Chronic absence rates high at schools
Nearly 60 percent of continuation high school students were regularly cutting class in the 2016-17 school year
California’s continuation high schools are meant to give students a last chance to get back on track for graduation, but state data reveal that many of the schools struggle with a basic challenge: Getting students to attend each day.
Nearly 60 percent of continuation high school students were considered chronically absent during the 2016-17 school year, according to an EdSource analysis of state data. At 59.6 percent, the average chronic absence rate at continuation high schools is 4 times higher than the average among all California high schools, and 5½ times greater than the state average for all schools.
The high levels of absenteeism at continuation schools illustrate how difficult it can be for school officials even in these specialized settings to reach some of the state’s most vulnerable students. A continuation school is an alternative high school for students 16 or older who are at risk of not graduating, often because they have fallen behind in credits.
The absenteeism rates also indicate that large numbers of continuation schools are failing to change the poor attendance habits many students developed at their previous schools, making it impossible to reverse their academic trajectory, said Russell Rumberger, an emeritus professor at UC Santa Barbara and director of the California Dropout Research Project.
“Attendance, as we know, is a strong predictor in terms of dropping out and not graduating,” Rumberger said. “Getting them in the door isn’t a guarantee that they’re going to get out the door with a diploma, but it’s a necessary first step.”
“Getting them in the door isn’t a guarantee that they’re going to get out the door with a diploma, but it’s a necessary first step.”
— Russell Rumberger, emeritus professor
A student is defined as chronically absent if he or she misses 10 percent or more of school days for any reason, including excused absences such as those for illness. With most schools offering 180 instructional days, a student would have to miss 18 days, or an overage of two per month, to be chronically absent.
Attendance encouraged
Boynton High School in San Jose is one of 441 continuation schools in California. The state in December released chronic absenteeism data that includes results for 424 of those schools, which enrolled as many as 90,000 students during the 201617 school year.
The California Department of Education last year named Boynton, where enrollment hovers around 200 students, one of the state’s Model Continuation High Schools. The school has implemented many of the strategies recommended to reduce absences, such as an orientation program for incoming students and their families that stresses the importance of coming to school each day. It also rewards
students for good attendance — each time a student goes a week with no absences, they can pick out a treat from a snack cupboard filled with bags of chips and cups of instant noodles.
Standing in Boynton’s courtyard on a recent Monday morning, Principal Sarah Thomas could tell attendance was low as she watched students shuffle between classes.
While Boynton’s chronic absenteeism rate of 44.8 percent in 2016-17 was
lower than those of most continuation schools, it was by far the highest chronic absenteeism rate in the Campbell Union High School District, which extends into San Jose. The next-highest rate, at the traditional campus Del Mar High, was 13.1 percent
At Broadway High School, another designated model continuation school a few miles from Boynton in San Jose, Principal Giovanni Bui said his school seeks to address the
root causes of students’ absences. Consistent attendance can be a challenge for some students, such as teen mothers who miss time for doctor appointments and students who commute over an hour on buses to get to school.
Questions about data
The eye-catching rates at continuation schools come with some caveats.
The California Department of Education is looking into potential errors in its database of chronic absenteeism rates. Some 200 schools statewide, including eight continuation schools, submitted reports for the database claiming all of their students had perfect attendance, prompting the state to send out letters asking districts to re-check their data.
In addition, seven continuation schools told EdSource that the chronic absentee rates listed for them in the state database were incorrect.
State Department of Education officials have acknowledged that the methods used to calculate attendance at alternative schools could lead to errors in their absenteeism rates, because many of those schools measure their attendance in different units than traditional schools. But officials said they have not conducted an in-depth analysis of their data to see if there are widespread problems with it.
Best teachers needed
Continuation schools with low chronic absence rates credit highly engaged teachers and orientation programs that aim to get new students off on the right foot.
Given the population continuation high schools serve, experts say it’s crucial for districts to give those schools the resources and quality staff they need. That often has not been the case, though, according to Elsbeth Prigmore, who oversees alternative education in the Shasta Union High School District.
Because continuation schools are often small and tend to serve students from low-income backgrounds whose families wield less political power, Prigmore said district officials may be less inclined to make them a priority.
Thomas said teachers are key to improving student attendance. Boynton students start four school days each week in an advisory period with a teacher who becomes their point person, joining them for transcript reviews every six weeks to check in on their path to a diploma and making calls home when the student misses class.
“It’s almost like they’re case-managing their 15 students,” Thomas said.
Boynton student Samantha Lowe said the environment there has helped get her to school after she missed “a lot” of days at the traditional high schools she previously attended.
“Before it was, I didn’t want to go because I was stressed or … I didn’t get something done,” Lowe said. “Now it’s, ‘I got everything done, I have the support I need.’”