Improving Students' Participation

Provincial Priority: Student Engagement and Well-Being

DCDSB Goal: Improve students’ participation in class time and learning.

Please also refer to the Improving Student Well-Being webpage for further information on Faith Formation and Mental Health and Well-Being.

Attendance Campaign 

Data and research demonstrate the importance of regular attendance in supporting student achievement. Students who have chronic absenteeism, defined as missing 10 percent or more of school days due to absence for any reason (excused, unexcused and/or suspensions) can have trouble learning to read by the third grade, achieving in the junior and intermediate grades, and graduating on-time from secondary school. Ontario school boards are now required to include data pertaining to student attendance (% of students in Grades 1-8 whose individual attendance rate is equal to or greater than 90 percent) as one of the indicators to be monitored through local Student Achievement Plans and made publicly available. 

To support improved student participation in class time and learning, the Student Services Department will be launching “Attendance Matters”, a campaign to reduce chronic absenteeism and increase staff efficacy in developing school level plans to support regular attendance.

The campaign includes, but is not limited to: 

• Communication of updated enrolment register instructions for administrators; 
• Attendance support video for all school staff to be shared with school communities; 
• Resources for administrators to support regular student attendance; 
• Templates for attendance tracking to better support students with chronic attendance needs; 
• Poster campaign provided to all school communities; and 
• Regular monitoring of attendance by school administrators, and involvement of school attendance counsellors as required.