Aiden’s Attendance Turnaround
Aiden poses for a headshot at Scott County High School.
When Aiden started at Scott County High School, he was referred to Mr. Chad, the school’s CISTN program manager, to improve his attendance rate. After reviewing Aiden’s past attendance data, Mr. Chad realized that missing class wasn’t a new pattern: Aiden had been chronically absent for at least 20 days every academic year throughout all of middle school.
Even with Mr. Chad’s support, Aiden still struggled with the transition to high school. His grades had room for improvement, and he also got in fights and received write-ups for other behavioral issues. He missed 31 days his freshman year, including 6 unexcused absences as well as a suspension for a fight. All in all, his attendance rate for last year was only 81%.
But this year, the now-sophomore started to turn a corner. As they built a relationship, Mr. Chad learned that Aiden had a rocky home life, and that the instability was contributing to his outbursts at school. Over time, Aiden eventually felt more comfortable opening up to Mr. Chad about his life outside of school instead of acting out towards classmates and teachers.
Thinking of the school year as two long semesters felt overwhelming to Aiden, so he and Mr. Chad also broke his attendance goals into smaller periods. If Aiden comes to school for 10 days in a row, he gets a small reward of his choice, such as a special snack or a Dr. Pepper. This new strategy is working: Aiden met his attendance goal of 95% for the first semester, and Mr. Chad treated him to a special lunch alongside the other students who also met their attendance goals.
While the winter storm in January did throw off their normal routine, Aiden is still at a 92% attendance rate so far for his sophomore year, and all of his absences have been excused. This means that he is on track to not be chronically absent for the first time since elementary school--a major turnaround after years of missing classes.
Aiden’s grades have also improved significantly compared to last year, and he’s earned nearly all As and Bs so far. His behavior has also improved remarkably: Not only has he avoided any fights, he hasn’t gotten a single write-up at all this school year.
Having a trusted adult who consistently shows up to support him week after week, month after month, and year after year has made a huge difference in Aiden’s life. Knowing that Mr. Chad cares about him and is rooting for him to do his best has helped Aiden stay motivated to come to school and look forward to the future. “Building a relationship with him has been the biggest thing,” Mr. Chad said. “Now he’s gaining confidence in himself.”