Post by gatordog on Jan 31, 2010 16:09:12 GMT -5
Every pupil counts
With funding, state goals on the line, districts keep close eye on attendance
January 31, 2010
By KATHY CICHON AND DAN CAMPANA Staff Writers
A Naperville Sun Watchdog Report:
For all the challenges involved in reaching state standards for test scores and graduation rates, none of it is possible unless students show up.
Attendance is the most fundamental and necessary aspect of school. It affects how schools are funded and how teachers teach. State officials agree better attendance means better learning.
"It's a common-sense premise," said Mary Fergus, spokeswoman for the Illinois State Board of Education. "Good attendance will lead to a better educational experience."
A Naperville Sun look at attendance rates -- as reported in the 2009 state school report cards -- in the Indian Prairie and Naperville 203 school districts found:
• Out of 52 schools, only two fell below or failed to at least match the state attendance average of 93.7 percent -- Waubonsie Valley High School and Neuqua Valley High School.
• Following those numbers, high school attendances are typically lower than elementary and middle schools. For the latter, the state has set attendance rate targets since 2003 which tie into a school's annual yearly progress. In 2009, the target was 90 percent and it rises to 91 percent in 2010.
• In D203, no school had an attendance rate of less than 95.5 percent, while among Indian Prairie's middle and elementary schools, none was below 94.9 percent.
The Naperville area's high attendance is attributed to several factors, including having "a nice school environment where kids feel they want to go," said Dave Holm, assistant superintendent for business in District 204. And there's a parent base that believes it's important for their children.
It's the same in District 203.
"They come," said Dave Zager, District 203's assistant superintendent for finance. "And I think it's more of an expectation with their families, too."
In some communities, attendance figures such as those in Naperville are uncommon.
"I've been in districts where if you get into 92 (percent), they're happy," Zager said.
Holm said District 204's attendance "is pretty good."
Even with high attendance rates the norm for Indian Prairie, three district schools offer recognition or incentives for good performances. The state does not offer guidelines for what schools should or shouldn't do to encourage attendance, but pizza parties and other treats are common practice.
Locally, officials monitor attendance numbers closely not only because of how it ties to money, but also for other issues it can reveal. The development of the H1N1 flu had many school administrators keeping an eye open for odd spikes in absences that might indicate where or if the virus had arrived.
Concerns about H1N1 prompted county health officials to suggest a halt in attendance incentives to keep students who are sick from trying to come to school to have perfect attendance -- spreading the virus in the process.
"There's a point where no matter how much we tried to encourage greater attendance, it's not going to do any good," Holm said.
Although Indian Prairie has seen an increase in low-income students -- up to 7.5 percent in 2009 -- during the last 10 years, its attendance rate has remained consistently around 95 percent. Low income levels are often cited as a factor in chronic truancy, which is virtually nonexistent in Indian Prairie.
The district's high schools -- Waubonsie and Neuqua -- have seen their respective attendance rates slip in recent years. To put the 2009 figures in context, Waubonsie Valley High School had an average of 414 students absent on any given day.
Each missing student figures into money taken in by districts.
So, what do the numbers really mean?
The state uses two different standards to measure attendance, while districts keep an eye on it in more practical ways.
For reports cards, the state uses a formula that takes into account the total number of student absences and total days students attended during the course of the school year. There is no minimum number of days a student must show up during the year, but districts are required to have 176 days of instruction.
To calculate General State Aid, the state considers a district's best three months.
"There's a financial incentive," Fergus said, for schools to get kids in class. "The formula was created to encourage better attendance. It's been the mechanism we've used for a long time."
Holm said one student not accounted for in daily attendance means $6,119. If 1 percent of district students were absent, that would mean $1.8 million in lost revenue.
"It adds up fast," Holm offered.
Indian Prairie picks up 16 percent of its funding from the state, a little more than half of it tied to the General State Aid program. The latter will add up to $25 million this year.
D203 uses the "alternate formula" to determine its state money," Zager said.
"We get about $2 per day per student," he added.
Like Indian Prairie, D203 has few truancy issues and no major attendance rate swings through the last decade. He thinks the top three attendance months typically come in the year's first semester.
"It's not exact science," Holm pointed out. "It's not easy to know when and how much."
The Top 5
1. (tied) Jefferson Jr. High; Kennedy Jr. High; Steeple Run Elementary School - 96.8
4. (tied) Kingsley Elementary School; Glens Elementary School; Ranch View Elementary School - 96.7
The Bottom 5
1. Waubonsie Valley High School - 89.3
2. Neuqua Valley High School - 92.9
3. Still Middle School - 94.9
4. Longwood Elementary School - 95.1
5. (tied) Brookdale Elementary School; Georgetown Elementary School - 95.4
Source: ISBE 2009 school report cards
With funding, state goals on the line, districts keep close eye on attendance
January 31, 2010
By KATHY CICHON AND DAN CAMPANA Staff Writers
A Naperville Sun Watchdog Report:
For all the challenges involved in reaching state standards for test scores and graduation rates, none of it is possible unless students show up.
Attendance is the most fundamental and necessary aspect of school. It affects how schools are funded and how teachers teach. State officials agree better attendance means better learning.
"It's a common-sense premise," said Mary Fergus, spokeswoman for the Illinois State Board of Education. "Good attendance will lead to a better educational experience."
A Naperville Sun look at attendance rates -- as reported in the 2009 state school report cards -- in the Indian Prairie and Naperville 203 school districts found:
• Out of 52 schools, only two fell below or failed to at least match the state attendance average of 93.7 percent -- Waubonsie Valley High School and Neuqua Valley High School.
• Following those numbers, high school attendances are typically lower than elementary and middle schools. For the latter, the state has set attendance rate targets since 2003 which tie into a school's annual yearly progress. In 2009, the target was 90 percent and it rises to 91 percent in 2010.
• In D203, no school had an attendance rate of less than 95.5 percent, while among Indian Prairie's middle and elementary schools, none was below 94.9 percent.
The Naperville area's high attendance is attributed to several factors, including having "a nice school environment where kids feel they want to go," said Dave Holm, assistant superintendent for business in District 204. And there's a parent base that believes it's important for their children.
It's the same in District 203.
"They come," said Dave Zager, District 203's assistant superintendent for finance. "And I think it's more of an expectation with their families, too."
In some communities, attendance figures such as those in Naperville are uncommon.
"I've been in districts where if you get into 92 (percent), they're happy," Zager said.
Holm said District 204's attendance "is pretty good."
Even with high attendance rates the norm for Indian Prairie, three district schools offer recognition or incentives for good performances. The state does not offer guidelines for what schools should or shouldn't do to encourage attendance, but pizza parties and other treats are common practice.
Locally, officials monitor attendance numbers closely not only because of how it ties to money, but also for other issues it can reveal. The development of the H1N1 flu had many school administrators keeping an eye open for odd spikes in absences that might indicate where or if the virus had arrived.
Concerns about H1N1 prompted county health officials to suggest a halt in attendance incentives to keep students who are sick from trying to come to school to have perfect attendance -- spreading the virus in the process.
"There's a point where no matter how much we tried to encourage greater attendance, it's not going to do any good," Holm said.
Although Indian Prairie has seen an increase in low-income students -- up to 7.5 percent in 2009 -- during the last 10 years, its attendance rate has remained consistently around 95 percent. Low income levels are often cited as a factor in chronic truancy, which is virtually nonexistent in Indian Prairie.
The district's high schools -- Waubonsie and Neuqua -- have seen their respective attendance rates slip in recent years. To put the 2009 figures in context, Waubonsie Valley High School had an average of 414 students absent on any given day.
Each missing student figures into money taken in by districts.
So, what do the numbers really mean?
The state uses two different standards to measure attendance, while districts keep an eye on it in more practical ways.
For reports cards, the state uses a formula that takes into account the total number of student absences and total days students attended during the course of the school year. There is no minimum number of days a student must show up during the year, but districts are required to have 176 days of instruction.
To calculate General State Aid, the state considers a district's best three months.
"There's a financial incentive," Fergus said, for schools to get kids in class. "The formula was created to encourage better attendance. It's been the mechanism we've used for a long time."
Holm said one student not accounted for in daily attendance means $6,119. If 1 percent of district students were absent, that would mean $1.8 million in lost revenue.
"It adds up fast," Holm offered.
Indian Prairie picks up 16 percent of its funding from the state, a little more than half of it tied to the General State Aid program. The latter will add up to $25 million this year.
D203 uses the "alternate formula" to determine its state money," Zager said.
"We get about $2 per day per student," he added.
Like Indian Prairie, D203 has few truancy issues and no major attendance rate swings through the last decade. He thinks the top three attendance months typically come in the year's first semester.
"It's not exact science," Holm pointed out. "It's not easy to know when and how much."
The Top 5
1. (tied) Jefferson Jr. High; Kennedy Jr. High; Steeple Run Elementary School - 96.8
4. (tied) Kingsley Elementary School; Glens Elementary School; Ranch View Elementary School - 96.7
The Bottom 5
1. Waubonsie Valley High School - 89.3
2. Neuqua Valley High School - 92.9
3. Still Middle School - 94.9
4. Longwood Elementary School - 95.1
5. (tied) Brookdale Elementary School; Georgetown Elementary School - 95.4
Source: ISBE 2009 school report cards