Updated Spring 2022
Roughly 1 in 6 students are chronically absent from school. This leads to complications with kids completing high school and becoming functioning members of society.
As we finish this school year and look forward to the next one, we need to take into consideration the ways being tardy and chronic absenteeism impact student success in all grades and levels.
In this article we’ll cover:
- Tardies Impact on Student Success
- Tips for Improving Student Attendance
- How to Plan Absences and Early Dismissals
- How to Reduce Tardiness and Absentees with Pikmykid
Absentees Impact on Classroom and Student Success
Tardiness causes interruptions and distractions for other students that negatively impact the learning environment. Tardy students miss important information from the teacher’s instruction, and ultimately hinder their academic achievement.
Prompt arrival at school is important for building strong habits that allow for a calm and consistent start to the school day. Numerous absentees and tardies also negatively impact student achievement because vital information and instruction are missed and are difficult to make up in the same way it was originally presented.
As a result, this inconsistency puts a student at an academic disadvantage. Arriving on time begins the day and sets the learning expectation for students and is essential for preparing for the day
Chronically tardy students are more likely to accept that absence altogether is tolerated, often leading to chronic absenteeism.
How parents can help students be on time and avoid being absentees
- Establishing and keeping a schedule; kids thrive on routine
- Going to bed and waking up earlier
- Preparing for the morning the night before by laying out outfits, packing backpacks, and pre-packing lunches
- If work schedules conflict, investigate other means of transportation, such as carpooling with other families
Benefits of being on time:
- Reduces anxiety and helps students focus more in the classroom
- Staff have more time to engage with students on their learning plan
- Schools can lock their doors for visitors after the bell to keep students safe
- Keep the school neighborhood safe and less congested
Tips for Improving Student Attendance
Excessive absences and being tardy make it troublesome for a teacher to deliver effective instruction that advances student achievement. Missing 10 percent or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused—is a proven early warning sign of academic risk and school dropout. Additionally, absentees also deprive students of benefiting from the enrichment programs and Title 1 and Title 2 fund benefits.
Things to be aware of when planning your absentees
- While family vacations are important, please schedule them during school breaks
- Students are responsible for the make-up work for absence and teachers can help if they know in advance
- Studies show 100% attendance is a defining difference in student success
District Administration Created a wonderful article on 7 Ways that Schools can deal with attendance problems:
- Home Visits
- Communicating with Parents
- Breaking down ‘morning barriers’ – navigating the logistics of getting children to school
- Access to Health Care
- Culturally relevant classrooms
- Mentors
- And Creating absence intervention teams.
Tips to encourage attendance and avoid being an absentee:
- Host events to celebrate great and improved attendance for parents and students
- Establish positive, supportive and engaging school climate using a School Survey
- Create an ‘attendance awareness month’ (first month of the school year)
- Provide a safe, clean environment that motivates students
- Educate and families about the impact of attendance on achievement
- Implement positive behavior supports to improve school climate and prevent student behavior that can negatively impact attendance
- Implement a program to track and monitor absences and when students are tardy, so parents can easily stay on top of student schedules (Every School Day Counts)
- Provide Personalized Early Outreach
How to Plan Absences and Early Dismissals
Some events cannot be scheduled during holidays or weekends. Parents do have to pull students from their schedule inevitably for things like doctor’s appointments. It is important to remember that missing class time can be detrimental to a student’s academic progress as the experiential aspect of the learning process cannot be duplicated at home.
Tips to help parents plan Early Dismissals
- Encourage parents to schedule appointments after school hours
- Encourage parents to sign out the student at the front desk to avoid distractions to other students. Using software to communicate with parents and silently manage early dismissals makes this process even easier.
- Oversee early dismissals to help teachers and parents proactively avoid absentees
Daily Dismissals
Dismissals are a critical part of the day where teachers, parents, and students work in a coordinated fashion to help students get home safely without sacrificing learning time. A calm and smooth dismissal saves staff time, parents peace of mind, and limits students’ anxiety.
Benefits of planning your dismissals
- Staff have clarity on where the students schedule, and save 30-40 minutes a day
- Learn More: School Pick Up App Case Studies
- Reduce student anxiety (particularly for younger or special needs students who may require more help to get adjusted to the change)
- Reduce bullying or other student behavior activities in corridors that may cause absences due to disciplinary action
How to Reduce Tardiness and Absentees with Pikmykid
Chronic absences and tardies can be turned around when schools, districts, communities, and families work together. Use insight-based observations to interact with and mitigate the root cause. As a comprehensive school dismissal safety program, Pikmykid is your all-in-one solution for the path to student success.
- Parents can report absentees and schedule them ahead of time from their app. This can help staff plan the take-home work for students absent for a longer window.
- Morning Check-Ins from the app – Parents /carpools can announce their morning drop-offs and real-time notifications will inform parents of any tardies. This information should help parents plan to reduce future tardiness and absentees
- Early Dismissal – Parents can self-check-in at the front desk for volunteering or early dismissals. This reduces classroom distractions for students and staff.
Ready to increase attendance and streamline dismissal?
Learn why more than 2,000 schools choose Pikmykid to reimagine school safety or schedule a demo to get a personalized walkthrough from a school safety expert.
Materials referenced:
- https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/chronic-absenteeism-in-accountability.pdf
- https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2009/2009804.pdf
- http://www.njpbs.org/Intervention_Resources/overview.htm
- https://www.attendanceworks.org/
- https://districtadministration.com/7-new-ways-school-stem-attendance-chronic-absenteeism-covid/
