Education uses attendance as both an indicator of student engagement and a predictor of outcomes in educational quality. Attendance has become an increasingly salient issue during the pandemic, given sustained disruptions to traditional in-person schooling and concerns regarding student development and equity.
In this post, OLR describes selected patterns of monthly attendance (whether present or absent) and instructional mode (whether present remotely or in-person) across North Carolina during the 2020-2021 school year. Attendance and instructional mode varied widely between geographic regions, local education agency (LEAs), schools, and students. This analysis utilizes statewide student-level monthly attendance data captured in PowerSchool. For each student, we observe monthly remote, in-person, and absent days and generate monthly percentages for each category of attendance and instructional mode.
Per North Carolina state law (SL2020-3), each LEA was required to develop a Remote Instruction Plan for the 2020-2021 school year and submit its Plan to the SBE no later than July 20, 2020. The Plan was to provide a framework for delivering remote instruction to all students within a PSU.
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Plan A - minimal physical distancing
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Plan B - moderate physical distancing/blended or hybrid model
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Plan C - remote learning
OLR found that the average school began the 2020-2021 school year with most students fully remote and ended the year with most students experiencing at least some in-person instruction. LEAs returned to in-person instruction over three periods. Some LEAs returned rapidly while others returned consistently but relatively slowly. Several began and ended the year at similar levels of remote instruction.
If remote learning continues as a viable an option for traditional instruction, then policymakers will need to better understand the relationship between attendance and instructional mode patterns and trends and student learning outcomes. OLR will continue to explore attendance in support of policy-relevant decision-making at all levels of education policy within North Carolina.
"Attendance has always been a critical issue for me - I know the power of a good education and the miracles that occur when students are in the classroom with excellent teachers. During the pandemic, attendance became even more important given the disruptions to traditional in-person schooling and concerns about student mental and behavioral health needs. As remote learning continues to be an option for instruction, then North Carolina lawmakers and policymakers need to understand the relationship between attendance and instructional mode and student learning outcomes. Attendance is crucial for both Teacher and Student. It gives the Teacher the ability to educate and challenge their students and best prepares the student for the challenges of their future. Without attendance their opportunities derived from a solid education crumble."
~Representative John Torbett, Chair of the House K12 Education Committee, NC General Assembly