Score: +14
(15/13/1)
Contra Costa County Grand Jury
• 2017-2018
Contact: Mario Gutierrez Foreperson
Published: June 12, 2018
17 pages
⚠️ Aviso de traducción: Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Findings and Recommendations 8 findings
F1
The public does not have access to monthly attendance and chronic absenteeism data because districts do not consistently post this data on their websites.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2
The Governing Boards of the WCCUSD and the JSUSD should consider requesting the district superintendents to post monthly attendance data on their websites by the beginning of the 2018 fall semester.
F2
ADA rates do not adequately indicate chronic absentee levels. Although the school districts in West County maintain ADA rates of around 95%, individual school chronic absenteeism rates range from 2.3% to 30.1%, with an average of 14.6%.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1
The Governing Boards of the WCCUSD and the JSUSD should consider including previous year baseline rates, in addition to improvement goals, for attendance and chronic absenteeism in their LCAP Goal 4 by the next LCAP summary deadline.
F3
Average daily attendance is used to calculate funding for school districts in California. School districts can increase their future ADA funds by reducing their chronic absenteeism rates.
No recommendations for this finding
F4
The school districts in West County have had success improving attendance rates by building relationships with students and families.
No recommendations for this finding
F5
Since the 2015-2016 school year, the WCCUSD has offered a Parent University course. School administrators believe that this course helps parents, through increased engagement with the school, support their children’s academic success.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3
The Governing Board of the WCCUSD should consider seeking funds, in time for the FY2018-2019 budget cycle, to conduct a study of the Parent University course and its potential in reducing chronic absenteeism through parental engagement. The findings can be shared through the Coordinating Council with other districts and schools to help them reduce their chronic absenteeism rates.
F6
School administrators in West County believe that incentives such as gifts, awards, and school-wide recognition motivate students to come to school.
No recommendations for this finding
F7
Communities are generally not aware of the CCCOE Attendance Awareness Every School Day Counts campaign slogan because it is not broadly advertised on school marquees, school websites, and district websites.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4
The Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools should consider expanding its Attendance Awareness Every School Day Counts campaign through community television and radio, social media, and school marquees prior to the 2018 fall semester.
F8
One of the barriers faced by West County districts in increasing kindergarten attendance is the belief held by some parents and guardians that kindergarten is not educationally important because it is not compulsory.
Related Recommendations (1)
R5
The Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools should consider highlighting the importance of attending kindergarten through its Attendance Awareness Every School Day Counts campaign in time for the 2019 school year.
Agency Responses 5
Government agencies' official responses to this report's findings and recommendations. Click on a response to see the structured breakdown.
▶
Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff
∼ June 30, 2018
View Details ▾
No structured response data extracted yet.
View the PDF for full details.
▶
Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools (Original)
August 02, 2018
•
4 pages
• 13 responses
•
Score: +3
(+3, 3, 0)
View Details ▾
13 responses to findings and recommendations
F1
The public does not have access to monthly attendance and chronic absenteeism data because districts do not consistently post this data on their websites.
Response: Agree
Score: +1
Response for Finding F1. The respondent agrees.
R1
The Governing Boards of the WCCUSD and the JSUSD should consider including previous year baseline rates, in addition to improvement goals, for attendance and chronic absenteeism in their LCAP Goal 4 by the next LCAP summary deadline.
Response: Unknown
Score: 0
F2
ADA rates do not adequately indicate chronic absentee levels. Although the school districts in West County maintain ADA rates of around 95%, individual school chronic absenteeism rates range from 2.3% to 30.1%, with an average of 14.6%.
Response: Agree
Score: +1
Response for Finding F2. The respondent agrees.
R2
The Governing Boards of the WCCUSD and the JSUSD should consider requesting the district superintendents to post monthly attendance data on their websites by the beginning of the 2018 fall semester.
Response: Unknown
Score: 0
F3
Average daily attendance is used to calculate funding for school districts in California. School districts can increase their future ADA funds by reducing their chronic absenteeism rates.
Response: Agree
Score: +1
Response for Finding F3. The respondent agrees.
R3
The Governing Board of the WCCUSD should consider seeking funds, in time for the FY2018-2019 budget cycle, to conduct a study of the Parent University course and its potential in reducing chronic absenteeism through parental engagement. The findings can be shared through the Coordinating Council with other districts and schools to help them reduce their chronic absenteeism rates.
Response: Unknown
Score: 0
F4
The school districts in West County have had success improving attendance rates by building relationships with students and families.
Response: Unknown
Score: 0
R4
The Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools should consider expanding its Attendance Awareness Every School Day Counts campaign through community television and radio, social media, and school marquees prior to the 2018 fall semester.
Response: Implemented
Scheduled: In the 2018/19 school year
Score: 0
This recommendation has been partially implemented. The County Office of Education routinely sends messages out through eBlasts and Twitter. In the 2018/19 school year, there are plans to routinely show Attendance Works videos on Contra Costa TV and continue to use social media. The respondent does not have any jurisdiction over district or school marquees.
F5
Since the 2015-2016 school year, the WCCUSD has offered a Parent University course. School administrators believe that this course helps parents, through increased engagement with the school, support their children’s academic success.
Response: Unknown
Score: 0
R5
The Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools should consider highlighting the importance of attending kindergarten through its Attendance Awareness Every School Day Counts campaign in time for the 2019 school year.
Response: Implemented
Scheduled: 2018/19 Attendance Awareness campaign
Score: 0
This recommendation was implemented in prior campaigns and will continue to be implemented in the 2018/19 Attendance Awareness campaign. The County Office of Education will highlight the importance of attending kindergarten through its Attendance Awareness Every School Day Counts campaign by sharing key messages, sample parent letters and videos, and research related to the link between attendance in kindergarten and reading at grade level by third grade.
F6
School administrators in West County believe that incentives such as gifts, awards, and school-wide recognition motivate students to come to school.
Response: Unknown
Score: 0
F7
Communities are generally not aware of the CCCOE Attendance Awareness Every School Day Counts campaign slogan because it is not broadly advertised on school marquees, school websites, and district websites.
Response: Disagree Partially
Score: 0
Response for Finding F7. The respondent partially disagrees. The respondent is not aware to what extent each district advertises the Every School Day Counts campaign slogan; however, all schools received multiple resources to post, distribute or otherwise use as they see fit. These include banners, district customized Principal toolkits, key messages, contest flyers, etc.
F8
One of the barriers faced by West County districts in increasing kindergarten attendance is the belief held by some parents and guardians that kindergarten is not educationally important because it is not compulsory.
Response: Unknown
Score: 0
▶
Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools (Revised)
October 01, 2018
•
3 pages
• 13 responses
•
Score: +2
(+3, 2, -1)
View Details ▾
13 responses to findings and recommendations
F1
The public does not have access to monthly attendance and chronic absenteeism data because districts do not consistently post this data on their websites.
Response: Agree
Score: +1
Response for Finding F1. The respondent agrees.
R1
The Governing Boards of the WCCUSD and the JSUSD should consider including previous year baseline rates, in addition to improvement goals, for attendance and chronic absenteeism in their LCAP Goal 4 by the next LCAP summary deadline.
Response: Unknown
Score: 0
F2
ADA rates do not adequately indicate chronic absentee levels. Although the school districts in West County maintain ADA rates of around 95%, individual school chronic absenteeism rates range from 2.3% to 30.1%, with an average of 14.6%.
Response: Agree
Score: +1
Response for Finding F2. The respondent agrees.
R2
The Governing Boards of the WCCUSD and the JSUSD should consider requesting the district superintendents to post monthly attendance data on their websites by the beginning of the 2018 fall semester.
Response: Unknown
Score: 0
F3
Average daily attendance is used to calculate funding for school districts in California. School districts can increase their future ADA funds by reducing their chronic absenteeism rates.
Response: Agree
Score: +1
Response for Finding F3. The respondent agrees.
R3
The Governing Board of the WCCUSD should consider seeking funds, in time for the FY2018-2019 budget cycle, to conduct a study of the Parent University course and its potential in reducing chronic absenteeism through parental engagement. The findings can be shared through the Coordinating Council with other districts and schools to help them reduce their chronic absenteeism rates.
Response: Unknown
Score: 0
F4
The school districts in West County have had success improving attendance rates by building relationships with students and families.
Response: Unknown
Score: 0
R4
The Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools should consider expanding its Attendance Awareness Every School Day Counts campaign through community television and radio, social media, and school marquees prior to the 2018 fall semester.
Response: Will Not Implement
Score: -1
The recommendation will not be implemented because it is not warranted or is not reasonable.
F5
Since the 2015-2016 school year, the WCCUSD has offered a Parent University course. School administrators believe that this course helps parents, through increased engagement with the school, support their children’s academic success.
Response: Unknown
Score: 0
R5
The Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools should consider highlighting the importance of attending kindergarten through its Attendance Awareness Every School Day Counts campaign in time for the 2019 school year.
Response: Implemented
Score: 0
The recommendation has been implemented.
F6
School administrators in West County believe that incentives such as gifts, awards, and school-wide recognition motivate students to come to school.
Response: Unknown
Score: 0
F7
Communities are generally not aware of the CCCOE Attendance Awareness Every School Day Counts campaign slogan because it is not broadly advertised on school marquees, school websites, and district websites.
Response: Disagree Partially
Score: 0
Response for Finding F7. The respondent partially disagrees. The respondent is not aware to what extent each district advertises the Every School Day Counts campaign slogan; however, all schools received multiple resources to post, distribute or otherwise use as they see fit. These include banners, district customized Principal toolkits, key messages, contest flyers, etc.
F8
One of the barriers faced by West County districts in increasing kindergarten attendance is the belief held by some parents and guardians that kindergarten is not educationally important because it is not compulsory.
Response: Unknown
Score: 0
▶
John Swett Unified School District
June 12, 2018
•
3 pages
• 8 responses
•
Score: 0
(+0, 7, 0)
View Details ▾
8 responses to findings and recommendations
F1
The public does not have access to monthly attendance and chronic absenteeism data because districts do not consistently post this data on their websites.
Response: Disagree Partially
Score: 0
The respondent agrees with the finding. Finding #3: Average daily attendance is used to calculate funding for school districts in California. School districts can increase their future ADA funds by reducing their chronic absenteeism rates. JSUSD Response: The respondent agrees with the finding. Finding #4: The school districts in West County have had success improving attendance rates by building relationships with students and families. JSUSD Response: The respondent agrees with the finding. Finding #6: School administrators in West County believe that incentives such as gifts, awards, and sc...
R1
The Governing Boards of the WCCUSD and the JSUSD should consider including previous year baseline rates, in addition to improvement goals, for attendance and chronic absenteeism in their LCAP Goal 4 by the next LCAP summary deadline.
Response: Implemented
Score: 0
The recommendation has been implemented. John Swett Unified School District's 2018-19 LCAP now contains baseline data integrated into Goal 4, page 77. Recommendation #2: The Governing Boards of the WCCUSD and the JSUSD should consider requesting the district superintendents to post monthly attendance data on their websites by the beginning of the 2018 fall semester. JSUSD Response: The recommendation has not yet been implemented. We are in the process of switching over to a new website provider and will be determining a way to post monthly attendance data. We will spend the first half (until D...
F2
ADA rates do not adequately indicate chronic absentee levels. Although the school districts in West County maintain ADA rates of around 95%, individual school chronic absenteeism rates range from 2.3% to 30.1%, with an average of 14.6%.
Response: Disagree Partially
Score: 0
The respondent agrees with the finding. Finding #3: Average daily attendance is used to calculate funding for school districts in California. School districts can increase their future ADA funds by reducing their chronic absenteeism rates. JSUSD Response: The respondent agrees with the finding. Finding #4: The school districts in West County have had success improving attendance rates by building relationships with students and families. JSUSD Response: The respondent agrees with the finding. Finding #6: School administrators in West County believe that incentives such as gifts, awards, and sc...
R2
The Governing Boards of the WCCUSD and the JSUSD should consider requesting the district superintendents to post monthly attendance data on their websites by the beginning of the 2018 fall semester.
Response: Unknown
Score: 0
The recommendation has not yet been implemented. We are in the process of switching over to a new website provider and will be determining a way to post monthly attendance data. We will spend the first half (until December 2018) of the 2018-19 school year identifying what data sources to use and the best format for highlighting the data. Please contact me if you have any further questions. Respectfully, _ Mill Charles Miller, Ed.D. Superintendent, John Swett Unified School District
F3
Average daily attendance is used to calculate funding for school districts in California. School districts can increase their future ADA funds by reducing their chronic absenteeism rates.
Response: Disagree Partially
Score: 0
The respondent agrees with the finding. Finding #4: The school districts in West County have had success improving attendance rates by building relationships with students and families. JSUSD Response: The respondent agrees with the finding. Finding #6: School administrators in West County believe that incentives such as gifts, awards, and school-wide recognition motivate students to come to school.
흥아가축 안동이 되는 학수들은 리스스 그 등 기계 반복한
in the strategy of the country of the first of
in the work of the and well of a color week. र तमार्थक करें। इन र महिद्रकों के किया है जिस्से के महिन्द की स्थापकों...
F4
The school districts in West County have had success improving attendance rates by building relationships with students and families.
Response: Disagree Partially
Score: 0
The respondent agrees with the finding. Finding #6: School administrators in West County believe that incentives such as gifts, awards, and school-wide recognition motivate students to come to school.
흥아가축 안동이 되는 학수들은 리스스 그 등 기계 반복한
in the strategy of the country of the first of
in the work of the and well of a color week. र तमार्थक करें। इन र महिद्रकों के किया है जिस्से के महिन्द की स्थापकों के स्थापक महिन्द महिन्द की स्थापक स्थाप and the first the coloriest process in the control of the first of the first of the coloriest of the name of the coloriest of the coloriest of the coloriest of t...
F7
Communities are generally not aware of the CCCOE Attendance Awareness Every School Day Counts campaign slogan because it is not broadly advertised on school marquees, school websites, and district websites.
Response: Disagree Partially
Score: 0
The respondent disagrees with the finding. The CCCOE Attendance Awareness Every School Day Counts campaign slogan is broadly advertised on school marquees, school websites, and district websites. There are times where other events will take occupy the same space on school marquees and websites. However, the CCCOE Attendance Awareness Every School Day Counts campaign slogan is usually the default content on school marquees and websites. Finding #8: . One of the barriers faced by West County districts in increasing kindergarten attendance is the belief held by some parents and guardians that kin...
F8
One of the barriers faced by West County districts in increasing kindergarten attendance is the belief held by some parents and guardians that kindergarten is not educationally important because it is not compulsory.
Response: Disagree Partially
Score: 0
The respondent partially disagrees with the finding. Not as many parents are aware of the non-compulsory nature of kindergarten attendance as we may think. We have had parents express surprise when they learn that kindergarten is not compulsory. In many cases, where there are concerns about chronic absences for kindergarten students, we learn that the issue of compulsory attendance is not the overriding factor impacting the child's attendance. Usually other factors are at play. RECOMMENDATIONS Recommendation #1: The Governing Boards of the WCCUSD and the JSUSD should consider including previou...
▶
West Contra Costa Unified School District
September 07, 2018
•
2 pages
• 13 responses
•
Score: +9
(+9, 1, 0)
View Details ▾
13 responses to findings and recommendations
F1
The public does not have access to monthly attendance and chronic absenteeism data because districts do not consistently post this data on their websites.
Response: Agree
Score: +1
F1. The District agrees with the Finding.
R1
The Governing Boards of the WCCUSD and the JSUSD should consider including previous year baseline rates, in addition to improvement goals, for attendance and chronic absenteeism in their LCAP Goal 4 by the next LCAP summary deadline.
Response: Requires Analysis
Scheduled: The timeframe shall not exceed six months.
Score: 0
R1. The Recommendation requires further analysis, including discussion with the District Local Control Accountability Plan group (DLCAP) to create a new attendance goal and a system to collect, track, and analyze attendance data. The timeframe shall not exceed six months.
F2
ADA rates do not adequately indicate chronic absentee levels. Although the school districts in West County maintain ADA rates of around 95%, individual school chronic absenteeism rates range from 2.3% to 30.1%, with an average of 14.6%.
Response: Agree
Score: +1
F2. The District agrees with the Finding.
R2
The Governing Boards of the WCCUSD and the JSUSD should consider requesting the district superintendents to post monthly attendance data on their websites by the beginning of the 2018 fall semester.
Response: Will Implement
Scheduled: by November 1, 2018
Score: +1
R2. The Recommendation has not yet been implemented, but will be implemented by November 1, 2018.
F3
Average daily attendance is used to calculate funding for school districts in California. School districts can increase their future ADA funds by reducing their chronic absenteeism rates.
Response: Agree
Score: +1
F3. The District agrees with the Finding.
R3
The Governing Board of the WCCUSD should consider seeking funds, in time for the FY2018-2019 budget cycle, to conduct a study of the Parent University course and its potential in reducing chronic absenteeism through parental engagement. The findings can be shared through the Coordinating Council with other districts and schools to help them reduce their chronic absenteeism rates.
Response: Will Implement
Scheduled: By January 30, 2019, the District will product data to more deeply understand the connection between Parent University and student attendance.
Score: +1
R3. The recommendation has not yet been implemented, but will be implemented in the future. By January 30, 2019, the District will product data to more deeply understand the connection between Parent University and student attendance.
F4
The school districts in West County have had success improving attendance rates by building relationships with students and families.
Response: Agree
Score: +1
F4. The District agrees with the Finding.
R4
The Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools should consider expanding its Attendance Awareness Every School Day Counts campaign through community television and radio, social media, and school marquees prior to the 2018 fall semester.
Response: Unknown
Score: 0
F5
Since the 2015-2016 school year, the WCCUSD has offered a Parent University course. School administrators believe that this course helps parents, through increased engagement with the school, support their children’s academic success.
Response: Unknown
Score: 0
R5
The Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools should consider highlighting the importance of attending kindergarten through its Attendance Awareness Every School Day Counts campaign in time for the 2019 school year.
Response: Unknown
Score: 0
F6
School administrators in West County believe that incentives such as gifts, awards, and school-wide recognition motivate students to come to school.
Response: Agree
Score: +1
F6. The District agrees with the Finding.
F7
Communities are generally not aware of the CCCOE Attendance Awareness Every School Day Counts campaign slogan because it is not broadly advertised on school marquees, school websites, and district websites.
Response: Agree
Score: +1
F7. The District agrees with the Finding.
F8
One of the barriers faced by West County districts in increasing kindergarten attendance is the belief held by some parents and guardians that kindergarten is not educationally important because it is not compulsory.
Response: Agree
Score: +1
F8. The District agrees with the Finding.