School is often considered as a job for our youth. They are expected to attend, learn, and perform. What happens when a child doesn’t show up for “work”? Children have independent learning goals but unfortunately, do not have a personalized learning path. Meaning, if they miss class, they are responsible for learning the material without a replay of the instruction they missed. Class continues regardless of who is in attendance that day.
If a child is placed outside of the home in a traditional classroom (private or public) there is generally a year-long plan, and weekly and daily lesson plans to keep pace as directed by higher positions. When a day is missed, instruction continues with the next lesson. Skills can be incorporated into multiple lessons, but direct instruction is rarely repeated. Direct instruction is the explicit teaching of a skill. Following this instruction typically involves practice and reteaching certain components. Only if there is a vast majority of the classroom in need of reteaching or intervention does the direct instruction repeat. This is more apparent in the older grades. As children develop and build resilience, the pace of instruction quickens. Nevertheless, missed instruction is a missed opportunity to learn.
Depending on the skill level – introductory or practice for mastery – children may make up for the loss of instruction and continue on their learning path. However, some children struggle to make up the gap. Following the absence, they may struggle with skills that build upon their gap. They will need to work harder to understand their deficit while retaining new information. Here misconceptions form and errors tend to happen more frequently. Allowing another absence to take place at this point puts even further strain on the child. Imagine a child who misses the same class repeatedly or even a child who misses a variety of classes. They could be struggling and develop a sense of “I’m not good at reading,” or “I’m a bad student.” These negative feelings can develop into anxiety towards school or even skipping class.
Children with learning disabilities often have other commitments outside of school which causes them to be absent from class. This can include medical appointments, private services, and therapies. Excellent communication between school and child guardians is imperative to support a child and prevent delays in development.
Here are some tips to help prevent some learning barriers caused by absenteeism.
- Keep track of appointments and ask for work ahead of time to help support your child at home when school is missed. Provide accurate documentation to the school to help determine excused and unexcused absences.
- Talk with your child about missing other opportunities at school to make up missed work and provide those opportunities after school. For example, if they miss library specials, spend some time at a local library reading books. If they miss gym class, take them to a rec program or spend time at the community park.
- Talk with your child about the importance of attending school and completing their work. Encourage them to talk with you about negative feelings about school and learning.
- Teachers should keep detailed notes on students who miss class to ensure the instruction is made up in a reasonable amount of time. Find creative ways to work with children who need intervention and promote positive feelings about learning.
For more information on Chronic Absence, check out the National Center on Educational Outcomes, Students with Disabilities & Chronic Absenteeism.
