Statewide School Attendance Rates Haven't Been Compiled, But Leaders Hear Concerning Trends

From The Center Square:

By Greg Bishop

One in every four students may not be logging on for remote learning, according to anecdotal evidence from some education officials.

That could be more than 300,000 pupils going without education in Illinois in the era of COVID-19. At a school in Springfield, one out of every other student isn’t logging on.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. J.B. Pritzker ordered schools to be remote at the tail end of the Spring semester. Over the summer, the Illinois State Board of Education gave local school districts control over whether they would allow in-person instruction, full remote learning, or a hybrid model with a mix of both. A remote learning option for all students was to be made available if requested by parents.

At the beginning of the school year in August, ISBE reported schools covering 1.6 million students reported their option to start the year. Most of the districts planned to offer a blended model covering 525,000 students. About 200 districts serving 153,000 students planned in-person instruction. About 150 districts serving about 921,000 students planned all-remote instruction, in the August report.

Mark Klaisner, president of the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools, said attendance rates for schools across the state doing full remote learning haven’t been compiled, but he has heard concerns.

“Another thing I’ve heard anecdotally is roughly an average of about 25 percent of people aren’t showing up,” Klaisner said on Tuesday. “Kids are disengaged.”

Some students are not engaged for a number of reasons, including attention issues, lack of broadband access and lack of family support.

“Kids don't want to turn on their screens because of things that may be happening in the home, or not happening in the home,” Klaisner said. “Or kids are choosing not to engage for a number of reasons based on the situation in which they live.”

But, Klaisner said he also hears of other students who may have been bullied by peers with in-person instruction before COVID-19 who are excelling in remote classes. He said the hybrid model helps even more with remote learning.

In Springfield, District 186 Superintendent Jennifer Gill told the school board this week one of the district’s 33 schools reported a 97 percent attendance rate.

“But on an average basis about 25 percent are not engaging,” Gill said. “We have one school that it only has 51 percent not engaging.”

Before COVID-19, the 2018-2019 school year carried the five year average of 94 percent attendance statewide.

As of last month’s report from ISBE, of 1.9 million students this year more than 1.2 million students are in all-remote districts.

Klaisner said districts should prepare for another lesson as some schools return from full remote.

“Really trauma-informed instruction around helping kids get through like the strangest time we’ve ever known,” he said.

Around 527,000 students statewide have a blended instruction model with remote and in-person, according to last month’s ISBE numbers. About 158,000 students were given the in-person option statewide.

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