ACPS, CIS Focus on Reducing Chronic Absenteeism

By Albemarle County Public Schools

ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. — Across the nation, schools continue to grapple with elevated chronic absenteeism rates, which remain higher than pre-pandemic levels. To help address this continued concern, Albemarle County Public Schools (ACPS) has prioritized community engagement to support students and to strengthen attendance and participation. 

Research shows a clear relationship between attendance and academic performance. Absenteeism leads to lower achievement on standardized tests and indicates a decline in performance as absences accumulate. According to Attendance Works, a leading research organization focusing on chronic absenteeism, a key factor in reducing absenteeism is increasing family and community engagement.

In Albemarle County, ACPS and Communities in Schools (CIS) NOVA have partnered to foster this type of community engagement to strengthen student attendance. Beginning in 2024, ACPS introduced the CIS model in several division schools, placing site coordinators at Greer Elementary School, Red Hill Elementary School, Journey Middle School and Albemarle High School.

“Schools in the Central Virginia area are a little behind in making connections between students and the broader community for support,” Superintendent Matthew Haas said at a Community Partner Breakfast hosted by the Albemarle Foundation for Education (AFE) and featuring the work of CIS NOVA. “What CIS NOVA is able to do is bridge that gap between school and community supports and break down barriers so that we can become a hub for our families.”

Also in 2024, CIS launched its “Being Present Matters” campaign to combat chronic absenteeism and the negative effects that often follow by providing tiered interventions for students at all grade levels.

“We know that chronic absenteeism has a disproportionate impact on students who are already struggling in school,” Russell Carlock, ACPS Data Scientist, said. “But what we’ve found is that students who are coming to school regularly but attend a school with a high chronic absenteeism rate are also negatively affected.”

The goal of “Being Present Matters” is to tackle the underlying causes of chronic absenteeism and build trusting relationships with students and families that make school an appealing place to be. CIS NOVA has implemented several programs in ACPS schools to provide additional support for students. 

One such program involves two Lambs Lane Campus schools: Albemarle High School and Greer Elementary School. Both schools have identified after-school transportation as an area of need, and Greer is prioritizing school-wide literacy improvement as well.

Through CIS’ “Literacy Leaders: Building Leaders and Readers” program, Albemarle students mentor Greer students after school at the Boys & Girls Club on the Lambs Lane Campus. Working in small groups and one-on-one settings, high school mentors help younger students strengthen literacy skills while building confidence. The Boys & Girls Club then provides transportation home, reducing after-school barriers for families and supporting Greer’s broader literacy goals.

“What we’ve seen is that students in this program are excited to come to school,” Lois Pearson, the Program Quality and Evaluation Manager for CIS NOVA, said. “The elementary school students are excited to have high school-age friends, and our high schoolers don’t want to let their tutees down by not being at school.”

These types of programs, Haas said, not only provide support for instruction but also provide students with a source of pride in their work.

“When students can give back to their peers, they stand a little taller,” Haas said. “They don’t see themselves as a recipient of support; they see themselves as a friend, a mentor and a contributing community member.”