Attendance November Newsletter

Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction sent this bulletin at 11/16/2023 03:05 PM PST

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Holiday Messaging
OSPI Attendance & Truancy YouTube Playlist
Commonly Asked Question
Join our Attendance Community of Practice
What is the Right Work Right Now?
Mental Health: FAST Skills Workshops
Free Intro to Motivational Interviewing
Resources & Articles

Holiday Messaging

While the 2023-24 school year has started off with less interruptions from Covid-19, we are still grappling with very high levels of chronic absenteeism and lack of family engagement. Some students are still establishing a routine of regular attendance, making it more important than ever to support this rhythm during the holiday season.

Attendance Works has developed messaging and letters for school leaders hoping to encourage good attendance around the winter holidays. Attendance Works recommends:

Send a letter out before Thanksgiving and again in the weeks before the longer winter break urging students and families to avoid absences.
- Thanksgiving-themed letter in English and Spanish
- Winter break holidays letter in English and Spanish

Let them know the date when school will resume.
Consider sharing health flyers and encourage students and families to take steps to stay healthy and avoid getting sick.
Plan a special event for the first day after the holiday break to welcome students and staff back.

Click here to read more on Attendance Works Holiday Messaging

OSPI Attendance & Truancy YouTube Playlist

Did you miss past webinars and trainings on Attendance & Truancy? Watch our collection of recordings on the OSPI Attendance & Truancy playlist channel.

Attendance & Truancy Playlist

Commonly Asked Question

Is there a state definition of a tardy?

No.This is locally determined. Common tardy thresholds are 5 – 10 minutes late.

Do OSPI absence rules mean that a student can never be marked absent if they are tardy?

WAC 392-401-040 states that a school or district shall not convert or combine tardies into absences that contribute to a truancy petition. Schools and districts are still able to mark a student absent after a certain threshold if their local student information system can differentiate absences due to a tardy and absences where the student does not attend the class at all.

Click here to read the Attendance & Truancy FAQ.

Join our Attendance Community of Practice

Are you passionate about improving student attendance? Are you looking to share with and learn from other Washington districts about strategies and support to make a positive impact on your school's attendance rates?

As a part of the ESSER Attendance & Reengagement Project, OSPI and ESDs are hosting an Attendance Community of Practice starting on the first Wednesday of the month.

Next session is Wednesday, December 6 at 1:30pm.

Who should attend?

Anyone who’s work touches on attendance, especially school team members. Please share this opportunity with others in your district.

REGISTER HERE

What is the Right Work Right Now?

Self-assess your attendance system and create an action plan
Set district and school attendance goals
Establish Tier 1 teaming on attendance
Train district attendance leads to be data-literate leaders

Teaming on Attendance Resources

Can your Attendance team answer these questions?

Universally, across the whole school...

Who is missing?
When are they missing?
Why are they missing?
What other information do we need to answer these three questions?

What types of data do we need?

Tier 1 Attendance Data - Universal Patterns for Prevention (examples: Monday - Friday, Periods 1-6, holiday dips)
Tier 2 Attendance Data - by barrier (examples: transportation, experiencing homelessness or foster care system, poor grading practices)
Tier 3 Attendance Data- Top 5% of students who are missing or severely chronically absent
Attendance Works Data Tools

Mental Health: FAST Skills Workshops

First Approach Skills Training (FAST) programs are designed to provide brief, evidence-based behavioral therapy for youth and families with common mental health concerns, in settings such as schools where longer-term treatment is not typically provided. FAST tools can be used by school staff and youth as a first approach for anxiety, depression, challenging behavior, sleep tips and more.

In Partnership with Seattle Children's and the Partnership Access Line, Forefront Suicide Prevention is pleased to present a FAST Skills Workshop Series. These workshops, intended for parents/caregivers and/or school based mental health providers will give an overview of the FAST approach and accompanying resources.

Webinars are on the 4th Thursday of each month from 12-1pm. Use the discount code “OSPIBHN” to waive the fee OR choose to donate to pay this programing forward. This opportunity is open across Washington state.

Register Today

Free Intro to Motivational Interviewing

Click on the video above to view a 30-minute Introduction to M.I. presented by Jonnae Tillman. Provided at no-cost, feel free to copy the link and forward to your colleagues, watch at team meetings, add to new employee training materials.

Click here to watch now

Resources & Articles

Questions?

ALL STUDENTS PREPARED FOR POST-SECONDARY PATHWAYS, CAREERS, AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT.

Led by State Superintendent Chris Reykdal, OSPI oversees K-12 public education in Washington state. Our mission is to provide funding, resources, tools, data and technical assistance that enable educators to ensure students succeed in our public schools, are prepared to access post-secondary training and education, and are equipped to thrive in their careers and lives.

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