MMSD Attendance Trends: Hmong-Speaking High School Students

1
MMSD Attendance Trends Hmong-Speaking High
School Students

• August 29, 2005
• MMSD Board of Education

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Purposes of todays discussion

• Share information about attendance trends of
  Hmong-speaking students in MMSD
• Describe action plan for addressing these trends
• Solicit input into a plan of action
• Obtain feedback

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Legal Parameters for Attendance Policies

• Compulsory Attendance (WI Stat. 118.15) All
  students between the ages of 6 and 18 are
  required to attend school regularly during the
  full period and hours, religious holidays
  excepted, that the public or private school is in
  session.

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Legal Parameters (cont)

• Habitual Truancy (WI Stat. 118.16) Applies to
  all students that are absent from school without
  an acceptable excuse for part or all of 5 or more
  days on which school is held during a school
  semester.
• Truancy Madison Mun. Ord. 23.45 (2)(d) a pupil
  who is absent from school without an acceptable
  excuse for part or all of any day on which school
  is held.

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BOE Policies on Attendance

• Legitimate Reasons for Absence
• 1) A student who is physically or emotionally
  unable to attend school
• Examples illness, bereavement (BOE 4031)
• 2) Good Cause (BOE 4031)
• Examples Medical appointments, religious
  holidays, weddings, inclement weather, principal
  approved absences.
• All other absences can be considered unexcused.

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DISTRICTWIDE PRIORITY

• In order to maximize learning, the building of
  social relationships and participation in school,
  MMSD BOE established the goal that all students
  attendance exceed the rate of 94 (lt12 absences
  per year).
• Both excused and unexcused absences are included
  in determining this rate.

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Progress Towards Goal

• Consistent attention on student attendance for
  past 8 years
• Steady Improvements across all levels
• Improvements in consistently applied policies and
  procedures

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Average Attendance RatesProgress towards Goal of
94

• Elementary
• 1997 95.7 2004 95.6
• Middle School
• 1997 93.6 2004 95.2
• High School
• 1997 90.3 2004 93.3

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Hmong-Speaking Students

• There are currently 1122 students that
  self-identify as Southeast Asian in MMSD (K-12).
  
• Of these students, 859, or 76 are
  Hmong-speaking.
• 361 Hmong-speaking students are in grades 8-12

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Elementary Attendance
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MIDDLE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE

• Middle school students as a group have met the
  94 attendance rate goal for the past 5 years.
• The ethnic subgroups of Southeast Asian, Other
  Asian, and White, all exceeded the 94 goal in
  2003-04.

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HIGH SCHOOL ATTENDANCE

• Overall, the rate of attendance remains just
  below the 94 goal for high school students. The
  overall high school attendance rate declined
  slightly in 2003-04 from 93.6 to 93.3 due
  mainly to drops among the African American and
  Southeast Asian subgroups. Southeast Asian
  students dropped from 90.7 to 88.5. White and
  Hispanic attendance rates remained almost
  unchanged from the prior year while rates for
  Other Asian students increased.

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Percentage of All Students that Meet the 94
Attendance Goal
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Hmong Students that Meet the 94 Attendance Goal
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Where are our Hmong-Speaking Students?

• High Schools 9-12
• East 111 Students
• Lafollette 66 Students
• Memorial 54 Students
• West 42 Students
• Alt Programs 18 Students

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Where are our Hmong-Speaking Students?

• Middle Schools 8th grade only
• Black Hawk 6 Sennett 14
• Cherokee 8 Sherman 15
• Hamilton 3 Toki 9
• Jefferson 2 Whitehorse 4
• OKeeffe 5 Wright 4

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What contributes to the change in attendance
patterns as Hmong students move through their
high school years?
18
What strategies are effective in supporting
students and families?
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How can schools and community agencies work
together to implement effective interventions?
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Our Plan May 2005

• Hold Community meeting 1 April 29, Kajsiab
  House. Distribute notes
• Conduct focus groups with Hmong students
• Conduct attendance transition conferences with
  8th grade Hmong students with a history of poor
  attendance

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Community Meeting 1Kajsiab House

• Highlights
• Representation from all 4 high schools and most
  middle schools
• Representatives from community organizations
• Small group discussions and networking
• Relationship building and identification of next
  steps

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Student Focus Groups

• 20 - 25 Hmong speaking students
• May 25, 2005
• Skippers and non-skippers

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Why does attendance change?

• Trying to fit in with peers
• High school is open and allows more choices
• Students dont like the courses they are placed
  in
• Classes dont meet students needs
• Home problems

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Is poor attendance a problem?

• Yes! Staying in school is important
• It holds you back if you dont go
• It gives us a bad reputation
• Sometimes teachers mark our names wrongthey
  stereotype us

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What might help?

• Adjust academic classes and provide choices of
  classes
• Place Asian students in sections where there are
  other Asian students
• Create a more welcoming environment for Asian
  students
• Be more understanding of family issues
• Address racism

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What can students do?

• Arrange for students who have skipped and dropped
  out to speak to other students about their
  regrets
• Provide tutors and academic support
• Involve parents
• Try to motivate peers
• Do something fun!

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Attendance Transition Meetings

• Early identification of students who may need
  additional support in high school
• Spring interviews with 8th grade students
  experiencing attendance difficulties
• Make connections to high school supports, (both
  student to student, and staff to student) in
  order to build relationships and problem-solving
  potential
• Habitual Truancy Protocol

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Our Plan Semester 1, 2005-2006

• Host Community-School meeting 2 (include
  students)
• Share plan with secondary administrators and
  student support
• Conduct additional internal research
• Explore strategies used in other communities

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Our Plan Semester 2, 2005-2006

• Host Community-School meeting 3 (include
  students)
• Build cultural understanding and competency
• Review and develop high school structures to
  support Asian students