March Attendance Tips: Strategic, Early Intervention to Prevent More Absences

Who can believe spring is just around the corner? At this especially important time of the year, it’s smart to not just be thinking about Spring Slide initiatives for the entire school community. This is a critical time of year to proactively support the students who are just on the cusp of chronic absenteeism, ensuring they end the year on a strong note. In this month’s partner webinar, we explored how to locate these at-risk students and efficiently implement critical springtime campaigns. 

Locating the Right Students for Early Intervention 

March is the month to check in on the students who are right on the bubble of chronic absenteeism. If your dashboard helps you pinpoint the students who are falling in the 5-9% range and with worsening attendance, even better. 

We’ve found that of students missing 5-9% at the end of February, 12.8% of those students ended the year chronically absent. Homing in on the higher end of that range, we saw that of the students missing 8-9% of school at the end of February, 26.6% ended the year chronically absent. 

Ready to give these students the push in the right direction?

First, use your dashboard to find them. The EveryDay Platform makes it easy! 

Sometimes, even a list of more than 5 students can feel overwhelming. Adding an extra filter of attendance patterns like specific days of the week can help you stay focused and keep the momentum going as you efficiently support your students and families. 

Strategies to Improve Spring Attendance 

When taking a data-driven approach, consider setting a goal like improving ADA by 1% can be a powerful way to help the entire team row in the same direction and stay motivated. 

Then, the campaigns begin. Watch this quick clip if video is more your style, or read on for your Spring Slide strategy checklist.

Spring absences are prevalent not only because the warmer weather beckons students to make plans outside of school, but because of events like Spring Break, the Easter holiday, and testing periods. The days before and after these times can see heavy dips in attendance. That’s why the following strategies can be helpful: 

• Targeted communication campaigns for those aforementioned at-risk students in the 5-9% range
• Proactive, widespread communications like letters home or incentives to attend the day before and after Spring Break, the Easter holiday, and after testing periods when the drive to attend may be running low
  
  • This Spring Break letter from Attendance Works is a good starting point
• Create targeted intervention groups based on attendance patterns- if many students regularly miss Fridays, they may need an extra touchpoint like a call home 
• Plan a Spirit Week leading up to spring break to keep energy, and attendance, high
• Set dates for final showcase events like prom and graduation as late in the year as possible
• Ensure before and after school care is available up through the last day of school. 

Looking for more on mitigating the Spring Slide? Check out this post for more research and strategies!