Monitor preschool attendance at student and school levels with watch lists and share records across the preschool-to-kindergarten transition¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

The report recommends that schools routinely collect and monitor preschool attendance data and act on it early. It suggests "Monthly or biweekly watch lists that highlight those students who miss more than a particular number of days may prove useful, so that teachers can reach out to parents to help develop strategies for attending more regularly." It also recommends sharing preschool attendance records with kindergarten teachers at transition so elementary schools can sustain attendance efforts, and building partnerships with parents of low-skill entrants before absences accumulate.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Schools must collect attendance data and monitor it at the student and school levels for watch lists to function.

Constraints¶

• The report notes schools cannot reasonably be expected to solve issues such as poor family health, child care, and lack of access to quality medical care, and suggests partnering with community organizations instead.

Target Learners¶

• Three- and four-year-old preschool students, particularly those entering with low incoming skills

Target Learning Goals¶

• Kindergarten readiness in math, letter recognition, pre-literacy, and social-emotional development

Related Strategies¶

• Provide supports to improve attendance in pre-kindergarten and the early elementary years

Examples¶

-

Key Sources¶

• Ehrlich, S. B., Gwynne, J. A., Pareja, A. S., Allensworth, E. M., Moore, P., Jagesic, S., & Sorice, E. (2014). Preschool Attendance in Chicago Public Schools: Relationships with Learning Outcomes and Reasons for Absences. UChicago CCSR Research Report. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/preschool-attendance-chicago-public-schools-relationships-learning-outcomes-and-reasons