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47 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, October 10, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend September 17, 2004 School attendance data under scrutiny By ANITA BURKE Mail Tribune Attendance is a top concern for school administrators and state officials, but the picture might not be as bleak as recently reported by an education-reform group. The Chalkboard Project, a privately funded school-reform organization, reported that Oregon’s public schools had one of the country’s worst attendance rates. The report used federal school finance data from the 2000-01 school year to calculate that average daily attendance in Oregon schools was 88 percent of total fall enrollment. Only Kentucky, with 85 percent, had a lower rate. The calculation, done with federal information that is available from every state, provides an easy way to compare attendance among states, said Brian Reeder, director of the Oregon Education Department’s policy research and analysis office. However, it’s only one way to measure attendance. "It’s fine, but it’s not the best definition of attendance rates, especially for individual schools," Reeder said. Advertisement Total fall enrollment, taken Oct. 1 for federal files, isn’t necessarily a good reflection of the number of students enrolled through the year, he explained. For example, it doesn’t account for students who move, transfer or drop out. To accommodate changes in enrollment throughout the year, the state uses a more complex formula to calculate attendance rates for its school report cards and annual yearly progress reports required by the federal No Child Left Behind law. The most recent numbers using that formula show that Oregon’s elementary schools had an attendance rate of 94.5 percent over the 2003-04 school year. Middle schools had an attendance rate of 95.6 percent and high schools had a rate of 91.8 percent. No Child Left Behind requires schools to have a 92 percent attendance rate to be considered acceptable and the state sets the bar at 95 percent for schools to be ranked as exceptional on the state report card. "We have set attendance as a goal from the get-go," said Kathy McCollum, Medford School District’s superintendent. "If kids aren’t in school, they can’t learn." The district has a committee to promote attendance, especially at middle and high schools, she said. "Attendance is our No. 1 issue," Phoenix High School Principal Jani Hale said. Attendance can be a particular struggle in low-income areas where families have other concerns besides education, she said. Phoenix High strives to connect with students to give them all a reason to attend, she said. The Chalkboard Project found two studies indicating Oregon educators think attendance rates are a problem. An Education Week analysis of 2003 National Assessment of Educational Progress figures found that 32 percent of Oregon school officials reported absenteeism as a problem. And a 1999 survey by The International Study Center at Boston College said that two-thirds of Oregon students attend schools that reported absenteeism as a problem on a weekly basis. About 19 percent were in schools that reported absenteeism as a serious problem. Those reports combined with Chalkboard’s own analysis led the group to draw attention to attendance. "After nearly a year of exhaustive research, our studies show that even the strongest education program will struggle to improve achievement if students do not show up for class," Chalkboard Project President Sue Hildick said in a prepared statement. "There is a direct link between attendance and achievement. The key is getting parents engaged." The Chalkboard Project is funded by the Collins Foundation, the Ford Family Foundation, JELD-WEN Foundation, Meyer Memorial Trust and the Oregon Community Foundation. Reach reporter Anita Burke at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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