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Seaside High principal flags chronic absenteeism; statewide test participation has fallen
Summary
Seaside High School reported that 54% of its students meet the district’s definition of chronically absent; administrators tied part of the apparent decline in statewide achievement to lower participation after essential-skills testing became optional.
Seaside High School administrators told the school board on April 15 that chronic absenteeism and lower participation in statewide assessments are the school’s two largest data challenges this year.
"...54% of our students in a high school would be considered chronically absent," Jeff Roberts said, describing the district’s threshold (more than 10% of enrolled days missed) and the practical meaning — approximately three weeks of school missed over a year for an average student missing 17 of roughly 170 student-contact days. Roberts said the school’s snapshot attendance on April 8 showed about 83% of students present that day.
Roberts also reviewed discipline and assessment data. He reported a year-to-date total of 264 recorded incidents at the high school; 157 of those referrals were phone-related violations. He noted 27 out-of-school suspensions so far this year, which he described as low for the school’s size. On statewide testing, Roberts said participation has fallen sharply since essential skills were made optional, with participation drops of roughly 20–44% and consequent complications in interpreting achievement percentages.
Roberts highlighted a sustained success: a ninth-grade on-track rate that rose to 86% last year, crediting a ninth-grade success team and Measure 98–funded programming that focuses on early interventions. He told the board the team’s targeted interventions, counselor work and community partners help address underlying causes when students miss school.
Board members asked about the district’s ability to collect reasons for absences and what interventions follow after a family contact; Roberts described follow-up through counseling, nurse referrals and community partners. He cautioned that some interventions used elsewhere (truancy fines) are not currently available locally and said he would want data before recommending punitive measures.
The presentation included references to the disruption testing creates at the high school level — statewide assessments can take 8–10 hours across multiple days — and the district’s effort to weigh testing participation and alternatives when tests are optional.
