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MCPS presents quarter‑1 attendance and strategic plan data; board flags chronic absenteeism, math and EML proficiency
Summary
District staff told the board that overall attendance remains near the district goal (~94.7% vs. 95% target) but chronic absenteeism and high‑school declines warrant targeted intervention; staff also presented quarter‑1 strategic plan metrics showing math performance and English‑language‑learner (EML) proficiency as urgent areas for midyear action.
Montgomery County Public Schools staff presented a quarter‑1 update on student attendance and the newly adopted strategic plan scorecard, highlighting areas that require targeted action.
On attendance, staff noted the district’s long‑term goal of 95% daily attendance and defined chronic absenteeism as missing 10% or more of school days. Quarter‑1 numbers cited an overall attendance rate of approximately 94.7% (‘‘a couple of tenths below’’ the 95% goal) and identified hotspots at certain high school clusters, including Einstein and Gaithersburg. Staff said chronic absenteeism was an early area of concern and listed likely drivers—physical and mental health, transportation, engagement and family circumstances—and interventions such as data dashboards, early outreach, home visits, and coordinated action plans involving pupil personnel workers, family engagement specialists and community liaisons.
Board members pressed for clearer, disaggregated monthly reporting (including chronic absenteeism by subgroup), asked for the raw datasets and for user‑friendly tables showing how including Fields Road would change Option H, and raised questions about how the district will track whether interventions are effective. Staff said the district will provide monthly attendance reporting and can disaggregate by subgroup; they also emphasized the chronic absenteeism dashboard as a new tool for schools to target students on the cusp of chronic absenteeism.
On the strategic plan, staff presented a baseline and quarter‑1 progress monitoring across goals: academic excellence (early literacy and MAP indicators), future readiness (college application momentum), healthy school climate (survey response rate increases and suspension metrics), and workforce metrics. Math performance and EML proficiency were singled out as urgent midyear priorities; Mrs. Porter and other staff described actions including curriculum fidelity, expanded interventions (flex/fit time), reading improvement plans and expanded college/career advising.
Board members asked for additional drilldowns, particularly in math where district assessments mix course levels and grades; several requested side‑by‑side school‑level data and subgroup trends for the next updates.
