Bettering Student Outcomes Through Attendance
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What Happened?
At the December 18 meeting of the Fresno Unified School District (FUSD) board, members reviewed the student attendance outcomes to assess current student attendance rates and plan next steps for improvement. The update highlighted a positive trend: a 2.7% decrease in absenteeism from the 2023-2024 to the 2024-2025 school year, with 30 school sites achieving a 5% or greater decrease in absenteeism rates. As of December 6, 2024, the district’s average daily attendance rate stands at 92.4%.
There are actions in progress in response to the data collected, which include:
- Weekly raffle for all schools with an improved average daily attendance from the week before.
- Implementation of interventions and monitoring student progress
- Site-specific actions to improve average daily attendance
- Providing student interventions
- Professional learning communities (PLCs) for home-school liaisons
- Targeted support for specific student groups
Moving forward there will also be new actions implemented to further help decrease the absenteeism rates and they include:
- Re-launching School Attendance Review Teams at the site level
- Providing timely, meaningful attendance communication to families
- Offering district-level Tier III parenting courses to select families
- Establishing universal and consistent practices to welcome families
- Incorporating student feedback to inform attendance strategies
At a site level, these efforts will involve identifying needs, monitoring progress, and collaborating with individual families to develop and implement effective actions.
Why is this Important?
Attendance is directly linked to student success, students can only learn effectively if they are present in the classroom. By analyzing attendance data and tracking progress, FUSD can identify successful strategies and areas requiring adjustment. This data-driven approach ensures that students are engaged and receiving quality education.
From a financial perspective, absenteeism also impacts the district significantly: for every 1% of absences, FUSD loses out on $10 million in revenue that could be reinvested in schools. Addressing absenteeism benefits students academically while safeguarding vital resources for education improvements.
The focus on next steps ensures that the data collected is being used to further learning by planning not only on a district-wide level to combat absenteeism but also on a site-based level. It ensures that students of all groups are being considered and are able to have the opportunity to be in a classroom learning.
What Can You Do?
- Stay Informed: Dig even deeper into this data in GO’s recently released 2024 Fresno Kids First. Learn more about absenteeism and which groups are the most affected.
- Advocate for equitable student outcomes: Attend public meetings, review updates, and engage with the district’s efforts to address the needs of the lowest-performing student groups and participate in feedback opportunities as the district implements the new Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP). Share your thoughts on how well the district is meeting its goals and addressing the needs of all students.
Additional Meeting Highlights:
- During the December 11 meeting the Fresno Unified School board voted to approve a new timeline for the search of a superintendent. Previously GO Public Schools South Valley Director, Sade Williams, gave public commentary to highlight the need for families to be part of the discussion when it comes to finding a new superintendent. The hope for this new search timeline is that families continue to be an engaged stakeholder in the process as this is something that affects all those within FUSD.
- During the December 11 meeting the Fresno Unified School board also went over audited financial statements. The conclusion at the end of the presentation was that there were no adjustments necessary and there were no difficulties with management in the process. The financial highlights included $2.5 billion in total assets of the district at the end of June 2024 and a general fund of $607 million as of June 30, 2024.
- During the December 18 meeting the Fresno Unified School board swore in three returning members to the board who will serve another 4 years from 2024-2028. These members include Elizabeth Jonasson Rosas (Trustee Area 2), Andy Levine (Trustee Area 5), and Claudia Cazares (Trustee Area 6). Other changes to the board included affirming the election in favor of Trustee Valerie Davis (Trustee Area 3) as Board President and Trustee Genoveva Islas (Trustee Area 4) as Board Clerk.