Attendance End of Year Newsletter

Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction sent this bulletin at 06/27/2025 01:21 PM PDT

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Wrapping Up the Year & Looking Ahead
Back-to-School Webinar
New: Community Engagement Boards Modules
Save the Date: 2025 BECCA Conference
Immigration Enforcement Messaging
Resources

Wrapping Up the Year & Looking Ahead

Attendance Resources to Support 2025–26

As we close out the 2024–25 school year, we want to extend our gratitude for your continued commitment to student engagement and success.

To help you prepare for a strong start next year, we’re highlighting key resources developed this year to support your attendance efforts.

Assess your School's Attendance Team

Does your school have an Attendance Team in place?

If so, how effective is it? Take a moment to assess your School's Attendance Teams. Attendance Team Assessment: Use this brief self-assessment with your school team to assess your school's overall progress towards addressing attendance comprehensively and use the results to set your goals.

Tier 1 Attendance Planning

Kick off the 2025-26 school year with attendance planning.

Tier 1 Attendance Planning: September Kickoff supports schools in launching the year strong by guiding summer and early fall strategies—like welcome messaging, family engagement, and positive school culture.

Additional Tier 1 Resources:

Connect with Students who Missed 10% or More of the School Year

As the school year wraps up, now is the perfect time to identify students who struggled with attendance this year. The strongest predictor of future absences is previous absences! This insight can help you build a strong foundation for the fall.

Review attendance data to find students who missed 10% or more of the year. If that’s too many, consider a higher threshold like 15% or 20%.
Make a list of students to prioritize outreach and support in the new school year.
Start planning simple ways to connect early with personal messages, welcome postcards, or peer mentors.

Building Teacher Confidence to Boost Attendance

When Washtucna School District discovered that families wanted more communication, they found many teachers lacked confidence in calling home. In this 5-minute clip, Principal Stacy Gloyn shares how they tackled this challenge head-on—through professional development, simple tools, and trust-building—resulting in a more than 10% drop in chronic absenteeism in just one month.

Watch the 5-minute clip: Building Confidence for Teacher Calls Home

Want the full story? Watch the 23-minute video

Additional Resources:

Attendance Awareness for the New School Year

Strong attendance starts with strong messaging. As you wrap up this school year, it’s the perfect time to begin planning your Attendance Awareness materials for the fall. Check out the OSPI Attendance Awareness Materials webpage for toolkits and templates.

Additional Resources:

OSPI's Best Practices for Improving Attendance

Back-to-School Webinar

Join Attendance Works for Webinar 3 of the 2025 Attendance Awareness Campaign: Here Today, Ready for Tomorrow!
Discover how building student and family connectedness can reduce chronic absence and boost engagement. Gain practical, evidence-based strategies and tools to kick off the school year strong.

Date: August 6, 2025 | Time: 12:00 PM

Register for AttendanceWorks Webinar

New: Community Engagement Boards Modules

OSPI recently released a series of modules that will support school districts to develop and refine their Community Engagement Boards (CEBs)—an effective method for addressing truancy through collaborative, student-centered interventions and a requirement in law (RCW 28A.225.025). The modules include written guidance, short videos and ready to use templates.

You can find the CEB Modules on the OSPI Truancy Supports and Resources webpage; just scroll down to the expandable menu and look for the Community Engagement Boards section.

Save the Date: 2025 BECCA Conference

Experts representing education, justice, and community from across the region will provide new information, training, and development to professional and community members who support young people in their pursuit of successful post-secondary pathways, careers, and civic engagement.

Submit a presentation proposal here!

2025 BECCA Conference Flyer

Immigration Enforcement Messaging

Superintendent Reykdal recently addressed state legislators regarding rumors of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity on school grounds. To date, there have been no confirmed ICE contacts or detainments involving students at Washington schools. OSPI investigates all reports immediately and coordinates with district superintendents to verify facts. If any ICE activity involving student detainment occurs, OSPI will notify the Attorney General, the Governor’s Office, and lawmakers, and issue a public statement.

For guidance on immigration enforcement protocols and student privacy protections, refer to: Protections for Immigrant Students in Washington’s K–12 Public Schools (January 2025)

Resources

Questions on Attendance?

Email: Attendance@k12.wa.us
OSPI Attendance Voicemail Line: 360-725-4957
Visit the OSPI Attendance Webpage
OSPI Attendance & Truancy YouTube Playlist

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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