Williston Middle Central Campus highlights attendance gains, BARR program and new alternative classroom

Summary

School leaders and students presented data showing modest attendance gains, academic growth on interim benchmarks, campuswide rollout of the BARR (Building Assets, Reducing Risks) program and the launch of an alternative classroom that school staff say reduced behavior logs and improved attendance for a small group of students.

Williston Middle School Central Campus leaders told the Williston Basin School District 7 board on March 11 that the campus is focusing on lowering chronic absenteeism and expanding student supports through BARR and other programs.

Campus leaders said the school, which serves about 1,540 students in grades 5–8, has reduced chronic absenteeism and increased overall attendance by roughly 1 percentage point compared with the previous year. Administrators credited a combination of relationship-building strategies, monthly tracking through the BARR process and targeted family-engagement events for the change.

The presentation, given by Audrey Zimmerman, lead principal, and other building administrators, outlined three main attendance strategies: improving climate and culture, strengthening family engagement and increasing student engagement. Zimmerman said in her overview that the campus moved from 88% to 89% overall attendance in the most recent reporting window and highlighted a drop in the percentage of students identified as chronically absent compared with state averages shown in district data.

Nut graf: District and campus leaders told the board they are prioritizing sustained,…

Williston Middle Central Campus highlights attendance gains, BARR program and new alternative classroom

Summary

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