There is a direct correlation between school attendance and achievement. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, "Teacher effectiveness is the strongest school-related determinant of student success, but chronic student absence reduces even the best teacher's ability to provide learning opportunities.* Students who attend school regularly have been shown to achieve at higher levels than students who do not have regular attendance. This relationship between attendance and achievement may appear early in a child's school career. A recent study looking at young children found that absenteeism in kindergarten was associated with negative first grade outcomes such as greater absenteeism in subsequent years and lower achievement in reading, math, and general knowledge."**

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Conval Attendance Expectations

• Students are expected to attend school for the 180 days scheduled by the district per year.
• Students are expected to attend school for the entire day on scheduled testing days, field trips, and other special days.
• When reporting a student absent, parents/guardians need to provide the reason for the absence.
• Students who are tardy to school and arrive after 10:15 AM will be considered absent for half a day; students dismissed before 10:15 AM and who do not return to school that day will also be considered absent for a half day.

Please refer to school board policy "JH – Attendance, Absenteeism, and Truancy" for district truancy information.

*Adelman, C. (2006). The Toolbox Revisited: Paths to Degree Completion from High School through College. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.

** Romero, M., and Lee, Y. (2007). A National Portrait of Chronic Absenteeism in the Early Grades. New York, NY: The National Center for Children in Poverty.