Rowan County reports sharp drop in chronic absenteeism; district develops local accountability prototype

Rowan County school officials told trustees on Nov. 18 that chronic absenteeism has fallen sharply this school year and outlined plans to prototype a local accountability model.

Deneen, who presented enrollment and attendance data, said that at 51 days into the school year the districtwide chronic-absenteeism rate was 12.8 percent, down from 21.9 percent at the same point last year. "That is a huge credit to our schools and to everything that they do for attendance," Deneen said.

In an instructional update, Brandy described ongoing work to design a local accountability system that reflects community priorities. After surveying parents, students, staff and community members, district stakeholders identified eight priority areas — including school safety and culture, durable skills, academic achievement, work-ready opportunities and postsecondary readiness — that the district will use to shape a localized accountability framework called the Valiant Viking.

Brandy said staff will collaborate with UK Next Gen to develop a prototype and expects to present an initial model in the spring. The district was one of four asked to present its work at a superintendent conference in December.

Trustees praised the outreach and asked staff to ensure the framework is applied at the school level so it produces measurable results. The board expressed support for a cautious, phased approach: "Let's go low and slow," Brandy said, describing the intent to pilot two or three priorities first and build from there.

Next steps: staff will refine measures with partner organizations and return a prototype for board review in the spring.