As unprecedented pandemic-era spikes in absenteeism linger in colleges across the state, Education Department officers wish to redirect district accountability measures, pour in funds and transfer the problem to the entrance of the road.
“I am considering proposing increasing the weight of chronic absenteeism in the district and school accountability system to highlight the importance and urgency of the issue,” stated Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley at Tuesday’s Board of Elementary and Secondary Education assembly. “At the identical time, we consider in sort of reciprocal accountability. And we need to ensure that we put out grants and provide the technical help — like webinars and different issues — to help our districts as they higher have interaction our households.
“This is not about ‘gotcha’ or blame in any way, shape or form,” Riley continued. “This is about an educational community, focusing on an issue that is germane to all of us.”
The dialogue this week follows DESE’s launch of 2022-23 continual absenteeism knowledge final month. At the October assembly, Riley proposed a broad shift from present “underperforming” accountability metrics given to varsities to “attendance priority schools.” On Tuesday, he shifted focus to the process to extra narrowly alter the varsity accountability metrics, noting federal mandates for the system.
A pupil is taken into account chronically absent in the event that they miss no less than 10% of college days, normally 18 days a college 12 months.
Before the pandemic, continual absenteeism was 13% throughout Massachusetts colleges, stated chief officer of schooling knowledge Rob Curtin. That quantity peaked throughout 2021-22 at just below 30% and dropped to 22% final faculty 12 months.
“Close to 200,000 (chronically absent) students — if you think about that each one of those students has generally missed at least 18 days, you’re looking at four million days of school missed by the students,” stated Curtin.
The drawback spreads throughout all grade ranges — elementary college students jumped from about 10% pre-pandemic to over 20% now, and excessive schoolers moved from 23% to just about 30% now, officers detailed.
Despite widespread misconceptions, Curtin stated, the problem doesn’t focus in city districts. About three-fourths of colleges throughout all districts meet the state’s normal of “attendance priority schools” with excessive ranges of continual absenteeism, officers stated.
High charges of absenteeism have been tied to dangers of decrease literacy, educational achievement and commencement, amongst others. The measurable affect of the latest rise, Curtin stated, is “startling.”
MCAS examination scores broadly replicate a large hole between chronically absent college students and others, Curtin stated. On the 2023 English MCAS examination for grades three to eight, as an illustration, 46% of non-chronically absent college students and solely 25% of chronically absent college students met or exceeded expectations, Curtin offered.
The state is trying to step up efforts to coach and talk with households on the problem. Riley famous this entails directing $4 million to districts to spend money on issues like technical help and rolling out a statewide communications technique together with public service billboards.
Another very important “lever” the division has to maneuver the problem, officers stated, is the state’s accountability system for districts. The system makes use of targets for attendance, MCAS scores, commencement charges, transportation and different metrics to judge districts’ efficiency and direct funding.
Attendance is presently weighted 10% of districts’ scores, however officers stated the weighting may shift to prioritize the issue space. Federal necessities mandate excessive stage of give attention to measures of accomplishment and progress, Curtin stated, however there may be some room to redirect priorities in 2024.
“There’s no doubt that both sides of this increasing the weighting on the chronic absenteeism would have a substantive effect on the accountability determinations that we make,” Curtin stated, noting the complexity of the method.
Before making a proper advice, the division would undergo a evaluation and public remark interval on the change, Curtin stated. The weighting shift would then require a vote from the Board and federal approval.
Board members echoed earlier help for transferring to prioritize attendance, questioning broadly the timeline of the method and a few expressing “disappointment” that there was no formal proposal but.
“No matter what curriculum changes, or other policy changes, or funding or grants that we throw at schools, the thing is that kids aren’t there,” stated pupil member Ela Gardiner. “And that’s the problem that we’re facing.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com”