The counselors believe it is important to provide students with knowledge, skills, and attitudes to become critical thinkers who are college and career ready. Attendance is a key component in achieving these critical skills. Therefore, the school counselors, School Advisory Council along with the administrators studied the College and Career Readiness Performance Index (CCRPI) as well as attendance data from the previous school year. CCRPI is a comprehensive school improvement, accountability, and communication platform for all educational stakeholders that will promote college and career readiness for all Georgia public school students.

Through their analysis, it was discovered that 32 % of the student body had 6 or more absences which would not meet the CCRPI requirement. For that reason, the school counselors put a plan in motion to decrease the absenteeism while increasing student and parent awareness of the importance of attending school on a regular basis. The program goal stated: As of May 2016, 50 % of students who participated in an eight week attendance program will meet the yearly goal of five or less absences. Research conducted by Hedy Chang and Marijose Romero concludes that actions start when the school identifies the problem and can make a significant difference when they intentionally partner over time to promote attendance through universal strategies such as: offering incentives for attendance and educate the parents about the importance of attendance. This information led to the counselor’s plan of a daily check in system, a reward system, letter to parents, and core curriculum mini-lessons for the targeted students.



Three hundred nineteen students met the requirements to participate in the attendance program. The counselors met with all of these students by grade level to explain the program. These students were given an informational letter and a permission form to give to their parents. Additionally, the 3rd-5th grade students were given a pre-survey about school attendance. Out of 319 students, 171 returned the permission form, thus becoming the target group.

Next, the counselors met with students by grade level and completed a mini-lesson on the importance of school attendance and good versus bad excuses for missing school. The weekly, mid-point and end reward system was explained as well. At the four week mark, the counselors met by grade level again to check in and complete another mini lesson. The focus of this lesson was Responsible Routines to help get to school each day and on time. Each student created a flip book with ideas for morning, afternoon, and evening routines that would be helpful for their attendance success. At the eight week mark, the counselors met with the grade levels to talk about how this program helped them and what they were doing differently as a result. The 3rd through 5th grade students took the post survey as well. Over the eight weeks, the counselors periodically emailed the parents of these students to encourage consistent attendance. Furthermore, the principal posted in our school-wide, parent communication, the importance of attendance and how it impacts Kemp’s CCRPI score.

After a deep analysis of our results from the group participants and the overall school-wide attendance data, the counselors feel that this is a continuous problem and a large amount of our student body has 6 or more absences. Therefore, steps need to continue in order to decrease the overall percentage of absenteeism at Kemp Elementary. Future steps include developing a school wide initiative to increase the overall attendance rate of students. Additionally, it is imperative to educate the parents on the importance of school attendance. This education and awareness can be consistent through the email communication system, Open House, and newsletters. It is our belief that if parents knew the importance of their child’s attendance and the effect it has on the CCRPI score, they may be more diligent with their child’s attendance. Working as a team is also crucial in decreasing the amount of absences. Teachers can play a part by calling the parents after a student misses 2 consecutive days. In addition to this, the counselors, CSIS clerk, and school social worker can collaborate to ensure that the attendance protocol is strictly enforced. In addition to a school-wide initiative, we may need to continue the intensive attendance program for a smaller group of students that have a history of an extreme number of absences. We believe that we are able to connect with and make a bigger impact with a smaller group of students.

Goal: As of May 2016, 50 % of students who participated in an eight week attendance program will meet the yearly goal of five or less absences. During the 8 week program, 80% of participating students will meet the goal of 0 to 2 absences.

Target Group: We targeted students with 6 or more absences in the 2015 school year, 319 students. After notifying students and parents of this program, we received permission forms from 171 students, which became our target group.

Data Used to Identify Students: We reviewed the 2015 attendance data from CSIS. It was noted that 32% of our student body had 6 or more absences.

School Counselor(s): Jenni Briggs, Alicia Pope, and Michelle Stevens

ASCA Domain, Mindsets & Behaviors Standard(s): Mindsets: 2. Self-confidence in ability to succeed. 3. Sense of belonging in the school environment. 6. Positive attitude toward work and learning. Behavior standards: Learning Strategies 3. Use time-management, organizational and study skills. Self-Management Skills 1. Demonstrate ability to assume responsibility. 2. Demonstrate self-discipline and self-control. 6. Demonstrate ability to overcome barriers to learning.

Type of Activities to be Delivered in What Manner?: delivered and what was the method of delivery)? After identifying the students with 6 or more absences, we met with them (319) by grade level. We told them about the attendance program and the incentives.They were given an informational letter along with a permission form to give to their parents. (In meeting with the students prior to sending home the permission form, we were hoping to get more participation than we did two years ago.) Additionally, we gave our 3rd – 5th grade students a pre-survey about schoolattendance. Once we received the returned permission forms, we met with those students (171) again, by grade level. In this meeting, we talked about why students are absent, what are good/bad reasons for missing school. We discussed how attendance can impact grades and school performance. We also explained the logistics of the program – using Class Dojo for daily check-ins; gaining points for being at school and being on time; earning a weekly, a four week and an eight week incentive for meeting goals. Students began checking in on iPads each morning using the Class Dojo app. At the end of each week, students who were on time and present everyday would earn a small reward. At the end of four weeks, students who had zero to one absence and/or zero to two tardies, earned a popsicle. At the end of eight weeks, students who had zero to two absences and/or zero to three tardies, earned an after school popcorn and movie celebration. We met with the students (by grade level) at the four week mark to conduct a lesson on Responsible Routines. We talked about how sometimes we blame others for why we aren’t at school or why we are late. Students came up with ideas of what they can do to help them get to school and be on time. They each created a flip book with ideas for morning, afternoon and evening routines that would help. At the eight week mark, we met with the students again to talk about how this program helped them and what they were doing differently as a result. Our 3rd through 5th grade students took the post survey as well. Over the eight weeks, we would periodically email the parents of these students to encourage consistent attendance. Every so often, our principal posted in our school-wide, parent communication, the importance of attendance and how it impacts our CCRPI score.

Process Data (Number of students affected): 171 students

Perception Data (Surveys or assessments used): Third, fourth and fifth grade group participants were asked to rate four statements on the pre/post survey. 1. Pre: 76% of students believed that being absent from school can affect their grades in a negative way. Post: 72% = 5% decline. 2. Pre: 60% of students believed that being late to school can affect their grades in a negative way. Post: 66% = 9% increase. 3. Pre: 94% believed that they have the ability to be at school on a regular basis. Post: 95% = 1% decline. 4. Pre: 98% of students believed they have the ability to be at school on time. Post: 98% = no change.

Outcome Data (Achievement, attendance, and/or behavior data): 36% of program participants met the yearly goal of 0 to 5 absences. 68% of program participants met the 8 week program goal of 0 to 2 absences.

Implications: Even though we did not meet our goal, we saw a significant improvement in the group participants’ attendance with 69% of participants reducing the number of absences from 2015 to 2016. There was very little positive change in the students’ perceptions about attendance and how that impacts academic success. We believe that we need to educate our students more through our Core Curriculum lessons and weekly class meetings about the importance of being at school and the correlation to learning. During the initial grade level meetings, we noted that the students' beliefs and perceptions of valid reasons for missing school were skewed. Many students stated "taking a vacation" as an appropriate reason to miss school. In the future, we will add a question regarding “reasons people miss school” to the pre/post survey to determine how prevalent this belief is and how it affects absenteeism at Kemp Elementary. It was noted that the first grade students had the smallest percentage of students that achieved the 8 week goal at 55%. We wonder if there was a lack of understanding and procedures among this grade level due to their young age. The 2nd through 5th grade students were very diligent and excited about checking in each morning and achieving their goals. However, the first grade students tended to forget to check in. Therefore, they didn't receive their weekly rewards or make the connection between checking in and being at school on a regular basis. On a side note, we realize that kindergarten had 100% of students who achieved their goal. However, there were only two students in the kindergarten group. They were car riders which made it easy for us to remind them to check in each day. In the last two to three school years, the CCRPI has changed the attendance requirements from 10+ absences to 6+ absences. As a staff, we strive to meet this expectation. However, it is challenging due to common illnesses among young children. In order to improve this, we may need to educate our students and parents about appropriate reasons for missing school. It was very alarming to the administration and counselors that 32% of our students were eligible for this program. We realized that the number of group participants was extremely high and we had concerns about the possible success of the program. However, we felt it was deemed necessary to raise awareness and hopefully make a difference. In the past, the number of participants has been much more manageable averaging 25 to 30 students. We believe that we are able to connect with and make a bigger impact with a smaller group of students. After a deep analysis of our results from the group participants and the overall school-wide attendance data, the counselors feel that this is a continuous problem and a large amount of our student body has 6 or more absences. Therefore, steps need to continue in order to decrease the overall percentage of absenteeism at Kemp Elementary. Future steps include developing a school wide initiative to increase the overall attendance rate of students. Additionally, it is imperative to educate the parents on the importance of school attendance. This education and awareness can be consistent through the email communication system, Open House, and newsletters. It is our belief that if parents knew the importance of their child’s attendance and the effect it has on the CCRPI score, they may be more diligent with their child’s attendance. Working as a team is also crucial in decreasing the amount of absences. Teachers can play a part by calling the parents after a student misses 2 consecutive days to check on them and make sure everything is okay. In addition to this, the counselors, CSIS clerk, and school social worker can collaborate to ensure that the attendance protocol is strictly enforced. In addition to a school-wide initiative, we may need to continue the intensive attendance program for a smaller group of students that have a history of an extreme number of absences.

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