Chronic Absenteeism in APS

[Anonymous]

I feel like the school board isn’t serious about absenteeism if they make Easter Monday a school day for the first time in years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel like the school board isn’t serious about absenteeism if they make Easter Monday a school day for the first time in years.

It’s always been a holiday for DC-area schools. It’s ridiculous. With all the other newish holidays and an extended winter break I’m surprised they couldn’t make Easter Monday work out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like the school board isn’t serious about absenteeism if they make Easter Monday a school day for the first time in years.

It’s always been a holiday for DC-area schools. It’s ridiculous. With all the other newish holidays and an extended winter break I’m surprised they couldn’t make Easter Monday work out.

Not in the past several years. ??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I predict high absentee rates today.

Of course. Easter Monday used to be a school holiday. Most kids are rolling Easter eggs on the White House lawn today, a DC holiday tradition

LOL. "Most kids".

The only kids taking off today are the ones who ODed on sugar yesterday.

Au contraire… many of the OD cases were in my classroom today. 🤣

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, the lesson of the pandemic is that in-person school matters a lot, as evidenced by all of these outcomes. The message of COVID sent by our leadership is that school is not that big a deal and lost learning can be made up easily down the line.



Yes, this is a huge problem. When APS said coming to school didn't matter, parents believed them. I can understand a parent thinking oh well, they didn't make kids go to school for almost 2 years so I guess my kid doesn't really need to be there, they can just read the assignment on canvas. It's the same thing.

if APS wants to fix the issue, they need to come out and admit the mistake of keeping schools closed, apologize and begin a campaign to get kids back to school.

Oh, c'mon. It's time to stop blaming everything on the schools and the pandemic. Look at the numbers--the SA schools are experiencing MUCH higher absentee numbers than NA schools. That would indicate that something else is wrong, correct? If it was just the pandemic causing this, the numbers would be low across the board.

The problem has more to do with SES. There needs to be more outreach to immigrant and low-income families so school expectations are understood--that education is critical to student futures and that parents understand the direct link between grades and absenteeism. In some cases, students are not attending school because they are expected to care for younger siblings or other family members. Perhaps the bloated equity office should take this on--more home visits, etc. to provide information to families in their home languages. The schools themselves are overwhelmed, having only one social worker and a limited number of counselors to do this work.

Maybe if APS elementary schools had grades, parents would understand and care. If your kid just gets “meets” in all their standards, how are you supposed to know the difference between C level and A level work?

I do think the standard base grading may play a role in elementary absences. But it doesn’t explain middle or high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, the lesson of the pandemic is that in-person school matters a lot, as evidenced by all of these outcomes. The message of COVID sent by our leadership is that school is not that big a deal and lost learning can be made up easily down the line.



Yes, this is a huge problem. When APS said coming to school didn't matter, parents believed them. I can understand a parent thinking oh well, they didn't make kids go to school for almost 2 years so I guess my kid doesn't really need to be there, they can just read the assignment on canvas. It's the same thing.

if APS wants to fix the issue, they need to come out and admit the mistake of keeping schools closed, apologize and begin a campaign to get kids back to school.

Oh, c'mon. It's time to stop blaming everything on the schools and the pandemic. Look at the numbers--the SA schools are experiencing MUCH higher absentee numbers than NA schools. That would indicate that something else is wrong, correct? If it was just the pandemic causing this, the numbers would be low across the board.

The problem has more to do with SES. There needs to be more outreach to immigrant and low-income families so school expectations are understood--that education is critical to student futures and that parents understand the direct link between grades and absenteeism. In some cases, students are not attending school because they are expected to care for younger siblings or other family members. Perhaps the bloated equity office should take this on--more home visits, etc. to provide information to families in their home languages. The schools themselves are overwhelmed, having only one social worker and a limited number of counselors to do this work.

Maybe if APS elementary schools had grades, parents would understand and care. If your kid just gets “meets” in all their standards, how are you supposed to know the difference between C level and A level work?

I do think the standard base grading may play a role in elementary absences. But it doesn’t explain middle or high school.

Why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, the lesson of the pandemic is that in-person school matters a lot, as evidenced by all of these outcomes. The message of COVID sent by our leadership is that school is not that big a deal and lost learning can be made up easily down the line.



Yes, this is a huge problem. When APS said coming to school didn't matter, parents believed them. I can understand a parent thinking oh well, they didn't make kids go to school for almost 2 years so I guess my kid doesn't really need to be there, they can just read the assignment on canvas. It's the same thing.

if APS wants to fix the issue, they need to come out and admit the mistake of keeping schools closed, apologize and begin a campaign to get kids back to school.

Oh, c'mon. It's time to stop blaming everything on the schools and the pandemic. Look at the numbers--the SA schools are experiencing MUCH higher absentee numbers than NA schools. That would indicate that something else is wrong, correct? If it was just the pandemic causing this, the numbers would be low across the board.

The problem has more to do with SES. There needs to be more outreach to immigrant and low-income families so school expectations are understood--that education is critical to student futures and that parents understand the direct link between grades and absenteeism. In some cases, students are not attending school because they are expected to care for younger siblings or other family members. Perhaps the bloated equity office should take this on--more home visits, etc. to provide information to families in their home languages. The schools themselves are overwhelmed, having only one social worker and a limited number of counselors to do this work.

Maybe if APS elementary schools had grades, parents would understand and care. If your kid just gets “meets” in all their standards, how are you supposed to know the difference between C level and A level work?

I do think the standard base grading may play a role in elementary absences. But it doesn’t explain middle or high school.

Why?

Because it's worthless and tells you nothing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, the lesson of the pandemic is that in-person school matters a lot, as evidenced by all of these outcomes. The message of COVID sent by our leadership is that school is not that big a deal and lost learning can be made up easily down the line.



Yes, this is a huge problem. When APS said coming to school didn't matter, parents believed them. I can understand a parent thinking oh well, they didn't make kids go to school for almost 2 years so I guess my kid doesn't really need to be there, they can just read the assignment on canvas. It's the same thing.

if APS wants to fix the issue, they need to come out and admit the mistake of keeping schools closed, apologize and begin a campaign to get kids back to school.

Oh, c'mon. It's time to stop blaming everything on the schools and the pandemic. Look at the numbers--the SA schools are experiencing MUCH higher absentee numbers than NA schools. That would indicate that something else is wrong, correct? If it was just the pandemic causing this, the numbers would be low across the board.

The problem has more to do with SES. There needs to be more outreach to immigrant and low-income families so school expectations are understood--that education is critical to student futures and that parents understand the direct link between grades and absenteeism. In some cases, students are not attending school because they are expected to care for younger siblings or other family members. Perhaps the bloated equity office should take this on--more home visits, etc. to provide information to families in their home languages. The schools themselves are overwhelmed, having only one social worker and a limited number of counselors to do this work.

Maybe if APS elementary schools had grades, parents would understand and care. If your kid just gets “meets” in all their standards, how are you supposed to know the difference between C level and A level work?

I do think the standard base grading may play a role in elementary absences. But it doesn’t explain middle or high school.

Why?

Because it's worthless and tells you nothing.

And therefore they don't go to school?
Like you said, it doesn't explain middle or high school absenteeism. So why would that be the cause of elementary absenteeism v. just elementary school in general not being as critical in that you don't miss as much if you're out? I just don't see how the grading system causes chronic absenteeism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do think it has a lot do with the pandemic. I live nextdoor to Drew and Wakefield is my neighborhood school. You had kids that basically didn't see school from March 2020 to Aug 2021. So I am not that surprised that the numbers increased, although obviously that is huge.

I know APS is aware. I mean they already had an "attendance week" (I think last week). And I know our principal said they have been receiving a lot of pressure to decrease absentee rates (and tardies). But I don't know how much the school can realy do short of dragging kids to school.

OP - did Gunston see similar rises? They all feed into each other so I am curious.

If that was the case, why weren't number the highest right after school reopened?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, the lesson of the pandemic is that in-person school matters a lot, as evidenced by all of these outcomes. The message of COVID sent by our leadership is that school is not that big a deal and lost learning can be made up easily down the line.



Yes, this is a huge problem. When APS said coming to school didn't matter, parents believed them. I can understand a parent thinking oh well, they didn't make kids go to school for almost 2 years so I guess my kid doesn't really need to be there, they can just read the assignment on canvas. It's the same thing.

if APS wants to fix the issue, they need to come out and admit the mistake of keeping schools closed, apologize and begin a campaign to get kids back to school.

Oh, c'mon. It's time to stop blaming everything on the schools and the pandemic. Look at the numbers--the SA schools are experiencing MUCH higher absentee numbers than NA schools. That would indicate that something else is wrong, correct? If it was just the pandemic causing this, the numbers would be low across the board.

The problem has more to do with SES. There needs to be more outreach to immigrant and low-income families so school expectations are understood--that education is critical to student futures and that parents understand the direct link between grades and absenteeism. In some cases, students are not attending school because they are expected to care for younger siblings or other family members. Perhaps the bloated equity office should take this on--more home visits, etc. to provide information to families in their home languages. The schools themselves are overwhelmed, having only one social worker and a limited number of counselors to do this work.

Maybe if APS elementary schools had grades, parents would understand and care. If your kid just gets “meets” in all their standards, how are you supposed to know the difference between C level and A level work?

I do think the standard base grading may play a role in elementary absences. But it doesn’t explain middle or high school.

Why?

Because it's worthless and tells you nothing.

And therefore they don't go to school?
Like you said, it doesn't explain middle or high school absenteeism. So why would that be the cause of elementary absenteeism v. just elementary school in general not being as critical in that you don't miss as much if you're out? I just don't see how the grading system causes chronic absenteeism.

The new grading policies creating a problem at HS level. Kids will be absent and blow off a test because they can retest later.