Summary
Local unions and school districts are required to negotiate the assessments to be used in a teacher's sub-component score for the Locally Selected Measures of Student Achievement. Many local presidents have raised concerns about the impact students' attendance has on student achievement; they have asked if attendance can be taken into account in the local 20%. If your local and district is considering adjusting for attendance in the calculation of the local 20%, SED has indicated that attendance adjustments are allowed. SED Guidance indicates adjustments for attendance are acceptable as long as no students are excluded as part of the adjustments. SED has limited the total number of adjustment points allowable under either of the student performance sub-components (local or growth) to two points.
This document provides two options for adjusting for student attendance. According to SED, to implement an adjustment for attendance, districts must be able to assure they have a process in place that accurately collects student attendance data to use in the weighting calculation. Districts must also have a plan in place designed to improve student attendance. We have provided one approach to meeting this requirement.