Smith Road School seeks to cut absenteeism as math, growth metrics show gains

Jennifer Briggs, principal of Smith Road School, told the Manchester School District Teaching & Learning Committee that the pre-K–4 school is targeting a reduction in chronic absenteeism from about 20% to 14% in 2025–26 while continuing work on behavior supports and curriculum proficiency.

Briggs said Smith Road — one of two non‑Title I elementary schools in the district and the original host of a self‑contained program for students on the autism spectrum — benefits from an experienced staff (30 classroom teachers and specialists with a combined 681 years of experience). The school’s three priorities are attendance, behavior (through MTSS‑B) and core curriculum outcomes.

Charlene, a school staff member presenting attendance data, said, “Our goal is to decrease our percentage of absenteeism from 20% to 14%,” and outlined steps: scripted talking points for teachers to use when contacting families, weekly outreach to students with absences, escalation to a social worker, and recognition incentives such as spirit days timed around low‑attendance periods.

On behavior, staff described a phased MTSS implementation: tier 1 rolled out in 2024, with tier 2 and 3 interventions and staff training planned this year. The school plans monthly assemblies and clearer role assignments for leads on each support tier.

Briggs presented 2023–24 New Hampshire SAS results showing 42% proficiency in ELA (the school’s short‑term target was 47%) and 46% proficiency in math after a notable gain from 29% the prior year. School growth percentiles in math were reported well above district averages (mean growth cited near 67). Briggs emphasized continued use of targeted intervention time, professional learning communities, and weekly MTSS meetings to cycle students into the appropriate supports based on DIBELS and i‑Ready data.

The school has created a standardized cumulative‑folder cover sheet and a student literacy intervention profile to transfer key academic and support information to receiving teachers; presenters said the cover sheet has been shared with the district to ease year‑to‑year transitions.

Committee members praised the integrated presentation linking attendance, behavior and curriculum and asked for disaggregated attendance data at a future meeting to better understand drivers such as transportation or family needs. Briggs and her team said they would provide follow‑up detail on the requested data.