2015-2016 School Attendance Improvement Plan

Part 1 of 2

ZONETONMIDDLE SCHOOL

Kathy House, Principal

Name and Title of Person Completing Attendance Improvement Plan:

Name: / Ann Ford / Title: / Assistant Principal
ATTENDANCE GOAL FOR THE 2015-2016 SCHOOL YEAR ___96______%

Attendance Information

2014-2015 Attendance Percentage for the year95.30%

Month 1 / Month 2 / Month 3 / Month 4 / Month 5 / Month 6 / Month 7 / Month 8 / Month 9 / Month 10
96.66 / 96.12 / 95.34 / 94.20 / 94.12 / 95.15 / 95.36 / 95.46 / 95.81 / 93.44

2013-2014 Attendance Percentage for the year95.53%

Month 1 / Month 2 / Month 3 / Month 4 / Month 5 / Month 6 / Month 7 / Month 8 / Month 9 / Month 10
96.86 / 96.16 / 95.60 / 94.94 / 95.31 / 94.66 / 95.01 / 95.82 / 96.48 / 90.43

2012-2013 Attendance Percentage for the year94.76%

Month 1 / Month 2 / Month 3 / Month 4 / Month 5 / Month 6 / Month 7 / Month 8 / Month 9 / Month 10
95.89 / 95.76 / 94.59 / 94.82 / 93.14 / 93.15 / 94.57 / 95.13 / 96.16 / 92.44

2011-2012 Attendance Percentage for the year94.88%

Month 1 / Month 2 / Month 3 / Month 4 / Month 5 / Month 6 / Month 7 / Month 8 / Month 9 / Month 10
95.96 / 95.65 / 95.07 / 95.17 / 94.95 / 94.54 / 95.02 / 94.93 / 94.99 / 91.92
  1. Please provide a brief evaluation of your 2014-2015 School Attendance Improvement Plan - identify successes, strengths, weaknesses and issues that you identified and want to address in the 2015-2016 School Attendance Improvement Plan.

We have steadily increased our average attendance for the year over a 4 year time span: 2010-2011, 95.16%; 2011-2012, 94.88%; 2012-2013, 94.76%; 2013-2014, 95.53%. This past year 2014-2015 saw a slight decrease of 95.53% to 95.30%. For 2014-2015 we saw an increase in the last month from 90.43% to 93.44%. We reached our highest month in 2013-2014 over a 4 year span with a 96.48% in the 9th month. ZMS emphasized attendance in 2013-2014 with weekly and monthly celebrations for perfect attendance. ZMS also more systematically met with truant studentsand worked with the CDW to emphasize the importance of attendance. The CDW participated in Open House and spoke to our students during an assembly. We continued emphasizing attendance this past year and provided information at Open House. We also continued to meet with truant students, along with the CDW and the district social worker for ZMS. Activities at the end of the year were structured so that we saw a higher attendance for the last 3 days. For example, Team celebrations occurred on Monday; talent show and band concert occurred on Tuesday; and field day occurred on the last day with 8th grade promotion ceremony held in the evening.
  1. Briefly describe your 2015-2016 School Attendance Improvement Planand describe how it differs from the previous year’s plan.

We will continue to give consequences after the 3rd tardy. We will continue home visits for truant students. We will restructure incentives and celebrations for good attendance using more team celebrations and a school wide competition. All parties responsible for tracking attendance are still in place at ZMS; the consistency of staff continues to bea strength. Teachers will increase positive messages home. ZMS will continue to improve home-school relations through community nights, media sites providing information, and increase communication during the school week between the school and home.
Home visits may be conducted to determine if the student is living in our district. This will be more of a point of emphasis for the attendance coordinator and the assistant principal.
An automated phone message and personal phone call is made to all absent students the day of their absences.
Announcements will be made each day reminding students to bring notes to the office. We have also put in place an in-school pony for notes and messages to be sent to the office.
Teachers will send postcards and/or call truant students to encourage attendance. A list of truant students will be provided to the team leader once a week. Concerns for the truant students and emphasis on increasing their attendance will be discussed in team meetings.
The Truancy Diversion Program is now in the seventh year of implementation and is running efficiently. The AP continues working with the court designated worker, the school social worker; and the attendance coordinator to provide the best solution for each individual student’s problem. The improved success of TDP allows the AP and AC to meet with students prior to them having attendance issues. Letters are also sent to the homes of students at the following intervals of their tardiness and absenteeism: 2 and 3 unexcused tardies, 5 unexcused absences, 6 unexcused absences for a referral to the DPP for truancy is made, 6 parent note limit, and 10 doctor note limit.
A reward system will be restructured this year. Teams will provide incentives and rewards for attendance. A school wide competition will include attendance for teams gaining points.
Students with 100% attendance each 9 weeks will receive a non-monetary reward.
  1. How you are going to evaluate the effectiveness of your plan?

We will compare attendance from previous years to determine if the plan is effective. Theadministrative team will meet with Ms. Mayes, the attendance clerk, weekly and monthly to discuss any issues or patterns that develop. Monthly the attendance for each grade will be discussed at this meeting and at team meetings two times per month. Teams will be meeting twice monthly to review RTI behavior and academics. Attendance will be reviewed as a contributing factor to RTI needs.
  1. Susan Bibelhauser is your School Social Worker. What is her role in your School Attendance Improvement Plan?

Susan Bibelhauser is our school social worker and she performs most home visits and functions as a member of the TDP team. She also will work with students who are struggling with attendance in an attempt to help be successful at school.
  1. Who does a parent contact, at your school, when they have questions or concerns regarding their child’s attendance?

Name: / Debbie Mayes / Title: / Attendance Coordinator
Name: / Ann Ford / Title: / Assistant Principal
  1. Who does a student contact, at your school, when they have questions or concerns regarding attendance?

Name: / Debbie Mayes / Title: / Attendance Coordinator
  1. How are you going to communicate your plan to staff, students and parents?

To Staff: / Faculty meetings, ZMS website
To Students: / Morning News cast, ZMS website, Automated Call system, Facebook, Twitter, student handbook
To Parents: / e-newsletter, ZMS website, Automated Call system, Facebook, Twitter, student handbook
  1. Please attach and return the following information with your plan:
  2. school attendance policy and procedure

See Bullitt County Student Code of Conduct, policy 09.123. The policy found in the student agenda is shown below.

ATTENDANCE POLICY & PROCEDURES

All parents/guardians should notify the school when their child is absent. Notification should occur on the day the student is absent from school and include the number of days the child is expected to be absent.

A written explanation of that absence is required upon the student’s return to school. No excuses will be accepted after 5 days (includes health professional statements).

Excused Absences: Reasons for which an absence or tardy may be excused:

Excused AbsencesRequired Documentation

1. Student Illness Drs. note, parent note (after 6 absences Dr. Note Only)

2. Court Appearance Court Clerk, judge verification

3. Death or Severe Illness of Family MemberVerification of funeral, note from parent

4. Religious holidays and practicesParent note

5. Kentucky State FairTicket stub accompanied by parent note

6. Appointments with health professionalProfessional note from Doctor/Dentist, etc.

7. Educational tripsParent note

Upon accumulation of SIX (6) occurrences (absences and/or sign-ins or sign-outs) additional verification other than parent notes will be required in order for an absence to be excused (i.e. doctor’s notes, proof of professional appointments, etc.). Board Policy-09.123

Attendance - Procedure for Documenting Excused Absences

1. A student has 5 days following an absence or tardy to bring in documentation/verification

(includes health professional statements) explaining the absence or tardy. Excuses brought in after the 5 days will not be accepted.

2. Students are to present their parent note, documentation, or verification of their absence to the attendance office upon return to school.

Attendance - Parent Notes

When an absence does occur, a note from a parent or guardian explaining the absence is required. Parent notes explaining an absence or tardy must include: student’s name and grade, date and reason for absence, and the signature of parent with parent’s day and night phone number.

Attendance - Truancy Law

KRS.159-150 Any student who has attained the age of six (6) but has not reached his/her eighteenth (18th) birthday, who has been absent from school without a valid excuse for three (3) days or more, or tardy without a valid excuse on three (3) days or more, is a truant. (09.123 board policy)

Following six (6) unexcused absences, a referral may be made to the Court Designated Worker for truancy or a petition filed against the parent/guardian for educational neglect. Sign-in/Sign-out is considered a tardy. (09.123 board policy)

Attendance - Forged Notes

Use of a forged parental note or doctor’s note is a violation of the discipline code and state law. Forged or altered professional notes will result in disciplinary and / or legal action.

Attendance - Notification of Absences

It is the responsibility of the parent and student to be aware of the attendance policy and to keep track of accumulated absences for each student.

Every effort will be made by the attendance office to notify parent/guardian of a student’s absence via phone calls and letters. A letter will be sent home to the parent/guardian informing them of their child’s 3rd unexcused absence. A letter will be sent home to the parent/guardian informing them of their child’s 5th unexcused absence. This letter will include a statement indicating truancy will be filed with the courts when the child gets their next unexcused absence. Truancy will be filed on each student when they get their 6th unexcused absence. (KRS 159.150)

Attendance - Educational Trips / Vacation

Students shall be granted an excused absence for up to ten (10) school days to pursue an educational enhancement opportunity determined by the principal to be of significant educational value. Prior approval must be obtained in writing from the principal at least two weeks in advance; no more than 10 days will be excused. This privilege is reserved for students with NO unexcused absences. Such requests will not be honored during state testing.

Attendance – Make-up Work

Generally, students shall have the number of days absent plus one to make up work missed, unless otherwise scheduled by the teacher. It is the responsibility of the student to request work that can be made up, and the request should be made upon the first day back in school.

Attendance - Sign in Policy

Class begins promptly at 8:00 a.m. Any student arriving at school after 8:00 a.m. is considered tardy (KRS 159.150) and must sign in at the front office. On the sixth (6th) unexcused tardy to school students will be assigned one (1) hour detention in the office. Each subsequent unexcused sign-in/tardy to school will result in increased disciplinary action.

Attendance- Sign-out Policy

All students must be signed out of school through the school office. Only parents/guardians and authorized persons may sign the child out from school. Picture ID will be required for anyone signing a child out of school.

No one under the age of 18 will be allowed to sign a child out of school.

  1. information from your school website regarding attendance

When parents/school community visit our website at they have access to the complete attendance plan and student handbook.

  1. information from your teacher handbook regarding attendance

Classroom Attendance – Absences and tardies are recorded by computer in Infinite Campus. Please enter your attendance within the first 5 minutes of each class. You should not have to call role. Seating charts are an expectation; if a student is not in their seat; call out their name to check. Students should be working on FLASHBACKS or a JOURNAL ENTRY during homeroom/reading while you are checking attendance.

  1. a copy of the page(s) of your student handbook that address attendance and

Please see Part a of this section for the information contained in the student handbook.

  1. any school document(s) or forms not already requested in the items above available to or used with students, staff or parents that discuss student attendance
  1. What is the date of the faculty meeting when you will review your school’s attendance plan and staff members’ roles in improving student attendance? Send a copy of the agenda and the sign-in sheet, to the Pupil Personnel Office, following the faculty meeting.

Date: / August 11, 2015
  1. What is the date of the SBDM Meeting when you will review your school’s 2015-2016 School Attendance Improvement Plan?

Date: / August 11, 2015

Activities planned for the end of the school year where parents might be tempted or encouraged to take students home afterwards should not conclude until after 65% of the instructional day is completed (Middle Schools 12:35 p.m.). Schedule events so they are concluded and students are signed out with 35% or less of the school day left. This will be counted as a tardy and will not negatively impact your school’s attendance percentage. Please make sure teachers are not telling students they will not be doing anything the last days of school and they will not have to come to school those days. Students are in school 170 days each year and students are out of school 195 days. All 170 days of school count! Any student that leaves the school building, at any time during the school day, for any reason other than an instructional or planned activity must be signed out on the Entry - Exit Log and that data must be entered in the student information system / Infinite Campus. Sign out sheets can be created for these rare days with the sign-out time for the activity posted so the attendance clerk can use the attendance wizard to mass assign the attendance to the students that have been signed out of school by their parents or guardians.

Zoneton Middle School Attendance Percentage

The Last Three Days Of School

Monday – June 1 / Tuesday – June 2 / Wednesday – June 3
94.38% / 95.56% / 87.77%
  1. How you are going to assure good attendance the final days of the 2015-2016 school year?

Sixth and seventh grade team celebrations will occur during the last three days of school. The Celebration Committee will be planning an 8th grade Day of Celebration and Graduation consisting of awards and other events. 8th Grade Dance is scheduled for the final days of school. Field Day is scheduled for the last day of school. The 8th grade promotion ceremony is in the evening of the last day. Students are not allowed to participate if they are absent or tardy for the last day. After KPREP Assessment, teachers develop plans that are even more engaging with projects and independent studies.
  1. Items specific to Zoneton Middle School Attendance to consider and comment on:

One of the goals for the Middle School Truancy Diversion Program is to get more students into Phase 2– Home Visit is completed, the Truancy Affidavit and Evaluation Form is completed, the Student Intervention Document is completed and the student is in diversion with the Court Designated Worker. What will you do to accomplish this?

Communication through our DPP to ensure that we have TDP meeting each month will occur by the end of August. Dates should be set up in advance so that no other activities in school coincide with the scheduled dates. Ms. Ford and Ms. Mayes will communicate with Ms. Bibelhauser to conduct a home visit for any student that is deemed close to truancy. Ms. Ford and Ms. House will make scheduled time to complete forms needed before TDP or attendance issues are a problem.

Review attached Attendance Day County Report – Unexcused Absences for 2014-2015– Are there students in your 6th and 7th grade that had attendance issues that you want to intervene with early in the 2015-2016 school year? What will you do?

ZMS has several students that have at least 10 absences. Goal Setting with these students will take a priority within the first two weeks of school. The goal setting sheets will be sent home through the mail to these students so that parents will be notified. An excel spread sheet will be created of the students that are listed on the Attendance Day Count Report and teachers will be provided with this list. During one of the first PLCs teachers will review it and watch for an absence from these students. A post card or phone call will be made after the 2nd absence sharing how important it is to be in school. A letter will be developed and mailed home prior to school outlining the absences from last year and how we want this year to be a great one for their students. Ms. Mayes has identified to students who will be placed in Phase II at the beginning of 2015-2016.

Review attached Attendance Day Count Report - Excused Absences for 2014-2015- Are there some students that may have benefited from Home Hospital services? Are there many students that had more than ten excused absences? How might you address any concerns with students that have a significant number of excused absences?