New Mexico Public Education Department: Attendance Success Initiative

The purpose of the Attendance Success Initiative (ASI) is to establish a cohort of Attendance Success Coaches in elementary, middle, and high schools across the state whose role is to work with students, families, communities, schools, and districts to eliminate chronic absenteeism. Comprehensive community and school-based strategies and supports are critical to overcoming the barriers to school attendance faced by students of all ages and in all communities.

The ASI outlines a tiered system of support that allows for local flexibility and ensures that preventative measures and interventions are exhausted prior to taking punitive action with chronically absent students. The 3-Tier Intervention system is a tool to help reduce chronic absenteeism in schools and districts.

• Tier I incorporates universal strategies to encourage good attendance for all students
• Tier II provides early intervention for students who need additional attendance support
• Tier III offers individualized support for students missing more than 10 school days

Amount: Funding will support placement of Attendance Success Coaches in schools (amounts are unspecified).

Eligibility: Elementary, middle, and high schools that meet the following requirements are eligible to apply for the ASI grant:

• Districts or charters that apply must meet one or more of the following criteria: have a district-wide or charter-wide habitual truancy rate at or above 15%; OR have an elementary, middle, or high school habitual truancy rate at or above 15%; OR be a district or charter that has previously been awarded funding through the former Truancy Prevention grant program in SY17-18.
• Regional Educational Cooperatives (RECs) representing more than one district shall complete the ASI application as the lead applicant and must submit documentation of support from participating districts or charter schools.
• Applicants may request multiple coaches per district and/or per school.
• Applications that propose a plan for a single coach to serve more than one school will need to provide a staffing plan encompassing how the coach will serve one or more schools. Coaches shall serve no more than two schools. Districts or charter schools requesting more than one coach at one school site must have an enrollment at that school site that exceeds 1,000 students.

Attendance Success Coach Eligibility: Any individual holding a current license in one or more of the following areas may be considered for a position as Attendance Success Coach through this program:

• Blind and Visually Impaired K-12
• Early Childhood
• Education Administration Pre K-12
• Educational Assistant Pre K-12 (with PED approval of resume, letter of recommendation from previous employer, and academic transcripts)
• Educational Diagnostician Pre K-12
• Elementary K-8
• Middle Level 5-9
• Pre K-12 Specialty
• School Counselor Pre K-12
• School Social Worker Pre K-12
• Secondary 7-12
• Secondary Vocational-Technical 7-12
• Special Education Pre K-12
• Speech Language Pathologist Pre K-12

Individuals holding alternative licenses may be considered at the discretion of the PED.

Link: https://webnew.ped.state.nm.us/information/rfps-rfis-rfas/

This post was filed under: