Now that the state team has been established (Step 1), review statewide attendance data to establish a realistic and ambitious chronic absence reduction goal to guide a long-term plan to improve student attendance and engagement. Data analysis can be used to inform action by helping teams identify the common root causes, districts, schools and student groups who may need additional resources and support.

In this step the state team will:

1. Review current chronic absence data overall and by student groups
2. Set a measurable chronic absence reduction goal

Use our Chronic Absence Goal Calculator (found in Resources below) to identify a five-year reduction goal. The calculator can generate annual targets as well as identify bright spots and progress indicators to help show that programs are moving in the right direction. The calculator is organized into five action steps outlined below.

Action 1: Identify a baseline year.
Select a year with reliable, representative data to serve as the starting point for progress measurement. This could be the 2023-24 school year, or another year that best reflects your state's starting point.

Action 2: Enter the state total student enrollment count from baseline year.
This data point will serve as the foundation for calculating the five-year attendance goal.

Action 3: Enter the baseline chronic absence rate from the baseline year.
The Chronic Absence Goal Calculator will use this rate, along with the enrollment data, to generate a five-year goal and annual targets for reducing chronic absence.

Example: If your baseline chronic absence rate is 17.5%, and the goal is to reduce this rate by 50% over five years, the calculator might suggest a target of 12.5% by the 2028-29 school year. For a state with 600,000 students, this translates to reducing the number of chronically absent students by approximately 2.5% each year, which equals approximately 15,000 students annually.

Action 4: Analyze the data for bright spots and areas of focus across student demographics, regional demographics, districts and grade levels.
It's crucial to examine if particular student groups, grade levels and districts have greater percentages or numbers of chronically absent students. This targeted approach will ensure that all students receive adequate support. Look for bright spots and areas for priority investment across student groups, regions, districts and grade spans. Pair quantitative trends with qualitative insights gathered from students, families and educators to better understand the root causes of absences.

As the team disaggregates the data, consider the following questions:

• Where is there improvement? What can be learned from these bright spots?
• Which student groups or districts face the greatest barriers or serve the largest number of chronically absent students?
• What patterns are emerging at key transition points (e.g., kindergarten or first grade, middle school and high school)?
• What are families, students and educators telling us about the barriers and challenges to daily attendance?

Resource for Step 2: Chronic Absence Goal Calculator

• State Chronic Absence Goal Calculator
• View a mock version of the calculator with SAMPLE DATA