Attendance Analysis

The average student attendance rate during the 2000 school year was 95.6%. The effectiveness level is 95% and the mean is 92%. Districtwide student attendance levels for this school year achieve effectiveness.

Disclosure of attendance goals to students and parents is often helpful in maintaining high levels of student attendance. Examination of practices in schools and other school systems which have achieved effective student attendance percentages may reveal additional methods to be applied to increasing student attendance in the district.

The average number of days of teacher absence in the Polk County Schools for the 2000 school year was 5.4 days per teacher. The effectiveness level is 5 days per teacher per year, and the mean is 7 days. Generally speaking, the higher the teacher absence rate, the less effective is a school system (e.g., continuity of instruction; monitoring student achievement; positive attendance role modeling for students; cost of substitute teachers depleting funds which could be used for instruction).

Currently, the teacher absence rate in Polk County School is close to the effectiveness level.

Teacher attendance may be improved by publicizing absence rates, designing school district policy to recognize and reward teacher attendance, and implementing practices across the district adopted from buildings where teacher attendance is effective.