ESD attendance pilot shows multi-year gains; district to expand early outreach

Ross Davis, an improvement and engagement liaison with the ESD, told the board the district’s attendance pilot used capacity-based coaching, community-of-practice sharing and tiered supports (yellow/orange/red zones) to reduce chronic absenteeism. He said the pilot’s first-year results outperformed control schools—elementary by 5.5% and middle schools by 6.5%—while year two suffered regression because of a severe flu season and a teacher strike; year three regained gains across pilot schools.

Davis explained the pilot’s practical supports: clear family-facing language reframing percentages into meaningful metrics (for example, “missing one month of school”), small-group supports for students in the orange zone, and individualized collaborative plans for the red zone. He emphasized early outreach in August and September for families already at risk of chronic absence and named navigator strategies and daily check-ins as interventions being refined for scale.

Davis also urged schools to prioritize starting interventions early in the school year; he said data show students who miss just two days in September are substantially more likely to become chronically absent later in the year. The ESD will continue coaching district schools and said resources will be available regionally.

Ending: District and ESD staff said they will continue expanding supports and aim to start targeted outreach to high‑risk families before the next school year begins.