Handouts and Additional Resources

• Communication & Outreach: Teacher check-in, site staff check-in, emails, texts, parent square, phone calls/conferences, letters, home visits
  • Distance Learning: Include zoom check-ins, office hours and all of the above

• Mentoring program: Adult Staff Mentors and/or Peer Mentors, mentoring organizations, group mentoring
  • Distance Learning: Can be done virtually
• Student Incentive Stores, reward/token economy using "bucks", points, credits, or tickets
  • Distance Learning: The PBIS idea of a token economy and student incentive stores can be an ideal method of student engagement based on participation/assignments during distance learning and when students return to school.  Students can earn points, credits, "bucks", or tokens based on participation/attendance to redeem at a school site or district student incentive store.  Prizes can be mailed to students, or given to students as they return to school.
  • Examples of Student Incentive Stores:
    • Crawford County Middle School's incentive store
      • “Eagle Store” set up to earn “eagle dollars,” great outcomes.
    • Shaw Middle School adopts student reward program
      • Credit Card with student ID, student store, “Viking Bucks.”
  • PBIS Rewards App
• Announcement of students of the day
  • Distance Learning: Can be sent by email, or announced in online class session
• Publish names on a recognition board
  •  Distance Learning: Can create a virtual space and publish/recognize students
• YouTube Channels, Social Media Spotlights
  • Distance Learning: Well suited for DL
• “Shout Outs” to students with good or improved attendance
  • Distance Learning: Can be sent by email, or announced in online class session based on participation
• Special day (e.g., hat day, funky apparel day)
  • Distance Learning: Can still create a special virtual fun day, i.e. "Fun Friday"
• Special activity (e.g., dance, talent show, photo booth, DJ during lunch)
  • Distance Learning: Can still create a special fun virtual activity
• Certificates of recognition (whole class, individual student) awarded at assembly
  • Distance Learning: Students can earn by online participation & interaction.  Can send by mail, email, or by socially distanced home visit.
• Principal or other staff member who works with all students does a crazy activity (e.g., wear a crazy tie, pie in the face, buzz-cut hair, dress as a clown for a day)
  • Distance Learning: Can still have principal appear online for a virtual equivalent
• Invite a famous person to the school to speak
  • Distance Learning: Can still be done virtually
• Attendance Campaign (e.g., “all in”)
  • Distance Learning: Can create a virtual participation-based attendance campaign
• Poster contest re: importance of attendance
  • Distance Learning: Can have students submit pictures of their posters
• Video contest re: importance of attendance
  • Distance Learning: Can still have students create and submit videos
• Banner placed in front of school with the best attendance for last month
  • Distance Learning: Many districts are placing banners on campus fences next to streets and in the community, i.e. "we miss you", "____ students are the best!"
• Trophy for school with the best attendance for last month
  • Distance Learning: Can still provide this award to schools based on student participation
• Featuring school with best attendance at board meetings
  • Distance Learning: Can honor schools with best participation @ school board meetings
• Check to school with most improved attendance (a small portion of increased ADA)
  • Distance Learning: Can still provide this incentive to school sites
• E-Sports Leagues: Minecraft for younger students and age specific games for teens
  • Distance Learning: These leagues and games are inherently virtual
• Newsletters featuring students, parents, and staff achievements in attendance
  • Distance Learning: Could be emailed, shown in class, put on website etc.
• School wide BBQ event or provide a special food (e.g., root beer floats, sundaes)
• Coupons or vouchers for discounts or free items such as school store merchandise, school portraits, school yearbook, city bus, bowling alley or arcade, local restaurants, or coffee shops.
• Discount or free admission to a local museum, zoo, festival, sports event, school function…
• Movie night in the gym or auditorium (free movie theatre tickets)
• Field or activity afternoon/day (e.g., carnival, wacky water day, spirit days)

• PEDAGOGY (See Teacher to Teacher Tips below)
  • Engaging culturally relevant curriculum, engaging instruction, art & music infusion, involving students in curriculum, making list of best practices at your site that work with your students in distance learning and beyond.
• Class game (e.g., Heads-Up, Seven-Up, team competition with group video game, charades)
  • Distance Learning: Can still create virtual large or small group equivalents
• Field trips
  • Distance Learning: Virtual Field Trips (i.e. fire department, Paris, France)
    • 42 Virtual Field Trips for Kids to Get Them Learning About the World
    • Virtual Field Trips Designed For Your Curriculum
• Letter or postcards mailed home to congratulate class on achievement
  • Distance Learning: Can still send these as before based on participation/engagement
• Read aloud a book of students’ choice
  • Distance Learning: Can still do a book reading virtually
• Quick goofy activity (e.g.., make funny noises for 30 seconds, have a snowball fight with recycled paper for 20 seconds)
  • Distance Learning: Can create virtual equivalent
• Free time (e.g.., chat break at end of class, choice of activities for x minutes)
  • Distance Learning: Can create virtual groups space for such activities
• Choose study buddies
  • Distance Learning: Can assign virtual study buddies
• Homework pass – student gets to skip one homework assignment
  • Distance Learning: Can still give homework pass based on outstanding virtual participation, assignments or interactions.
• Extra recess or extended recess time
• Allow students to choose their seat for a day
• Class party (e.g., confetti party, ice cream party, disco dance party)
• Class time in supervised computer lab, library, gym, or another classroom
• Permission to use cell phone, tablet, computer, or personal music device (with headphones) in class
• Off campus lunch privilege (high school students)

• Recognition mailed home or positive phone call home (teacher or principal)
  • Distance Learning: Can still perform as before.  Can send laminated certificates home.  Google slides for student of the month, attendance improvement etc.
• Art/school supplies or gift certificate to school store
  • Distance Learning: Can still use this incentive based on participation and assignments
• Have breakfast with someone – “breakfast bunch”  (e.g.., breakfast with the principal or teacher, breakfast in special location in school with two friends)
  • Distance Learning: Music & breakfast, games & breakfast…
• Have lunch with someone – “lunch bunch”  (e.g.., lunch with the principal or teacher, lunch in special location in school with two friends)
  • Distance Learning: Music & lunch, sports & lunch,
• Small item (e.g., hand stamp, sticker, temporary tattoo, Silly Putty toy, pencils/erasers, bubbles, action figure, sports or game trading cards, sunglasses, hair ornaments, comic book, or Mad Libs party game)
  • Distance Learning: Can still send students these items based on participation
• Help prepare an activity (e.g., plan assembly, teach lesson, create YouTube video)
  • Distance Learning: Can still perform virtually
• Record a message for school or teacher’s answering machine or video for school website
  • Distance Learning: Can still perform virtually
• Play a game or do preferred activity for x amount of time
  • Distance Learning: Can still provide this privilege in virtual space
• Gift Certificates (i.e. for In N Out)
  • Distance Learning: Can still provide gift certificates
• First choice of activity or first in line (e.g., lunch line, lab activity)
• Choice of seat for the day (e.g., teacher’s chair or next to a friend)
• Be a helper for someone (principal, custodian, librarian, specialist)
• Decorate a ceiling tile, wall, or sidewalk
• Discount or free admission to activity (e.g., rock climbing wall, ice rink, aquarium, sporting event, movie)

SCHOOL ATTENDANCE SUPPORT MEETING (SART equivalent) TEMPLATE

By: Amir Alavi, Esq., Director of Chronic Absenteeism Reduction,Riverside County Office of Education 

GENERAL OVERVIEW OF MEETING:

• To Qualify for a SART meeting:
  • Have letters been sent?
  • Has the teacher/site attempted check-ins?

• At the SART MEETING (suggested chronology):
  • Introductions – Connection before Content
  • Overview of meeting / agenda
  • State purpose of SART Meeting
  • Explore reason for SART Meeting, i.e. numbers, history
  • Discussion – giving parents/guardians & student full opportunity to share and explain challenges
  • Provide resources to match each issue
  • Conclusion and discussion of follow up measures

EACH COMPONENT EXPANDED:

ROOM SET-UP / SETTING

• Please try to arrange the seating in a circle to create a sense of connection and community vs. hierarchy or authority. Please try and make the environment as inviting as possible. Please consider providing refreshments or snacks to create a sense of comfort and nourishment. Please consider having some pamphlets or helpful resource references available to share with families.

INTRODUCTIONS: 

• Each person should introduce themselves, their role/position, including parents & student(s).
• Connection before Content: please try to personalize the meeting by asking about the students and their interests and thanking the parents for their time etc.
• Give an overview of the meeting chronology:
  • i.e. “we want to share with you the purpose of the meeting, discuss your child’s participation / attendance, explore any barriers to participation, review all the available resources and supports to assist you, and briefly discuss steps to follow up with you.”
• TONE: The tone of these meetings should be informal, friendly, collaborative, and non-punitive.

PURPOSE of the SART MEETING:

• Please use phrases like: “to form a partnership and to work as a team to improve distance learning participation / attendance for (student names)”.

REASON for the SART MEETING:

• A member of the school site staff would briefly review the numbers, participation, or attendance for the student.

DISCUSSION:

• The SART staff would ask the parents and student to share any challenges, barriers, or obstacles to consistent participation/good attendance.
• The team would want to identify each reason/barrier to get a better picture – often times the family will face numerous challenges.

SUPPORTS & SERVICES:

• The SART staff should review all available and applicable resources and supports to assist the family and generously offer each relevant service, support, or intervention.
  • Please consider offering general supports to each student, i.e. counseling, tutoring, internet connection/device assistance etc.
  • Please consider offering more specific supports tailored to that student’s individual needs in addition to the general supports above.
• The SART staff may use a contract, if possible, that clearly lists the supports the team offered and some terms spelling out expectations for the parent and students.

FOLLOW UP:

• The SART staff will briefly explain efforts they will make to follow up with the family and to support the family.
• The SART staff will then follow up over time.

CONCLUSION of the MEETING:

• The SART should ask parents and students if there are any additional questions.A key concept to communicate is that a parent’s role in this process is critical and that the SART staff will partner with the family to ensure student success.
• The SART staff will provide any links, resources, handouts, referral numbers etc. at the conclusion of the meeting.

SART MEETING TEMPLATE

• 10 minutes before class I am playing music and students get Kudos and (virtual) points for guessing the artist and the song.
• Show and Tell every 2 weeks. I pick a different category each time. The kids love it!
• Scholars are more likely to attend sessions and participate in activities if they're given opportunities to express themselves creatively, so weekly choice-based projects are a must!
• Fun activities at the start of class (anticipatory set, raffles, riddles, celebrations, etc) may motivate students to attend class and regulate their own behavior. These activities may also be structured around following instructions, working with others, and other activities which promote a positive learning environment.
• Having some type of ending is also an important part of keeping students in the class until the end. Mine is the Daily Check-in Form with a part II reflection that students have to complete at the end of class and submit. It allows for accountability with attendance and it creates a snapshot of the student's day.
• Use Chat feature A LOT!!! Keeping them active on Chat really helps them understand hat you are looking at their response.
• Provide opportunities for attendance incentives, like: students who attend 5 days in row receive raffle tickets, random attendance drawings, attendance competition, etc.
• Review with the students what to do if they are or were not able to connect. For
  • example: Email, Remind app. Etc.
• Do inform students that attendance and grades count even during distance learning.
• Assigning “jobs” in the classroom gives students the opportunity to be responsible for a given task. Having this “sense of purpose” will strengthen community and pride, but also acts as a “structure” of expectations and procedures
• Check in with students who appear not to be engaged...via emails, phone calls, Zoom, etc.
• Try to integrate at least one activity each day that students work on collaboratively. Design these lessons to ensure all students are easily accounted for. These may include Jamboard, Google Slides with students typing in different colors, padlet etc.
  • Any increase in accountability has proven to have an impact in student engagement. The kids want to do things, not sit through a lecture!
• Another key is any activity that allows for individual feedback. This can be verbally calling out student successes in class, emailing students with progress, responding with comment banks in Google Classroom, "Shout Out" boards with key successes in the class.
• I am using Classcraft online behavior management (like ClassDojo) to give points.
• The activities have to be lively and personable. Students love the time to engage and are willing to share with areas that are not too personal, but allow them to take sides.
• Lots of reminders & positive messages to parents. Celebrating work & students
• throughout Meets. Recognizing attendance & student work with mini iMovies shown on ClassDojo... Also, Dojo Points for attendance.
• Tip- break up the period into chunks so students know that there are new activities after each thing we do- so they know they need to stick around.
• Second- the chrome add-on called Attendance Google Meet (with green check mark) shows what time students came in, how long they stayed, how many times they got kicked out etc. If students know you have that kind of data, they are less likely "ditch" because they know you are paying attention.
• I do a good morning greeting activity-acknowledge each student. I also do a weekly incentive for attendance and completing assignments. The reward is to acknowledge them in Class Dojo & Google Classroom. Also, when they collect 10 super stars, they will get a Happy Meal Certificate by mail.

• I provide a Google Slide presentation, so that students can follow the class activities-- Mine is set like a classroom with Bitmoji.
• I review the concept for the day--and include the Learning Progressions (steps) and Success Scales (grading), so that my students know what they need to do to reach the grade they want.
• I try to keep my lessons short, but active so that students are not bored or completely lost. I use multiple technical components to keep them engaged and always on theirtoes (Jamboard, Google Slide assignments, Breakout Sessions, Google Forms, etc.) I like the Google Tools because they are all in one place and provide easy to follow instructions for any teacher.

• Teach “perspective taking,” where students develop empathy...this can be done by reading emotionally charged stories, role playing and “What would you do?” type activities.
• Start the class with a community building circle round! This helps them feel    connected.
• Having “class meetings” (daily or weekly) will help students connect, build stronger relationships and develop a climate of trust. This is also an opportunity to hold meaningful discussions.
• Team building and team play activities will build a sense of community in the classroom.
• Role playing allows students to assume a persona and strengthen decision-making skills, collaborate and make sense out of real-life situations.
• Games, in general, allow students to interact, work together, learn societal norms and demonstrate an understanding of a given topic.
• Provide engaging relationship building starters (Who is your favorite villain? Scavenger hunt for things in the house, Nearpod for checking for understanding within the lesson, twice a month rewards, Daily Shout - Outs, Lots of positive praise.

• 5:1 Praise
• Use of school recognition system
• RP Strategies such as Community Circles
• Spirit Days
• Pick the teacher's background (favorite sports stadium) or hair style
• Incentives at Grab n Go such as staff member dressed funny
• Class points accumulation to have staff member pied in face or other stilly actions
• Student of the Day selected prior to class but not shared until the end of class (must be present to win sort of thing)
• Positive cards/postcards home
• Use of Kahoots online game
• Virtual escape rooms
• Bring your _____ to class day