Friday, February 24, 2017
YOUNGSTOWN
From August through January, about 145 out of the 372 kindergarten-through-sixth-graders at Williamson Elementary School hovered at the high-risk mark for missing school days.
By the end of February, that number dropped to seven students.
“We’ve been meeting with parents about attendance and we’re having this dance for the kids,” said Principal Michelle Payich.
Krish Mohip, Youngstown City School District’s chief executive officer, instituted five-week reviews late last year, using behavior, attendance and grades — BAG — reports. Teachers and principals are able to review that data, spotting problems in any of those three areas for individual students.
It’s an early-warning system, enabling school personnel to intervene quickly and provide support for students who need it.
At the end of a five-week period, school leaders meet to review the data and determine the best course to help student needs. They then set goals for the following five-week period.
John LaPlante, district chief information officer, and his department developed the BAG reports and instructed teachers and administrators how to use the data.
“This just shows the improvements that can be made when educators can not only review data, but learn ways to make it useful and effective,” Mohip said. “We can spot problems early and respond accordingly.”
Williamson students who showed improved attendance for the last five-week period and maintained good behavior poured into the school gymnasium Friday afternoon as music blared from speakers.