cylce1step1eddusson xCycle1Step2checklist xCyc1st2eddussonassignmentap xProblemStatement xFishbone x
Black student chronic absenteeism
1
Equity Gaps
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course Name
Instructor’s Name
Date
I. Investigate the vision, mission, and/or goals at your school and document your findings.
The school’s mission is that students will reflect an engaging, inclusive, and supportive environment that enables all students to reach their maximum learning potential.
The school’s vision is to equip students with 21st-century learning opportunities and utilize our collaboration skills to teach students to excel academically and socially by applying critical thinking processes, facilitating parent-community involvement, and utilizing emerging technology in a clean and safe environment where all students feel essential and become productive citizens who advocates for equity and social justice for self and their community.
The rationale is based on beliefs that all students are provided with a rigorous, engaging, and quality education. Next, a student’s background, condition, and circumstances should not be predictors of their progress and success. Also, parents/caregivers are critical partners in each student’s learning. In addition, a clean, safe, well-equipped classrooms and schools are essential for effective teaching and learning. One of the school’s goal is to mobilize and align the intentions, talents, energy, and skills of teachers, parents, staff, and community members. Another school goal is to promote continuous learning as a districtwide expectation and must invest continuously in the professional growth of ALL our employees. The school’s third goal is to be transparent about our decision-making processes and act as sound stewards of the public’s resources and investments in our schools.
I. Directions: Select one of the school indicators (i.e., chronic absenteeism, suspension rate, English learner progress, graduation rate, academic performance, college/career readiness) related to a student learning or well-being equity issue at your school. Collect and analyze multiple sources of quantitative data for the school.
Chronic Absenteeism and Academic Performance
II. Initial Data Collection
Schoolzilla/Renaissance
|
SCHOOL DEMOGRAPHICS |
2019-2020 |
|||||
|
Total Students Enrolled |
37 0 |
|||||
|
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged |
92.2 % |
|||||
|
Students with Disabilities |
17.30% |
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|
American Indian |
0.3% |
|||||
|
Asian |
||||||
|
African American |
8.4% |
|||||
|
Latinx |
88.8%% |
|||||
|
Pacific Islander |
1.1% |
|||||
|
Two or More Races |
0.6% |
|||||
|
White |
Ed. Data School Profile
|
CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM |
2018-2019 |
2017-2018 |
2016-2017 |
||||
|
389 |
400 |
431 |
|||||
|
All Students Absent |
19.9 % |
12.1 % |
9.3 % |
||||
|
English Learners |
17.1 % |
10.8 % |
8.2 % |
||||
|
Foster Youth |
1.43% |
1.86 % |
0.02% |
||||
|
Homeless |
1.43 % |
2.09 % |
1.51 % |
||||
|
1 9.5% |
9.5% | ||||||
|
30.4 % |
19.98% |
13.2% |
|||||
|
N/A |
0.04% |
||||||
|
36.6 % |
24.4% |
15.6 % |
|||||
|
17.5% |
10.1 % |
7.8 % |
|||||
|
AFRICAN AMERICAN/BLACK CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM |
2018-2019 |
2017-2018 |
2016-2017 |
||||
|
Total African American/Black Students Enrolled |
34 |
37 |
35 |
||||
|
% of Absences |
|||||||
|
16 out of 34 |
12 out of 37 |
7 out of 35 |
|||||
|
Foster Youth |
10 out of 34 |
10 out of 37 |
8 out of 35 |
||||
|
Homeless |
5 out of 34 |
3 out of 37 |
4 out of 35 |
||||
|
Students with Disabilities |
22 out of 34 |
25 out of 37 |
27 out of 35 |
||||
|
CAASPP English Language Arts Level /Not Met |
2018-2019 |
2017-2018 |
2016-2017 |
||||
|
All students |
48.96% % |
54 % |
52.49 % |
||||
|
81.03% |
63.81 % |
59,52 % |
|||||
|
50.96 % |
53.93 % |
49.46% |
|||||
|
79.31 % |
80.65 % |
64.52% |
|||||
|
53.33 % |
70.59 % |
73.33 % |
|||||
|
49.13% |
52.51 % |
50.25 % |
|
CAASPP Math Level Not Met |
|||
|
52.58 % |
5 5.22 % |
50.68 % |
|
|
52.58% |
50.68% |
||
|
50.48% |
54.69 % |
52.13 % |
|
|
86.21 % |
77.42 % |
48.39 % |
|
|
6.7 % |
5.88 % |
5.22 % | |
|
4.21 % |
5.56 % |
3.57% |
III. Extended Data Collection
Directions: Based on your analysis of quantitative data and your selected student group, identify, develop, and collect at least three sources of qualitative or other data (e.g., responses from interviews with students, faculty, or families; notes from observations; document analysis) to further investigate the equity issues for this student group
|
Data Sources |
Qualitative Data |
|
School Attendance and Records clerk |
Interview on students of color absentee rates. Black students lead the absenteeism problem |
|
District Truancy Officer |
Interview on factors that contribute to absenteeism. Are there any programs to help? Do they work? |
|
Sixth Grade Parent |
Interview on why kids are absent and what they think could be done to increase school attendance |
|
School Site Teacher |
Interview on poor academic performance/ Black students |
IV. Directions: Respond to the following prompts to explain the decisions that you made regarding data collection and analyze the quantitative and qualitative data you collected. Cite research that supports your analysis as appropriate. NOTE: When citing relevant research, embed your citations directly within your written responses. Do not provide citations in a separate list.
Describe the specific quantitative data that you included in Section II of the Data Collection and Equity Gap Analysis template. How are these data relevant to understanding equity issues at the school for student groups?
The quantitative data represents our school’s tracking system Schoolzilla/Reneissanc dashboard. The data represents our 2019-2020 school demographics, showing the attendance rate of all students. The next piece of data is information from the EdData. The data shows the school’s chronic absenteeism over the past three years. The data is of great importance to our analysis since it shows the overall percentage of chronic absenteeism in all sub-groups present in our school. In the last piece of EdData, the information presented represents chronic absenteeism of African America/Black populations. Additionally, it shows the specific representation and disparities in various groups, including socioeconomic disadvantage, foster youth, students with disabilities and the issue of homelessness.
Academic performance has a strong relationship with chronic absenteeism. A high chronic absenteeism rate among African American students indicates a difference in the level of education between the population and other students from varied ethnic and cultural backgrounds. The EdData shows that chronic absenteeism is at 36.6% amongst African American students, a value that is high than any other group of students. As a result, the likelihood of African American students to perform as those from other social groups is much lower, hence the poor academic performance. Additionally, the high socioeconomic disadvantage and a high number of students with disabilities among African American students negatively impact the students’ performance. The high rates increase chronic absenteeism rate, thus limiting the ability of the students to access quality education as those from other groups in the school. The third and fourth EdData pieces show the performance of the various groups in English and mathematics. Although most of the groups show a similar trend in the performance, African American students’ performance is much lower. The large disparity in the students’ performance indicates that even though chronic absenteeism plays a significant role in deteriorating the performance, there are still other personal and social factors limiting the ability of the African American students to perform as those from other groups.
2. Describe the three qualitative or other data sources that you included in Section III of the Data Collection and Equity Gap Analysis template. How did these sources provide more information about this student group for the indicator(s)?
The qualitative sources used were interviews with the school site attendance and records clerk, the district Truancy Clerk, a sixth-grade student’s parent, and a school site general education teacher. The interview with the school site’s Attendance and Records clerk shared students of color has the highest absenteeism rates. They have learned that Black students specifically have the highest rates amongst the group. Many of those absences are unexcused. The excused absence reasons vary from health concerns to transportation. They believe if there were a better or consistent method to track absences, it may help with attendance.
The district’s Truancy Clerk verified that the school site Attendance and Records Clerk was correct regarding reasons for absences. When making calls to families whose students were chronically absent, they found that transportation, health issues and individual stress leads the list of reasons. The Truancy Clerk stated that the district has a truancy enforcement program that monitors students. After the third unexcused absence, an absence referral form with categorizing facts and other background information, the student’s official attendance record, and a notarized affidavit certifying the unexcused absences are sent to the county’s truancy court. Parents are advised that they may be subject to misdemeanor hearing. Parents are presented the chance to participate in a diversion program. Parents are asked to sign a written contract detailing terms of the agreement. The parents who accept the terms are referred to community organizations that provide access to parenting classes, and support groups for the students and parents. Referrals are made based on psychosocial assessments of absentees and their families to determine the root causes of the absenteeism. If families adhere to the terms the case can be dismissed. This program was implemented in 2019 and has not truly measured the effectiveness of the program yet.
In an interview with a sixth-grade student’s parent, they explained that students are absent because they might be bullied, their parents may not have a job or are going through a divorce, or someone may have an illness. They expressed that the school should offer help to students’ families by having a non-combative conversation regarding why the student is absent, and persuading teachers to be more flexible with assignments and grading. They stated that no one knows what is going on behind the scenes. The school should take that into consideration.
In an interview with the general education school site teacher, they explained that the main reason Black students have poor academic scores was that these students are chronically absent and at least 1-2 grade levels behind. This teacher feels that parents are not as involved as they need to be. In addition, they believe that there is a lack of support and understanding in the classroom. They think the school tries to serve all students equally, however, it is just not enough.
3. What patterns or trends related to this indicator and student group equity issues did you find in the qualitative data? How do they relate to the quantitative data patterns or trends?
The patterns identified in the qualitative data for students who are chronically absent may be absent because of family dynamics. These include domestic violence, poverty, drug or alcohol abuse in the home, no awareness of attendance laws or lack of guidance or parental supervision. Another trend could be the school climate. These can include the attitude of teachers, other students, and administrators. The school does not meet the cultural diversity and learning styles of the students. The school may have inconsistent systems in place for dealing with chronic absenteeism and may not have significant consequences available for AWOL students. Another pattern identified may be economic factors. These include single-parent homes, parents who hold multiple jobs, and a lack of affordable daycare and transportation. Lastly, student disengagement is another pattern. These include mental health struggles, bullies, struggling academically, or poor physical health. The trend that ties this together is Black students with high absenteeism rates. It becomes even bleaker when the quantitative data shows the rates for black students in the subgroups including foster youth, homeless youth and students with disabilities are extremely high and contributing factors to chronic absenteeism.
The quantitative data shows different trends in chronic absenteeism and academic performance of different groups in the school over the three years covered by the data. Although the school had a reduction in the total number of enrolled students from 2016 to 2018, the rate has been increasing amongst African Americans. The EdData shows an upward trend from 15.6%, to 24.4% to 36.6%. However, the trend is common in most of the groups, leading to a general increase in the number of absent students over the three years. The trend is similar to that in the second piece of EdData, presenting an analysis of Black chronic absenteeism. In this case, the data shows a positive trend in disparities contributing to black chronic absenteeism. However, homelessness and students with disabilities have experienced a positive change from 2016 to 2019, with the data showing a decrease in the values.
The information presented on the third EdData table shows a positive trend in the CAASPP English language level. The percentage of all students failing to meet the set standard has declined from 2016-2017 to 2018-2019 from 52.49% to 48.96%, an indication that there has been a general improvement in the students’ performance. The trend is similar to that of African American students, in which case the percentage of students that have not met the standard has reduced from 73.33% to 53.33% over the same period. Conversely, the EdData table presenting the math level not met performance shows a negative trend in the general performance of students on the subject. The performance has dropped by having an increase in the number of students failing, with the percentage increasing from 50.68% to 52.58%. Similarly, there is a negative trend in the performance of African American students, with the percentage of those failing reducing from 5.22% to 6.7%. As such, the quantitative data shows a decline in the performance of the students in both English and mathematics, a trend that is expected to continue in the future if all factors are kept constant.
4. Define the equity gap you have identified for a student group through your data analysis. Discuss related research that supports your equity gap analysis finding for the indicator and student group you have identified.
The equity gap that I identified is the high rate of chronic absenteeism among Black students. According to Davis et al (2018), chronic absenteeism (total days absent, excused, and unexcused) among socioeconomically disadvantaged students of color, especially Black students, has been found to be one of the leading reasons. Washington et al (2018) findings show chronic absence has been identified as an early warning sign that students of color, specifically Black students are at risk for delinquent activity; thus, schools, parents, and the community must work together in the early identification of chronic absence as well as truancy to keep students from progressing from school absence to crime and becoming involved in the justice system. According to Carnoy and Garcia (2017), there is a great disparity in terms of academic performance between the black and white students in English and mathematics. However, the gap has been experiencing a decline over the past decade, with the achievement gap closing steadily for Blacks compared to other groups such as the Hispanic students.
5. How is the equity gap you have identified for a student group at your school related to the school’s vision, mission, and/or goals?
The school’s mission is that students will reflect an engaging, inclusive, and supportive environment that enables all students to reach their maximum learning potential. A student’s background, condition, and circumstances should not be predictors of their progress and success. However, the school’s mission is not being applied to all students. The faculty and staff are not supportive of chronically absent students. Most have a combative nature, especially teachers. They are not understanding the student’s background, condition or circumstances that contributes to their student’s absence. They are not inclusive and often have biases toward their Black students. These actions do not reflect the theme of the school’s mission and providing training for staff and faculty will help reverse the negative impact that contributes to Black student’s chronic absenteeism.
The school mission seeks to create an environment that provides equal opportunity for all students regardless of their background. However, the students’ performance does not reflect the school mission, since it varies between students based on the social, cultural, and economic backgrounds. Although all students learn in the same institution, there is a large disparity in their performance, with students from some ethnic or social backgrounds performing better than others. The difference in performance does not reflect the school mission, since it presents some groups of students as having a higher likelihood of excelling academically than others. As such, the school has failed in ensuring that the learning environment and teachers’ actions are tailored towards achieving equal opportunities for all students through which all ethnic groups will have a relatively similar performance.
References
Carnoy, M. & Garcia, E. (2017). Five key trends in U.S. student performance. Economic Policy Institute.
Cycle 1: Step 2: Checklist: Rubrics 1.4 and 1.5
Level 3:
· Contributing and institutional /or structural factors
· How it added or contributed to equity gap
· Relevant research to support named factors
· Problem statement is feasible
· Draws from analysis and factors identified
At X English learners are behind their counterparts in math achievement by %. This stems from….. In order to address this need for English learners, X school must xxxx in order to close this severe achievement gap.
Level 4:
· Explains in detail
· With supporting evidence
· Created or added to equity differences
· In context of school, culture and broader educational needs of student group.
Level 5: ALL of 3 and 4 plus
· Sophisticated
· Research based understanding of systemic,
institutional or structural causes
· Identifies areas of need
· How conditions could be improved for target group
· Resolve collaboratively with stakeholders
· Cites evidenced based practices
· How this need has been met in other school settings
Respond to the prompts below (no more than 5 pages). NOTE: When citing relevant research, embed your citations directly within your written responses. Do not provide citations in a separate list.
1. What potential contributing factors are suggested by the data you have collected and analyzed that may have created or added to the equity gap you identified for a student group at your school?
The student group is African American (AA)/Black students who have poor academic performance due to chronic absenteeism. Please see fishbone activity and list 4 factors and find 3 sources and cite the source in the answer.
2. How do these specific contributing factors, including institutional and/or structural factors, impact student learning or well-being for the student group?
3. Cite research related to your findings regarding contributing factors that may have created or added to the equity gap you have identified for the student group.
4. Identify areas of educational need related to the single equity gap for a group of students
AREAS: the school needs additional supports or materials, necessary specialists or counselors, after-school programs for students.
Prepare a problem statement that culminates from your data collection and equity gap analysis. Your analysis may have revealed several contributing factors that impact the equity gap you identified for a student group. Some of these factors may be larger societal issues while others may be related to specific practices at the school. Select from the areas of educational need you have identified for the student group that could be addressed at the school level and develop one problem statement.
Problem Statement: Describe the equity gap that needs to be addressed by a problem-solving team at the school for the California state indicator and student group area of need (achievement or well-being) that you have identified.
My Problem is the chronic absenteeism and its impact on poor academic performance of black/AA students. SEE PROBLEM STATEMENT
At X School X (specific group) has been experiencing (describe equity gap)
because (describe contributing factors-concisely), In order to address this issue,
X School needs to (strategies and actions- do not simply say “PD”- relate the exact topics or skills, or practices that need to be initiated)
by doing this X school will be able to (describe how it will improve practice.
Therefore (specific group) will be able to (name specific academic improvement) to achieve (outcome) with their peers.
This outline will assist you in building a feasible problem statement of 1 to 2 paragraphs.
School-specific Factors
Poor conditions or lack of school facilities
No access to healthcare
geographic access to school
lack of social and education support services
unsafe
neighborhoods
Availability of job opportunities that do not require formal schooling
Low academic performance and repeating grades
influence, bullying
stressful family
events conflicting home and school priorities
Homelessness
Low family income
Black students are disciplined more or kicked out of class
Lack of culturally responsive lessons
There are not a lot of Black student representation at their school
Teachers may be bias about Black students
Family-specific factors
Less challenging courses and
student boredom
Teacher Shortages
Community-specific Factors
Chronic Illnesses
Mental Health (Anxiety)
School Climate
Health Concerns
Student Centered Factors
Chronic absenteeism factors
among Black students.
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