Where does the data in the dashboard come from?
The dashboard is populated using data schools and districts are already reporting to EMIS.
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How are a school or district’s chronic absence rate calculated in the dashboard?
# of students that have missed 10% or more /
total # of students =
school or district chronic absence rate %
The dashboard’s calculation does not factor in a student’s FTE the same way as Ohio’s School Report Cards.
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What is the formula that determines whether a student has missed 10% or more of school?
# of hours a student has missed /
total # of hours of school held =
% of school year missed
The dashboard’s calculation is based on total hours of school held
so far in the school year. For example, let’s say a student misses the equivalent of one school day out of a five-day week at the beginning of the school year. At the end of that week, the student will have missed 20% of school so far. That student’s attendance data would contribute to a school or district’s chronic absence rate because they missed 20% or more of school.
If that same student missed no hours during the second week of school, they will then have missed 10% of school so far, or one day out of the first 10 days of school. Still, that student's attendance data will still be contributing to the chronic absence rate overall because they missed 10% or more of school.
That same student would have to miss no hours during the third week of school to be under the 10% calculation threshold. Now that student’s attendance data will contribute to the “at-risk” category instead since they missed one day out of 15 days of school, or 6.7%.
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We use our own local tool for attendance. How is this helpful?
Prior to Ohio’s Attendance Dashboard, there was a need for real-time attendance data to make decisions and plans in the moment. Some schools and districts have adopted a variety of tools or programs to help with examining attendance regularly, and each one of those options has its own value and uses. Ohio’s Attendance Dashboard functions as another tool for schools, districts, and the whole community to use when approaching a holistic approach to reducing chronic absence.
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How can families help with reducing chronic absence?
Ohio’s Attendance Dashboard is a tool meant for the entire school community to support conversations about attendance. This includes aligning language and messaging about the effects of missing school for
any reason, because all absences contribute to chronic absence. Schools and districts cannot do this work alone. Attendance is inextricably connected to many aspects of the whole school community, and it will take that community working together in order to lower chronic absence across the state.
Families play a critical role in this work. They bring a perspective to the conversation that schools and districts need to hear and understand. Families can help discuss the kinds of challenges school and district staff see with attendance, and they can be part of the decision-making process around the supports needed.
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How can the wider community help with reducing chronic absence?
School attendance is everyone's responsibility. Community partners can review this guidance on supporting student attendance using Ohio's Attendance Dashboard.
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What changes are you looking to make in the future?
The Department and its partners are working on ways to improve what users experience in the dashboard. Users can provide feedback through the Help button in the dashboard or by emailing attendance@education.ohio.gov directly.
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