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Child Welfare & Attendance - Attendance Improvement (CA Dept of Education)

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A specialized student support service that combines counseling and legal remedies to resolve complicated or persistent student attendance or behavior problems.

Child Welfare and Attendance is a specialized student support service that covers compliance with compulsory education laws, student admission and enrollment procedures, student discipline procedures, transfers to alternative programs, and school climate and safety. Child welfare and attendance combines the knowledge and skill of counseling with knowledge of education and the law to resolve complicated situations involving school choice, student discipline, campus safety, and programs for high-risk youth.

Expanded Duties of Attendance Supervisors

Under Assembly Bill 2815, which became law on January 1, 2017, the role of attendance supervisors has been expanded to include more effective practices to address chronic absenteeism and truancy.

Reducing California’s high chronic absenteeism rates is a priority in the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP). This update to California Education Code (EC) sections 48240–48244 can be a tool for meeting local goals to reduce chronic absenteeism rates. These changes in attendance supervision practices help promote a culture of attendance and improve local systems to accurately track pupil attendance by grade level and pupil subgroup.

Districts may find it helpful to review the effective practices described in this legislation when considering the duties of attendance supervisors and assistant attendance supervisors.

Identified duties for attendance supervisors in this legislation include the following:

• Raise the awareness of school personnel, parents, guardians, caregivers, community partners, and local businesses of the effects of chronic absenteeism, truancy, and other challenges associated with poor attendance.
• Identify and respond to grade level or pupil subgroup patterns of chronic absenteeism or truancy.
• Identify and address factors contributing to chronic absenteeism and habitual truancy, including suspension and expulsion.
• Ensure that pupils with attendance problems are identified as early as possible to provide applicable support services and interventions.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of strategies implemented to reduce chronic absenteeism rates and truancy rates.
• Effective January 1, 2019, supervisors of attendance have a duty to ensure that students receiving individual instruction in home and hospital programs are excused from the regular school program until they return to their regular school program.

An attendance supervisor may refer chronic absentees and truants to critical support services and interventions which will help them get back on track with their education. Examples of these key services and interventions benefiting high risk youth listed in the legislation are as follows:

• A conference between school personnel, the pupil’s parent or guardian, and the pupil.
• Promoting co-curricular and extracurricular activities that increase pupil connectedness to school, such as tutoring, mentoring, the arts, service learning, or athletics.
• Recognizing pupils who achieve excellent attendance or demonstrate significant improvement in attendance.
• Referral to a school nurse, school counselor, school psychologist, school social worker, and other pupil support personnel for case management and counseling.
• Collaboration with child welfare services, law enforcement, courts, public health care agencies, or government agencies, or medical, mental health, and oral health care providers to receive necessary services.
• Collaborating with school study teams, guidance teams, school attendance review teams, or other intervention-related teams to assess the attendance or behavior problem in partnership with the pupil and his or her parents, guardians, or caregivers.
• In schools with significantly higher rates of chronic absenteeism, identify barriers to attendance that may require schoolwide strategies instead of case management.
• Referral for a comprehensive psychosocial or psychoeducational assessment.
• Referral to a school attendance review board.
• Referral to a county truancy mediation program.

California Definition of Chronic Absentee

A "chronic absentee" has been defined in EC Section 60901(c)(1) as "a pupil who is absent on 10 percent or more of the school days in the school year when the total number of days a pupil is absent is divided by the total number of days the pupil is enrolled and school was actually taught in the regular day schools of the district, exclusive of Saturdays and Sundays."

California Definition of Chronic Absenteeism Rate

The “chronic absenteeism rate” has been defined in California Code of Regulations Title 5, Section 157497.5 appendix:
(a) “Chronic absenteeism rate” shall be calculated as follows:
(1) The number of pupils with a primary, secondary, or short-term enrollment during the academic year (July 1–June 30) who are chronically absent where “chronic absentee” means a pupil who is absent 10 percent or more of the school days in the school year when the total number of days a pupil is absent is divided by the total number of days the pupil is enrolled and school was actually taught in the total number of days the pupil is enrolled and school was actually taught in the regular day schools of the district, exclusive of Saturdays and Sundays.
(2) The unduplicated count of pupils with a primary, secondary, or short-term enrollment during the academic year (July 1–June 30).
(3) Divide (1) by (2).

The above definition is used in California for Local Control and Accountability Plans and differs from the chronic absenteeism rate definition used in accordance with the data collection conducted pursuant to Section 203(c)(1) of the Department of Education Organization Act (20 U.S.C. 3413(c)(1)) for Title I schools. The federal definition for chronic absenteeism counts students who have missed 15 days of school for any reason during one school year rather than students who have been absent 10 percent or more of the school days.

Statewide Chronic Absenteeism Rates Available

Statewide chronic absenteeism data became available in December 2017, providing new access to absenteeism rates throughout California to both educators and community members. The chronic absenteeism rates for counties, school districts, and schools, as well as for different student subgroups, are available through DataQuest.

Definition of Chronic Absenteeism Indicator for the California School Dashboard

The California School Dashboard (Dashboard) provides information about how schools and districts are performing in kindergarten through eighth grade in reducing chronic absenteeism rates for different subgroups of students. Performance is based on the current chronic absenteeism rate and improvement or lack of improvement from the previous school year. To meet the definition of a chronic absentee for the purpose of the Dashboard, the kindergarten through eighth grade student must be absent on at least ten percent of the instructional days enrolled and must be enrolled a minimum of 31 instructional days. A chronic absentee must also have attended at least one day to meet the Dashboard criteria. Chronic absenteeism rates of more than twenty percent are considered very high (red), ten to twenty percent are high (orange), five to ten percent are medium (yellow), 2.5 percent to five percent are low (green), and very low are 2. 5 percent or less (blue). Changes in chronic absenteeism rates vary from those which have declined significantly (by three percent or more) to those that have increased significantly (increased by 3 percent or more). To learn more about the Dashboard and find out how a school or district are performing on the Chronic Absenteeism Indicator, please visit the California School Dashboard .

Publications

Attendance in the Early Grades: Why it Matters for Reading (PDF)
A research brief about the impact of attendance in the early grades on reading skills with recommendations for improving attendance.

Every Student, Every Day: A Community Toolkit to Address and Eliminate Chronic Absenteeism (PDF)
Offers information, suggested action steps, and lists of existing tools and resources—including evidence-based resources—for individuals, leaders, and systems to begin or enhance the work of effective, coordinated community action to address and eliminate chronic absenteeism.

Present, Engaged, and Accounted For (PDF)
Focuses on the critical importance of addressing chronic absence in the early grades.

School Attendance Review Board Handbook and Forms
This web page includes resources to improve school attendance.

Resources

Attendance Works
A national and state initiative that promotes awareness of the important role that school attendance plays in achieving academic success starting with school entry.

How Social Emotional Learning Can Reengage All Students and Reduce Chronic Absence (Video; 1:06:26)
Information about social-emotional programs work with attendance programs to re-engage students and reduce chronic absenteeism rates.

Pathways to Engagement Toolkit for COVID 19 Recovery Through Attendance
A valuable framework for school teams to engage student groups during unprecedented barriers to student health and school attendance.

Reporting Requirements for Severance of Attendance
Information on EC Section 48203, which requires the superintendent of a school district or the principal of a private school to report the severance of attendance of children with exceptional needs or handicapped children.

Seize the Data Opportunity in California (PDF)
This collaborative report by Attendance Works, Children Now, and the University of California, Davis Center for Regional Change is based on the recently released data from the California Department of Education (CDE) available in DataQuest. The report provides findings and closes with recommendations for key stakeholders.

WhyTry Dropout Prevention Program
WhyTry is a social-emotional learning program that specializes in dropout prevention and helps disadvantaged youth develop resilience to stay in school using visuals, art, video, music, and activities.

Sample Forms

The California Code of Regulations Title 5, Section 421 states that the verification of illness or quarantine shall be made in accordance with any reasonable method which establishes the fact that the pupil was actually ill or under quarantine, if the method has been approved by a school district governing board or a county board of education. For verifying a chronic illness, districts like San Juan Unified School District have adopted a special form to verify the chronic illness. Appreciation is extended to staff members of the San Juan Unified School District who permitted the CDE to use their Chronic Illness Verification Form as an example for statewide use.

San Juan Unified School District's Chronic Illness Verification Form
The Chronic Illness Verification Sample Form allows parents to excuse absences due to a specific medical condition with the same authority as a medical professional.

California EC Section 48260.5 requires a notice to the parent or guardian upon a pupil's classification as a truant. A pupil is classified as a truant if the pupil is between the ages of six and eighteen and is absent from school without a valid excuse or exemption for more than any 30-minute period on three days in one school year. The Harvard Kennedy School Research Working Paper linked below provides a modification of the standard notification form which uses simplified language and highlights parental influence and the negative incremental effects of missing school to improve the impact of parental communication on school attendance.

Using Behavioral Insights to Improve Truancy Notification: Faculty Research Working Paper Series (PDF)
A modified truancy notification that improves student attendance.

Questions:   Educational Options Office | [email protected]

Last Reviewed: Monday, January 10, 2022

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Identification of Neglect - Child Welfare Information Gateway

Child neglect can take many forms. Physical neglect is the failure to provide for a child's basic survival needs, such as nutrition, clothing, shelter, hygiene, and medical care. Physical neglect may also involve inadequate supervision of a child and other forms of reckless disregard of the child's safety and welfare. Educational neglect involves the failure of a parent or caregiver to enroll a child of mandatory school age in school or to provide appropriate homeschooling or needed special education training. Medical neglect is the failure to provide or to allow needed care as recommended by a competent health-care professional for a physical injury, illness, medical condition, or impairment. It also includes the failure to seek timely and appropriate medical care for a serious health problem that any reasonable person would have recognized as needing professional medical attention. Chronic neglect is any type of child neglect that occurs on a recurring or enduring basis. Below, find resources define and identify the signs and symptoms of physical, educational, medical, and chronic child neglect.

Acts of Omission: An Overview of Child Neglect

Series Title

Bulletins for Professionals

Author(s)

Child Welfare Information Gateway

Availability

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Download (PDF - 489KB)

Year Published

2018

Addresses the scope of the problem of child neglect as well as its consequences, reviews definitions and strategies for assessing neglect, presents lessons learned about prevention and intervention, and suggests sources of training and informational support. Strategies for addressing neglect, beginning with prevention, are included.

Child Neglect: Assessment and Intervention
Hornor (2014)
Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 28(2)
Provides information to practitioners to better understand and respond to child neglect. The article discusses risk factors of neglect as well as the medical assessment and plan of care for children when neglect is suspected. 

Chronic Child Neglect

Series Title

Bulletins for Professionals

Author(s)

Child Welfare Information Gateway

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Year Published

2019

Provides professionals with an overview of chronic child neglect, its implications for child welfare, and casework practice to address it. The bulletin also explores multisystem collaboration and partnerships, evidence-informed interventions, and the importance of hope in combatting chronic neglect. It features examples of State and local efforts to address chronic child neglect.

Chronic School Absenteeism in the Elementary Grades
Sugrue (2015)
Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare
Examines a truancy intervention program, be@school, designed to address chronic absenteeism for children in kindergarten through fifth grade. The materials presented are intended for child protection workers and supervisors working with children who are experiencing chronic absenteeism.

How Can Understanding Risk and Protective Factors Predict Chronic Neglect for CPS-Involved Families?
Casey Family Programs (2020)
Presents a summary of a study that examines the use of risk assessment tools to predict subsequent chronic neglect. Findings showed the strongest predictors of chronic neglect were parent cognitive impairment, history of substitute care, mental health problems in parents, and a higher number of allegations in the first report to child protective services.  

What Is Child Abuse and Neglect? Recognizing the Signs and Symptoms

Series Title

Factsheets

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Child Welfare Information Gateway

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Year Published

2019

Outlines the legal definition of child abuse and neglect; the different types of abuse and neglect; and the signs and symptoms of abuse and neglect, including human trafficking. It also includes information on how to effectively identify and report maltreatment and refer children who have been maltreated as well as additional resources.

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If your child does not want to go to school: advice from a child psychologist.

So, what problems can prevent a child from going to school?

1. Unsuitable for the student mode of study at school. Sometimes the problem is that the child can't stand the stress of school. Any training program should be slightly ahead of the child's ability to master it, but at the same time, the student should not be seriously overloaded. In addition, you should not choose too many extracurricular activities for your child.

What are the symptoms of school overload?

• inattention, absent-mindedness during activities that require prolonged concentration

• capriciousness, irritability, various manifestations of aggression

• the child does not sleep well, his appetite is disturbed

• the child begins to often get colds, looks tired and depressed

3 Child psychologist's advice on dealing with school overload:

• choose the best educational program for your child;

• choose for the child only those extracurricular activities in which he is interested;

• allocate time for outdoor activities

• set aside a reasonable amount of time for homework

2. Incorrect style of pedagogical communication in the classroom.

Quite often, bad treatment of teachers can put a child in a difficult situation. Cooperation between the teacher and the child is an important method of maintaining a comfortable psychological atmosphere in the classroom. But, unfortunately, working conditions do not always allow paying attention to the problems of each student. In addition, there are various abuses: the insensitivity and rudeness of the teacher can be a serious reason that the child does not want to go to school.

How do you know if a teacher mistreats your child?

• the student does not do well in a certain subject, although he has the ability to master it;

• a student complains about the rudeness of the teacher, that he is deliberately underestimated;

• the student is afraid to go to certain lessons; What to do if you understand that the teacher mistreats the child?

• be sure to show your child that you trust him first of all: it is necessary that he does not withdraw into himself, but shares with you learning difficulties;

• support the child in any situation, regardless of whether he is really at fault or not;

• enter into a dialogue first with the teacher, and then with the school administration: it is important to listen to the opinion of each participant in the situation and convey their point of view on the issue;

• changing school for a child is a stressful situation, this way of solving problems should be chosen when all others have been tried;

2. Relationships with classmates.

Unfortunately, there is not always a favorable psychological atmosphere in the classroom. If your child is distinguished by isolation, shyness, and other oddities, he may become the object of ridicule of classmates. Do not let things take their course: school bullying can cause serious psychological trauma that can remain with the child for many years.

Signs that your child is being bullied at school:

• the child refuses to participate in group activities with classmates;

• gloomy, sad mood of a child;

• damage to things: clothes, school supplies, toys;

• minor injuries: abrasions, bruises and others;

• fear of sharing one's problem, the student withdraws into himself, does not talk about school life;

• the child does not talk about any of his schoolmates.

What can I do to prevent my child from being bullied at school?

• make sure that the class teacher sets aside time for group activities;

• pay more attention to a child if they are new to the school or class;

• keep the class teacher, teachers and school administration informed, in a word, the people responsible for the safe stay of the child at school;

• Teach your child to stand up for himself, but never encourage him to "strike back."

3. Relationships with parents.

In some situations, the parents themselves provoke the child's reluctance to attend school.

Excessive demands on a child, especially when not combined with his real abilities, can bring trauma to a fragile psyche, destroy mutual understanding.

What should not be done anyway?

1) Remember that the basis of helping a child is mutual trust. It is not always possible for a student to describe the feelings that have arisen, to defend his point of view in front of teachers and parents. The task of adults is to make sure that the little person is heard, no matter what problems he may have. Never become a prosecutor in relation to your child!

2) Avoiding adult punishment is not the best motive for learning. Yes, often we cannot avoid sanctions against children. But fear should not be cultivated: the motive for learning is the acquisition of new knowledge, and nothing else! But we always get new knowledge not for the sake of obtaining knowledge, but always for the sake of something. No activity should be fixated on itself.

3) Do not completely shift the care of your child to teachers: take the time to have a heart-to-heart conversation.

If you feel that you cannot figure out the situation on your own, then you should contact a child psychologist. Working together with a qualified specialist, you will be able to clarify the essence of the problem and outline ways to solve it without injuring the child's psyche. You can make an appointment with the child psychologist of the Art of Harmony Center by calling 8-495-776-00-61 or using the online appointment form.

See also:

• How to raise a real man?
• How to tell a child about a difficult problem in an accessible way?
• How can I participate in my child's school life?
• Ask a child psychologist a question online
• Sign up for a consultation with a child psychologist

What to do if the child does not want to go to school

The whole truth about how to choose a backpack for a first grader.

1. Articles
2. What to do if the child does not want to go to school

The child does not want to go to school. In the mornings, his head and stomach begin to ache, nausea appears, and sometimes the temperature rises. Familiar situations? Modern schoolchildren have ceased to love lessons, to rush to them with joy, not because of reluctance to study, laziness, but for many other reasons. The problem has become global. The advice of the world's leading psychologists, collected in the article, will help to deal with the issue that worries parents.

Reasons for refusal to go to school

Psychologists conducted an investigation, asking children of different school ages, and found out why the guys not only do not want to go to school, but hate it:

Fear of a teacher, conflict situations

• fear of teachers. First-graders are instilled with fears, one of them is a teacher. Children are told that teachers are strict, punishing for faults and mistakes. Individual teachers are also to blame for not showing an appropriate interest in the learning process, the upbringing of students;

• divergence of temperaments. Active teachers give material quickly, rarely stopping for clarifications. Quiet, phlegmatic children do not have time to outline the material, they miss important details. So new topics remain unlearned. The first-grader's opinion about the class teacher, the manner of presenting the material, is learned on the first day of a full school day. If necessary, contact the teacher for advice;

• conflict situations. One day everyone enters into conflicts, little obedient children and well-bred ones. Situations for conflicts are banal and serious. Children and teachers are the culprits. All participants gather together with their parents to sort out the conflict.

Adaptation to school

The school instills fear in the first-grader, causes discomfort. He is forced to sit motionless for 4-5 hours, to stay in an unusual place among strangers. This happens more often with non-contact children who did not attend kindergartens,

During the adaptation period, babies are faced with:

• nervous disorders;

• deterioration in health;

• a decrease in immunity;

• sudden change in mood or behavior.

Effectively help to adapt:

• enrolling in a circle for communication with peers;

• independent trip for small purchases;

• school trips on excursions without parents.

Adaptation of the child to school conditions will take from three months to six months. During this period, parents are forbidden to condemn the baby, scold, compare with excellent students. Praise more, notice academic progress, motivate the student, promise to buy an enviable backpack,

Fear of getting bad grades

For a student, there is nothing worse than getting a bad grade. For the received deuce, teachers, classmates, parents will scold, ridicule. The wrong reaction of adults provokes dislike for learning.

It is customary to judge a child not by good deeds, temperament and giftedness, but by academic performance, so there is a fear of deuces. Adults do not think that improving academic performance depends on timely motivation, praise, and the correct perception of unpleasant information.

Lots of homework

The guys are given a bunch of homework, so there is no time left for rest, walks and games after school. Arriving from school, I have to sit down for lessons for 3-4 hours, later go to circles.

After spending half an evening on assignments, the guys have a headache, unwillingness to go to school. The solution to the problem lies in the correct planning of the day, the presence of unloading days in the schedule without additional classes.

Mistakes are bad!

A person learns the world, its laws through the mistakes he makes. By reproaching, ridiculing, disgracing the child in front of the class, the teacher and the parent favor the emergence of phobias that complicate life in advance.

Do not make a serious mistake, do not reprimand a first-grader for incorrectly written work. Find out what he didn't understand. Help with advice, knowledge, find interesting material on the World Wide Web.

Making mistakes means gaining valuable experience! The rule is the same for children and adults.

Lack of motivation!

The child does not comprehend why go to school, does not realize the values ​​of education. Psychologists explain - the situation develops when the child's progress goes unnoticed by the teacher, parents. To correct it, the schoolboy is encouraged every day, praised for trifling successes. This strategy creates a desire to achieve more.

Trolling and bullying at school

The ridicule and mockery of classmates cause inconvenience, provoke tears, give rise to a reluctance to go to school. Blame it on teachers who:

• do not interfere in conflict situations of children;

• pretend not to notice quarrels, bullying;

• provoke ridicule.

Open ridicule and comparison of poorly performing students with excellent students is unprofessional behavior of a teacher. Children take over the words spoken by adults, then make fun of weak classmates.

Bullying is provoked by:

• the appearance of the child;

• wearing glasses, braces;

• unstylish wardrobe.

Psychologists have found out that problems and clashes with classmates are a common reason for not attending classes.

General fatigue

Parents tend to enroll their child in 2-3 sections with good intentions. This adds employment to a child's body that is not accustomed to serious stress.

Little boys and girls get tired of school, extra work in a couple of overloaded weeks. The desire to learn disappears, especially among younger students. Give up part of the load, give the child free time for hobbies, games. Frantic rhythm suits active kids

After the end of the adaptation period, the first grader is recorded in one circle, no more.

No uniqueness!

Unique children who offer original ways of solving problems and assignments are not always recognized in secondary educational institutions. It is assumed that the tasks performed according to the template are the only correct ones. Conventions discourage a smart child's desire to develop, express themselves, and learn.

Boring lessons

Information at school is presented in a boring, monotonous manner, which is why it is not assimilated by students. More intelligible and exciting subjects are often explained to the child on YouTube channels, in game programs, and in extracurricular activities.

Obtaining information of interest from other sources is not prohibited. It's just not good to throw away textbooks.

These are the most important reasons listed by psychologists for why a first-grader or teenager does not want to go to school. The real reasons for the baby's anxiety will be found out after talking with him.

Helpful tips for parents

Faced with a child’s refusal to go to school, the psychologist’s recommendations are taken into account:

1. The child has the right to experience anxiety when confronted with innovations. Parents need to accept it and try to understand. Ask the student to express fears and worries. Listen to the story without unnecessary inserts, let him describe everything from beginning to end. Feeling yourself in his place is not necessary, such an attitude to the problem will lead to the opposite result. Just be a friend, a good parent who cares;

2. Every day, even if you are tired of work and household chores, find time to communicate:

• learn about relationships with classmates, teachers;

• ask to talk about funny, interesting situations;

• ask about your favorite and least favorite school subjects;

• be interested in academic performance;

• help with homework, do not be lazy to explain incomprehensible points.