School Attendance
Chronic absenteeism, defined as a student missing at least 10% of school days for any reason, is a major issue for many grade level reading communities, including Haverhill. 10% is the equivalent of a student missing just two days of school per month, but the implications on a student's learning can be great. The reasons for chronic absenteeism vary widely, from health issues to transportation issues, or even a general lack of understanding of the importance of attendance in the early grades. Haverhill Promise is dedicated to supporting schools and families, by developing solutions that will help reduce chronic absenteeism and ensure that students are in school every day getting the important reading instruction and intervention they need.
In March of 2021, Haverhill Promise submitted a Community Solutions Action Plan to the Campaign for Grade Level Reading and received our official designation as a “grade level reading community”. The Haverhill Promise Community Solutions Action Plan (CSAP) is the result of nearly three years of research and collaboration between the Haverhill Promise steering committee, volunteer workgroups, and local leaders meeting regularly to develop innovative solutions to the problems impacting grade-level reading outcomes in Haverhill.
Below are some highlights from the School Attendance portion of the CSAP:
CSAP (Community Solutions Action Plan) School Attendance “at a glance”
Big Vision for School Attendance in Haverhill:
All Haverhill students attend more than 90% of school days each school year.
Problems Identified in the CSAP:
Chronic absenteeism rates rose significantly during the Covid-19 pandemic and have stayed high afterwards.
We don’t have a good handle on how to help from the community (non-school) level.
The district has historically taken a case management approach to chronic absenteeism, assessing and addressing the individual needs of each family, and has not aggregated qualitative data, which could reveal patterns in specific neighborhoods or student sub groups.
Goal (Year 1: 2023)
Maintain or reduce the chronic absenteeism rate at Haverhill public schools serving K-3 students during the current learning year.
*This goal was not met for the 2020/2021 school year and 2021/2022. There were many Pandemic related factors, including illness and remote learning issues that negatively impacted school attendance and were difficult to address.
Goal (Years 2-5)
Reduce the overall rate of chronic absenteeism (at Haverhill public schools serving K-3 students) by at least 1% each year.
Interested in learning more about the School Attendance effort in Haverhill? Want to help implement the strategies outlined in our CSAP? Consider volunteering with the School Attendance workgroup!