Attendance Support

Attendance is a continued priority to support educators, families and students in reducing chronic absenteeism and increasing school attendance. School attendance is linked to improved student achievement and overall postsecondary success.

By aligning attendance work within a school’s multi-tiered system of supports and continuous improvement cycles, schools, families and community partners can work together to identify barriers to attendance and implement approaches that help students be in class and ready to learn.

Improving attendance behavior should follow the same Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports (MTSS) structure and process as is used to identify and meet academic goals. 

  1. Leadership
  2. Assessment and Data-Based Decision Making
  3. Universal Tier
  4. Supplemental and Intensive Tiers
  5. Infrastructure
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Leadership & Data-Based Decision Making

  • Is there a representative team that meets to review and address data
  • What quantitative and qualitative data are being used to determine district, school-wide and student specific supports?
    • Potential data sources include: school and state attendance and behavior data as well as student, family and community listening sessions or surveys. Note: Student surveys must comply with Iowa Code 279.79.
  • Review current initiatives and interventions and determine their effectiveness. Are they being implemented with fidelity? Are they working as intended? Are there activities to discontinue?
  • What data points trigger supplemental and intensive interventions?
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Universal, Targeted & Intensive Supports

Does data indicate that more robust universal support for attendance is needed and/or that a smaller number of students need targeted or intensive support?

While not an exhaustive list, some high leverage examples to improve attendance include:

  • Strengthen a healthy and safe learning environment
  • Reinforce consistent, positive classroom management
  • Support academic engagement and relevance
  • Improve family communication and collaboration

The above align with Comprehensive Healthy and Safe Learning Environments and Iowa Teaching Standard 1: Demonstrates competence in proactive, supportive classroom management strategies to intervene early and minimize the escalation of identified behavioral health symptoms and other barriers to school success.

  • Address group or individual barriers including school access, basic needs and health concerns
  • Create, implement and monitor an individual Absenteeism Prevention Plan
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Infrastructure

Check that your school policy and practice are in compliance with requirements for Attendance and Chronic Absenteeism.

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Additional Resources

The following links provide information and tools to support school attendance. The list is not exhaustive and should not be considered recommendations.

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