- Attendance and engagement are foundational to student learning
- Absences tells us when a student has not accessed instruction, and therefore all absences matter and have an impact
- Absences are a critical early warning indicator that:
- can reflect inequities that are caused by or perpetuated by our systems or
- when a student and family might need more support
- We have an opportunity to get curious about why students aren’t attending
- Students and families are our best partners to understand the barriers to attendance
- The purpose of attendance and truancy interventions are to reduce barriers to attendance and support students to engage; not to punish
- Schools and districts have lots of opportunity for prevention and intervention before involving court
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?
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As a part of the ESSER Attendance & Reengagement Project, OSPI and ESDs are hosting an Attendance Community of Practice on the first Wednesday of the month.
Next session is today, Wednesday, March 6th at 1:30 pm.
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Not able to make it? Did you miss last month's?
All Attendance Community of Practice sessions are recorded and available on the OSPI Attendance & Truancy YouTube playlist.
Click here to watch February's CoP recording to see Lakeside High School talk about their PDSA cycle on addressing tardies.
Vicki Wood is our new OSPI Attendance & Truancy Program Supervisor
Vicki is working with the OSPI Attendance & Reengagement team as the new Attendance & Truancy Program Supervisor. She comes to OSPI as a former Student Attendance Specialist from Evergreen Public Schools. Vicki brings extensive knowledge and background on attendance and truancy in Washington State.
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OSPI recently released Regular Attendance data from school year 2022-23 on the OSPI Report Card.
How do I find the Regular Attendance data on Report Card?
Check out this quick and easy walkthrough.
What is Regular Attendance?
Regular Attendance on the OSPI Report Card is defined as having, on average, less than two absences per month, both excused and unexcused. Regular Attendance includes only full day absences reported to CEDARS, defined as missing at least half the school day. This measure includes students that were enrolled for at least 90 days at any given school.
 Is Regular Attendance different than Chronic Absence?
Regular Attendance is the inverse of chronic absence, a research-based measure that includes students who have missed 10% or more of their school days, excused and unexcused.
What questions can Regular Attendance from the Report Card help us answer?
- Is our regular attendance improving or declining since last year or over time?
- Which student groups have the highest rates of absences (by race/ethnicity, FRL, Migrant, McKinney Vento, etc.)?
- Which grades have the highest rates of absences?
Where do I find out more about Regular Attendance calculations?
Email OSPI's Report Card Redesign Team at ReportCardRedesign@k12.wa.us
How long does a parent/guardian have to excuse their child's absence?
School districts have the authority to establish a timeframe for parents/guardians to excuse a child’s absence in their local school board policy and student handbook. Neither state law nor rules address this. Typically, school districts establish a policy or procedure that requires parents to excuse an absence between 48 hours - 1 week. OSPI recommends that school districts establish an expectation of one week.
OSPI also recommends that when more information is known about the absence after the one-week period, the school should consider excusing absences if a valid reason has been provided. Keep in mind that all absences matter and can have an impact on learning, both excused and unexcused.
Our goal is to reduce barriers to attendance and support the student to engage in their education in a proactive and supportive manner, not just to excuse the absence.
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Drops in attendance are common before and after spring break. If your student attendance data shows a spring slump, plan something to counter that trend. Communicate the importance of showing up to school. Attendance Works has spring dip resources for schools and districts below.
Spring Attendance Works Resources:
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Spring Attendance Slump: Here you will find a template for a letter to families, fill in calendar option to “Sprint through Spring”, and ideas to avoid the dip in attendance during Spring.
- Download Sprinting through Spring, a calendar of sample daily spirit activities, that can be adapted for any month.
- Download social media materials to spread the word about the Spring Attendance Dip!
Better Together: Integrating Attendance and Behavior
Schools and districts are challenged as never before with student attendance and behavior. Join the National PBIS Center, Attendance Works and a panel of educators as they share their strategies for combining efforts to create systems that support good attendance and behavior.
Date & Time: March 6, 2024, 11:30 AM
Attendance and Engagement Specialists for Kiona-Benton School District worked with Ki-Be Elementary to bring awareness to students, families, and staff around their current attendance and how they can improve.
Their school mascot is a bear, which led to them creating the “Feed the Attendance Bear” school-wide intervention. Each grade level’s daily attendance percentage was tracked and every time they were above their intended goal, they were able to add a honeycomb to the bear. Students loved seeing the progress for the grade level and the whole school. "Feeding the attendance bear" brought improved attendance and connection within all grade levels and staff.
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OSPI's Student Engagement & Support Division promotes a comprehensive system of supports that enhances student well-being and maximizes student engagement to eliminate educational equity gaps. Attendance is a part of the Student Engagement & Support team at OSPI.
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OSPI's School Counseling Program provides resources and supports to help all students in the areas of academic achievement, career exploration and preparation, and social emotional development.
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