Chronic Absenteeism in Hawaii's public schools plummets 39 percent

Reducing chronic absenteeism is a strong predictor of academic success. Science proficiency also rose to 40 percent from 34 percent. As public schools transition to new standards and an aligned assessment, new baseline scores for reading and math proficiency are being set.

The Index is calculated on a 400-point scale based on the categories above.

News Release from Hawaii DoE 25-Aug-2014

HONOLULU – Hawaii’s public elementary schools have made significant headway in reducing the number of students chronically absent, a strong predictor of academic success, according to the Hawaii State Department of Education (DOE) 2013-14 Strive HI Performance System results.

Chronic absenteeism is one of the most powerful predictors of student success, even accounting for other factors such as poverty and disability. Curbing chronic absenteeism is a key focus of the Strive HI Performance System, which supports schools’ progress based on multiple, research-based indicators.

The percentage of students absent 15 days or more in the 2013-14 school year dropped to 11 percent from 18 percent a year ago. The seven-point drop boosts the prospect for achievement in other performance areas — including proficiency and graduation — for more than 5,500 students statewide.

"During a year of tremendous change in our public schools, it is clear that our students and staff continue to answer the call to strive higher at every level," said Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi. "The data shows some clear bright spots, as well as some things we need to continue to work on. I want to thank our principals, teachers, staff, and students for all of the efforts put forward to raise awareness about the importance of attendance. It's not just about showing up for class, it's about laying the educational foundation for student success.”

Strive HI data also show significant student improvement in science proficiency. As schools continue to adjust to Hawaii Common Core standards and assessments, the data revealed slightly lower reading and math proficiency. Results for college-readiness, graduation rates, and college-going rates remained steady.

Launched in the 2012-13 school year, Strive HI replaced outdated aspects of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law, which looked only at reading and math scores to impose strict consequences to schools.

TABLE: OUTSTANDING STRIVE HI SCHOOLS
Most improved and highest scorers on the Strive HI Index (400-point scale).

Key findings

ABSENTEEISM: The percent of students who are chronically absent (15 days or more) has dropped from 18 percent to 11 percent; other school culture indicators are improving.

• Improvements are widespread: 163 of 169 elementary schools improved their chronic absenteeism rates.
• Overall, 5,500 fewer elementary school students were chronically absent – meaning they have far better chances of success.
• Over the last four years, average daily attendance has increased slightly from 94.0% to 94.3%, and there have been 2,000 fewer suspensions.

“The significant reductions in chronic absenteeism show schools are doing a better job at making instruction more engaging and interesting,” said Deputy Superintendent Ronn Nozoe. “They are to be commended for working with families and community partners to provide wrap-around services to address attendance barriers like health and transportation issues, intervening with at-risk students based on data, and improving school culture.

“Research shows that when a leading indicator like chronic absenteeism improves, it’s a good sign that improvements in grades, graduation rates and college-going rates will follow,” Nozoe added.

TABLE: OUTSTANDING CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM SCHOOLS

PROFICIENCY: Students proficient in science climbed to 40 percent from 34 percent. Slight declines were seen in reading (69 percent from 72 percent) and math proficiency (59 percent from 60 percent), as schools adjust to new standards and an expected new baseline for scores.

• 2,500 additional students were proficient in science.
• For 2013-14, the Hawaii State Assessment Bridge tests​ for reading and math were administered — they were a subset of questions from the old state assessment that are aligned to the new Hawaii Common Core standards, designed to help the transition to the new Smarter Balanced assessment students will take this year.

Hawaii’s new state assessment will create a new proficiency baseline — students are not doing worse in reading and math, they’re taking a different exam. Parents and the community should look to a school’s student growth performance for a more reliable metric during this transition — seeing how a school’s students are advancing relative to their peers across the state. (School-level Strive HI Performance Reports with growth data and other indicators can be found on school pages on the DOE website.)

Science, which was overlooked by NCLB, is seeing renewed enthusiasm and focus under Strive HI. Some of the factors likely at play here: (1) Around the state, educators are implementing exciting strategies to engage students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) efforts that improve science skills; and (2) the shift to the Hawaii Common Core standards, which focus on applying reading and math skills across subjects to solve real-world problems, helps students in other areas like science.

“We expected an adjustment as new standards and assessments challenge students to understand and demonstrate knowledge and skills in deeper and more meaningful ways,” Matayoshi said. “A new proficiency baseline will be established when students take the Smarter Balanced assessments this year.”

TABLE: OUTSTANDING MATH PROFICIENCY SCHOOLS

TABLE: OUTSTANDING READING PROFICIENCY SCHOOLS

TABLE: OUTSTANDING SCIENCE PROFICIENCY SCHOOLS

COLLEGE/CAREER READINESS IS STEADY: ACT scores, high school graduation rates and college-going rates remain steady as part of a long-term upward trend.

• The graduation rate for the Class of 2013 remained at 82 percent and college-going rates for students who graduated in the Class of 2012 remain at 63 percent.
• The percentage of students reaching a 19 or above on ACT remains steady at 34 percent, while the number of students meeting ACT’s College Readiness Benchmarks edged up from to 9 percent from 7 percent. Based on local research, a composite score of 19 on the ACT exam indicates readiness for entry-level courses in the University of Hawaii System.
• The percentage of students requiring remedial classes in college English remained steady at 31 percent, while math remediation dropped to 32 percent from 36 percent.

“We would all like to see more rapid improvement in indicators of college-readiness: ACT scores, graduation rates and college-going rates,” Matayoshi said. “We expect they will improve over time as absenteeism drops, and more students are engaging in rich learning experiences and receiving individualized supports.”

TABLES: READINESS INDICATORS

OUTSTANDING 8th GRADE ACT SCHOOLS
8th grade ACT exams were administered in all DOE middle schools last year. 
We will have a most improved category for this table next year.

OUTSTANDING 11th GRADE ACT SCHOOLS
Percentage of students who scored a 19 or above.

OUTSTANDING GRADUATION RATE SCHOOLS

OUTSTANDING COLLEGE-GOING RATE SCHOOLS

14 New Recognition Schools

Schools are added to the Strive HI Steps on a two-year cycle, so most schools receive a new step classification in odd years. However, 14 schools met the Recognition School criteria for highest-performing or highest-progress schools for the first time. These schools will receive recognition and a financial reward at an event next month.

• Pomaikai Elementary (High Performing)
• Puohala Elementary (High Performing)
• Hahaione Elementary (High Performing)
• Kilohana Elementary (High Performing)
• Enchanted Lake Elementary (High Performing)
• Kaelepulu Elementary (High Performing and High Progress)
• Mokapu Elementary (High Performing)

• Noelani Elementary (High Performing)
• Kaumualii Elementary (High Performing)
• Helemano Elementary (High Performing)
• Hickam Elementary (High Performing)
• Maunaloa Elementary (High Performing)
• de Silva Elementary (High Performing)
• Hokulani Elementary (High Performing)

One Priority School, Niihau o Kekaha, also met the criteria to be reclassified as a Focus School. Results for 23 other schools are pending an appeals process that will conclude in mid-September.

About Strive HI

The Strive HI Performance System is Hawaii’s school accountability and improvement system. It provides data to help understand a school’s performance and progress on multiple research-based indicators, including reading, math and science scores, achievement growth and gaps, chronic absenteeism, graduation rates, college readiness and enrollment.

Strive HI is a diagnostic tool that’s designed to be more comprehensive than NCLB. It is a tool to support, not rank, schools. The federal government approved Hawaii’s Strive HI system last year and extended approval through this year.

“Strive HI gives schools actionable data they can use to inform their improvement efforts, provides a snapshot of the overall health of the school to inform parents and communities, and it helps us deploy resources and support schools strategically,” Nozoe said. “This is not about ranking schools against each other.”

To view a school's Strive HI Performance Report, follow these simple steps:

• Visit HawaiiPublicSchools.org and click on "Find Schools"
• Type in the school in "Find by school name"
• Click "Show Results"
• When the school listing appears in the results, click "Read More"
• Click on the link under the header Strive HI report; reports for 2013-14 and 2012-13 are listed.

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About the DOE
The Hawaii State Department of Education is the ninth-largest U.S. school district and the only statewide educational system in the country. It is comprised of 255 schools and 34 charter schools, and serves more than 185,000 students. King Kamehameha III established Hawaii’s public school system in 1840. The DOE is in the midst of a range of historic efforts to transform its public education system to ensure graduates succeed in college or careers. View our Milestones of Transformation.