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September is recognized across the United States as Attendance Awareness Month. Joliet Township High School has noted that chronic absenteeism, which means missing 18 or more days of school in a year, remains a challenge both nationally and locally.
To address this issue, the school district has developed an Action Plan within its Strategic Plan. The goal is to increase the attendance rate to 90 percent or higher by using proactive and collaborative strategies. School officials are seeking support from families to help meet this target.
According to information shared with families, missing just two days per month adds up to 18 absences over the year—equal to 10 percent of instructional time. This level of absence can negatively affect students’ reading and math achievement compared to their peers. Students who miss two or more days each month perform about 25 percent lower than others.
Absenteeism is also linked with other risks: by sixth grade, it becomes one of three signs that a student may be at risk of dropping out. For high school students, regular attendance is considered a better predictor of graduation than eighth-grade test scores. Even five absences in high school can reduce a student’s GPA by 25 percent.
Absences might indicate issues such as disengagement from school, academic struggles, or personal difficulties like bullying.
The district encourages parents and guardians to monitor their children’s attendance closely. Automated notifications are sent when students are absent for one or more periods in a day. Families can sign up for additional alerts and use tracking tools provided by the district.
Open communication between families and school staff is encouraged if there are challenges affecting attendance. Emphasizing daily attendance, creating consistent routines at home, and celebrating good attendance records are suggested strategies for improvement.
“Thank you for being an integral part of our school community. Together, let’s celebrate our students’ potential and ensure that September Attendance Awareness Month sets a positive tone for the entire school year ahead,” stated the superintendent.
Joliet West High School serves grades 9 through 12 in Joliet and Will County with an enrollment of 3,310 students during the 2019-2020 academic year (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). The largest group was ninth graders at 27.3 percent (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/), followed by twelfth graders at 26.1 percent (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/), eleventh graders at 25.1 percent (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/), and tenth graders at 24.7 percent (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). The student body included approximately 34.9 percent white students, 21.2 percent black students, 39 percent Hispanic students, and 1.7 percent Asian students in that same period (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).
