting and analyzing attendance data, school leaders should build a school culture of positive attendance and implement a comprehensive approach to engaging and communicating with parents about attendance.
This research brief from Hanover Research reviews research and best practices in the areas of collecting, monitoring, and using attendance data and communicating about attendance. Principals can use this resource to contribute to their knowledge on successful practices for monitoring attendance and using attendance data to support students.
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Q-Tip
Each month, we will feature one of our tools from our revised Academic Review Toolkit.
The school-level academic review is designed to help schools identify and analyze instructional and organizational factors affecting student achievement. The focus of the review process is on the systems, processes, and practices that are being implemented at the school level.
This month’s feature is the Chronic Absenteeism Tool.pdf Take a Quick-look to reflect on your school’s current practices based on the criteria to help improve the school’s continuous improvement efforts.
The Chronic Absenteeism Tool is a larger tool specific for implementing, monitoring, and evaluating chronic absenteeism with the following criteria: attendance planning, data collection, causation analysis, and communication.
If you would like additional training or technical assistance to implement this tool, complete this Google Form by December 23, 2020.
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Collaboration Corner
New Professional Development Series Coming Soon: Supporting School Readiness for English Learners (ELs)
In order to support a focus on language development within the early childhood years, VDOE's Early Childhood and English Learner Instruction Programs are collaborating to provide interested childhood educators and caregivers (including Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten teachers) with a monthly webinar series. In this series, participants will explore best practices and key resources to support language and literacy development for multilingual students from birth until age 5. Sessions will include time for idea sharing and questions. Stay tuned for more information.
If you are a Pre-K or K teacher interested in sharing a strategy or collaborating to present a short webinar, please email jessica.costa@doe.virginia.gov.
2020-2021 School Year Emergency Guidelines Information
VDOE has provided new information to school divisions on the Emergency Guidelines for the Use of Local Performance Assessments to Verify Credits in Writing for the 2020-2021 School Year and the Emergency Guidelines for the Use of Local Alternative Assessments in Lieu of the Virginia Studies, Civics and Economics, and Grade 8 Writing Standards of Learning Tests for the 2020-2021 School Year.
ACCESS for ELs: Preparing and Motivating Students During Instruction
The annual language proficiency test is coming up! Join this webinar on Monday, December 14, 2020, at 4 p.m., presented by VDOE's EL Instructional Specialist, to prepare your students to highlight their strengths and perform to their maximum potential. Explore sample test items and hear ideas for creating opportunities within virtual and face-to-face instruction that build confidence and motivation. Elements of formative language assessment will be discussed.
WestEd Brief Supporting ELs During School Closures
The Supporting English Learners During School Closures Considerations for Designing Distance Learning Experiences brief is part the Crisis Response Resources collection from WestED. This brief explores four key practices with examples that are effective in meeting the instructional needs of ELs.
eWorkshop: Co-Teaching in a Virtual World
Dr. Peggy Weiss provides ideas for using all of the co-teaching approaches in both face-to-face and virtual classrooms. The eWorkshop is a series of seven, brief videos that include real classroom examples of how to incorporate co-teaching approaches to meet instructional objectives both in whole group instruction and in delivering specially designed instruction (SDI). Review Co-Teaching in a Virtual World
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Reminders
- The 2019-2020 Final Dropout Report is now available under Fall SRC Reports. Please note that VDOE discontinued the practice of verification of the Final Dropout Report last year and uses the Superintendent’s verification of the Preliminary Dropout Report instead.
- VDOE and the Commonwealth’s public schools work in partnership to support and improve teaching and learning through a variety of programs and activities promoting the safety and well being of students within a positive learning environment. Several wellness support guides are offered at https://www.doe.virginia.gov/support/prevention/index.shtml
- The Office of School Quality wishes everyone a very happy and safe holiday season.
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Any feedback about this communication is greatly appreciated. If you have a topic you would like to see in a future monthly edition of Quality Quick Takes, please submit to OSQ at OSQ@doe.virginia.gov.
This monthly communication is intended for school and division leadership throughout the Commonwealth.
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