What it is
An area of student need of any deliberate student absence from school, often referred to as truancy and/or chronic absenteeism that is not due to legitimate illness.
Teaching Strategies
With the student
• Develop a warm and supportive rapport with the student. Find out his/her likes and dislikes and engage in friendly conversations.
• Don’t criticize or make negative/sarcastic comments when the student comes to school, about the student missing school.
• Help catch the student up on missed work.
• Develop a student profile and use differentiated instruction targeted at the student’s preferred learning method.
• Offer the student choices for demonstration of learning and assessment.
• Improve classroom climate.
• Increase student engagement with advance notice of upcoming topics of interest to the student.
• Make personal phone calls, send emails and/or mail letters to absent students.
• Recognize, reward and celebrate all improvements in attendance.
• Make positive statements to the child that link improved attendance to positive achievement, peer relations, feelings of success.
• Meet with the student privately and set goals pertaining to attendance.
• Consider the development of an IEP with an Alternative Program Plan focused on the student developing improved attendance skills.
• Consider the development of an IEP with a Transition Plan, aimed at supporting the student in developing a value on school as a key to their future.
• Collect data on student attendance and look for patterns with day of week, subjects missed, weather, test days/due dates, field trips/changes to regular schedule, frequency, etc. to discuss with the student in a supportive collaborative problem solving way.
• Consider and collaboratively problem solve for issues involving lack of food, transportation, inadequate clothing for the weather, lack of clean clothes, bullying, substance abuse issues, etc.
• Encourage the student to become involved in extra-curricular activities.
With Parents
• Develop a positive rapport with parents/guardians.
• Make and maintain frequent contact with parents and enlist their support as part of the team.
• Establish regular meetings with parents and the student.
• Send home positive reinforcements for student attendance and communicate school successes.
• Provide contacts for out of school supports (public counsellors, nurse, etc.)
• Suggest resources for appropriate medical reasons for missing school.
• Offer supports for issues relating to their child’s needs at school (food, clothing, hygiene, transportation, etc.)
With the School Team
• Review the student’s OSR and talk to previous teachers about successes and strategies with respect to attendance.
• Seek other supports from administration, attendance counsellors, guidance counsellors, Child and Youth Workers, Social Workers, psychology staff, etc.
• Consider contacting the Children’s Aid for support.
• Consider and collaboratively problem solve for issues involving lack of food, transportation, inadequate clothing for the weather, lack of clean clothes, bullying, etc.
• Include information on the importance of school attendance for parents and students on newsletters, school website, etc.
• Explore alternative education options: coop, e-learning, modified school day, summer school, etc.
Teaching Strategies for Associated Areas of Student Needs:
Characteristics 
Frequently missing school, either by arriving late, departing early or being absent from school days. Students can experience issues with attendance at any age and it can be influenced by school and/or home factors.
Resources
