School and District Support

Schools can use a local integrated multi-tiered system of supports aligned with Ohio’s Integrated Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework to develop effective attendance interventions. Tier 1 supports all students through engagement and data-informed practices. Tier 2 provides targeted support for students missing 5%+ of the year with outreach and progress monitoring. Tier 3 offers intensive, individualized interventions, often with community partners. Success relies on establishing staffwide understanding through effective and efficient shared leadership, professional capacity, and communication and collaboration. 

Access the Department’s page about Ohio’s Integrated Multi-Tiered System of Supports for more information. 

Attendance Tools 

The tools below, recommended by the 2023 Attendance Task Force of superintendents, community members, and experts, can help educators meet school and district attendance goals. For a full overview, access the Task Force Recommendation Report. 

Conversation and Messaging Guides

• Attendance Activities Plan Calendar 
  • Educators can use this calendar to plan attendance communications and strategies for the school year and help ensure they are meeting the needs of the schoolwide community.  
• Attendance Conversation Guides
  • These grade-specific guides are designed to help school staff engage students and families in supportive conversations about attendance. These discussions can reveal underlying factors affecting attendance and empower schools to respond to chronic absence with a strengths-based approach. Visit the Attendance Works webpage about the root causes of student absence to learn more. 
    • Student Guides
      • Conversation Guide for Students in Grades K-5
      • Conversation Guide for Students in Grades 6-8
      • Conversation Guide for Students in Grades 9-12
    • Family Guides
      • Conversation Guide for Families with Students in Grades K-5
      • Conversation Guide for Families with Students in Grades 6-8
      • Conversation Guide for Families with Students in Grades 9-12
• Sample Attendance Notifications for Families
  • Following their local board policy, schools and districts can use these notification templates to communicate with families about student attendance.
• Sample Habitually Truant Notification for Families
  • Schools and districts can use this sample template to inform students and families that a student has reached a habitual truancy threshold.

Local Policy Support

• Ohio's Attendance Guide
  • This guidance emphasizes the importance of focusing on early intervention and prevention strategies to improve student attendance by providing district- and school-level activities and resources. ​ 
• Model Local Board Attendance Policy 
  • ​As of August 1, 2026, state law will require each school and district to establish a local board policy that includes a notification requirement regarding student absences, both excused and unexcused, at locally determined thresholds.

Professional Development and Networking

• Stay in the Game! Attendance Network  
  • Schools and districts can join this professional network to connect with peers and access resources for implementing effective attendance strategies.  
• Implementation Guide for School Leadership  
  • This implementation guide offers ready-to-use lessons for school leaders to facilitate professional development on attendance. Each 45-minute lesson includes slides, a worksheet, and a video. No specialized knowledge of attendance is required when leading these sessions. 

Data Support 

Effective implementation of attendance initiatives relies on actionable attendance data, which Ohio districts can access through dashboards linked to their Student Information System and with guidance from credentialed Regional Data Leads at their State Support Teams or Educational Service Centers.

•  Attendance Data Reflection  
  • This data reflection tool can help schools and districts determine which attendance data sources to use. EMIS coordinators can contact their Information Technology Center (ITC) if a school or district needs support to gather data points.  
• Attendance Intervention Tracking Sheet 
  • Schools and districts providing targeted attendance interventions for students can use this tracking sheet to monitor and share student progress, as well as assign Tier 2 and 3 interventions.  
• Attendance Works Qualitative Data Resources  
  • This Attendance Works website offers a series of qualitative data examples and templates, including empathy interviews and student focus groups.  
• Student Shadowing Toolkit 
  • Educators in Ohio can use this toolkit to gain a clearer perspective of a student’s day at school.  

Attendance in Ohio’s Community Schools 

Community schools are required to follow Ohio’s attendance laws. Requirements include:

• Monitoring and logging daily student attendance,
• Communicating with students and families about attendance concerns, and
• Providing supports for students struggling with attendance. 

In addition to the above, online community schools (e-schools or computer-based schools) have different requirements as outlined in Ohio Revised Code.

Contact the Department’s Office of Community Schools with any additional questions regarding attendance concerns in both traditional and online community schools. 

Attendance in Ohio’s Chartered Nonpublic Schools 

Chartered nonpublic schools in Ohio are required to follow Ohio’s attendance laws. Requirements include the monitoring and logging of daily student attendance, communicating with students and families about attendance concerns, and providing supports for students struggling with attendance.

• Nonpublic schools do not report attendance for all students to the Department of Education and Workforce through the Education Management Information System (EMIS). However, chartered nonpublic schools do maintain attendance records for all students and also report daily attendance in the Nonpublic Data System (NPDS) for students who receive the EdChoice Scholarship.
• Chartered nonpublic schools can adopt and follow local attendance policies when determining next steps for students who are chronically absent or habitually truant. The school can file a complaint in their specific county’s juvenile court for a habitually truant student who stops making satisfactory progress. The school should collaborate with the traditional public school district where the student resides.
• Similarly, if a student withdraws from a chartered nonpublic school during the school year for any reason, the chartered nonpublic school should notify the traditional public school district where the student resides. The traditional public school district is then responsible for monitoring and communicating about that student’s attendance.

Contact the Department’s Office of Nonpublic Educational Options with any additional questions regarding attendance concerns in nonpublic schools.

Additional Attendance Resources 

• Model Local Board Attendance Policy
• Attendance Playbook by FutureEd and Attendance Works 
• Attendance Works
• Harvard Proving Ground
• Ohio Supreme Court Toolkit: Developing an Effective School Attendance Program 
• Stay in the Game! Network 

Last Modified: 12/9/2025 9:38:03 AM

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