THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, December 15, 1994 TAG: 9412130110
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 105 lines
A TOUGH NEW attendance policy launched in September is working, officials say, exceeding the expectations of administrators who are determined to get - and keep - kids in school.
Figures for the first two months of this year show that student attendance in the district's secondary and elementary schools is up significantly over the same period last year.
In October, Granby High School posted a 5 percent increase over last year, the biggest boost system-wide. Several middle and elementary schools have improved attendance by 2 to 3 percent since the beginning of school.
``I've been in this business a long time and I couldn't believe it,'' said Robert F. Hahne, a director in the district's Division of School Governance. ``That is phenomenal.''
The School Board, at the urging of Superintendent Roy D. Nichols, approved new attendance rules that slashed the number of days a student could miss before failing.
Under the old rules, students in a semester course could accumulate 15 unexcused absences before losing credit and 30 for the year.
Now, students who miss only 10 days in a semester course or 20 days for the year - regardless of whether the absence is excused or unexcused - will fail the course. Unless, that is, the principal decides the absences could not have been avoided.
``It's a very strong policy directive that is having a positive impact,'' Hahne said.
Along with the stick, however, principals and teachers have been tossing out a few carrots to improve attendance.
Some schools are holding class competitions, offering such incentives as pizza, ice cream and bowling parties to the winners. Kids with perfect attendance are being recognized alongside honor roll students; in fact, the kids with the best attendance often are on the honor roll, since research shows a direct link between attendance and academic performance.
At St. Helena Elementary, where attendance was 98 percent in October, a 2 percent increase over last year, students with perfect attendance are awarded ribbons and certificates at school assemblies. Parents are invited, Principal Delores Fitzgerald said.
Students are assigned essays to write on the importance of school attendance, and student artwork on the theme is displayed in hallways. If a kid misses two days of school, a school worker schedules a home visit to meet with parents or guardians to discuss attendance.
At Granby High, Principal Michael Caprio negotiated privileges with the senior class based on attendance: A senior who has an A-average and misses less than three days a semester will be exempt from final exams. Students without the grades can earn ticket discounts for athletic events.
Within the first two days of school, Caprio and his deputies met with students to explain the new attendance policy, setting a no-nonsense tone from the start.
Schools have stepped up efforts to monitor students, tracking their attendance throughout the day rather than just homeroom. At Granby, teachers in every class a student misses have been calling parents. A recorded message contacts the home if a kid misses homeroom.
Since September, Granby has sent home 3,706 letters informing parents of the new attendance policy and alerting them about children cutting classes. As many as 100 more students are attending classes daily than last year, Caprio estimated.
``We borderline on harassment,'' Caprio said. ``I had some parents call up to complain. We've gotten a lot of positive parental support. It's working.''
For teachers, the policy means more paperwork and effort. Hahne said the goal is to streamline the process, with the help of computers, to ease the burden on teachers.
``They have really done a yeoman's job with this,'' Hahne said.
At its current pace, Hahne said the district is in line to meet or exceed the year's overall daily attendance goal: a 2 percent increase in the elementary and secondary schools. Nichols' long-term attendance goal is 92 percent in high schools, 94 percent in middle schools and 97 percent in elementary schools.
Last year, the city's five high schools had the worst attendance record, 86.1 percent. That is compared to 89.9 percent in middle schools and 94.5 percent in elementary schools. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
ATTENDANCE GAINS
A new attendance policy is paying off, Norfolk officials say.
These are the supporting numbers:
In September: Attendance the first month of school, normally one
of the strongest of the year, was up 1 percent over last year in
elementary and secondary schools.
In October: Overall attendance in elementary schools was up 1
percent over last year, while the number of kids attending classes
in middle and high schools was up 2 percent.
Also in October:
34 schools out of 48, or 71 percent, showed an increase in
attendance over last year.
Of all schools, Granby High had the best improvement - 5 percent
over last year. Three other high schools - Lake Taylor, Maury and
Booker T. Washington - increased by 2 percent.
Half of the eight middle schools improved attendance by 3 percent
- Azalea Gardens, Lafayette-Winona, Northside and Rosemont. Ruffner
increased by 2 percent.
There's still room for improvement: Daily attendance rates in
October were 97 percent in elementary schools, 93 percent in middle
schools and 89 percent in high schools.
by CNB