In BSD, we believe that attendance is an important life skill that helps students be successful in the classroom, graduate on time and be prepared for life beyond high school. The desire to attend school regularly starts with students feeling a sense of belonging. We want our classrooms, schools and district to be places where students develop meaningful relationships with staff and other students. But to forge those connections, students need to show up for school.
Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason (including excused, unexcused and behavioral absences). That's equivalent to about 18 missed days over the course of an academic year. In Oregon, more than one in six children are chronically absent from school. Research shows that children who were chronically absent in kindergarten and 1st grade are far less likely to read proficiently at the end of 3rd grade. By 6th grade, absenteeism is one sign that a student may drop out of school. By 9th grade, regular and high attendance is a better predictor of graduation rates than 8th grade test scores.
Please see the chart below to show specific numbers at Sato. We currently have 192 students at Sato who are chronically absent as defined above, after only 28 days of school. It is important that your child is at school every day unless they are Too Sick for School.
