Module 1	Background	Unit 1 Introduction	Unit 2 How to use this playbook
Module 2	Partnerships	Unit 1 What is the role of partnerships in information sharing?	Unit 2 What strategies can be used to identify and engage partners?	Unit 3 Talking points for engaging partners and identifying champions
Module 3	Proposed indicators	Unit 1 Indicator summary
Module 4	School attendance	Unit 1 Definition	Unit 2 Domains to assess school attendance	Unit 3 Data on school attendance	Unit 4 Examples of school attendance to monitor trends
Module 5	School disciplinary actions	Unit 1 Definition	Unit 2 Domains to assess school disciplinary actions	Unit 3 Data on school disciplinary actions
Module 6	School readiness	Unit 1 Definition	Unit 2 Domains to assess school readiness	Unit 3 Data on school readiness
Module 7	Next steps	Unit 1 Next steps
Module 8	Appendices	Unit 1 Appendix A: Key terms	Unit 2 Appendix B. School disciplinary action scenario workflows	Unit 3 Appendix C: School readiness assessment tools	Unit 4 Appendix D: Legal considerations	Unit 5 Appendix E. Additional data sharing information, resources and considerations	Unit 6 Feedback survey
Module 9	References	Unit 1 References

Data on school attendance

Who collects data on school attendance and for what purpose?

Individual schools collect and record student absences in electronic databases, manual paper systems, or handwritten attendance tallies. Other schools use school information systems to track attendance (e.g. PowerSchool, Skyward). Regardless of the manner in which attendance data are collected, the data typically become part of an administrative dataset that is reported up to the school district level.⁶

Every state is required to report absenteeism rates for schools under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which was signed into federal law in 2015. ESSA represents the first time that federal education law specifically mentions a measure of attendance for assessing school and student success. The primary purpose of collecting and reporting school absenteeism data is to measure how much time a student is present in school. Collecting and reporting detailed attendance data can help schools, districts, and states identify patterns in the frequency of student absences and understand the reasons why students are missing school. Staff can then use this information to develop, implement, and assess the outcomes of attendance interventions.

In addition to school attendance data that is a part of administrative datasets, attendance data is sometimes collected as self-reported data from students or parents. However, research has shown that there is a weak association between self-reported absenteeism and absences reported in administrative data, with students and parents frequently underestimating days absent, particularly when absences are unexcused. ¹⁹

Although schools and school districts collect and report school absenteeism data to describe how much time students are present in school, health departments can also use measures of school attendance to:

Compare trends over time.
Compare schools or school districts across a larger jurisdiction.
Identify schools or school districts that are experiencing an increase in school absences.

All of the above may be an indicator of mental health needs.

Feature your story

Have you used school attendance data within your health department? If so, we would love to hear from you and feature your story in this playbook.