Attendance Specialist

Steger School District 194; Steger (IL); On-site; USD 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Steger School District 194 is seeking an Attendance Specialist to lead a comprehensive attendance intervention program aimed at improving student attendance and reducing chronic absenteeism.

The role involves identifying at-risk students, monitoring attendance data, conducting home visits, and coordinating with administrators, teachers, counselors, social workers, and community partners. Knowledge of MTSS and data-driven interventions is essential.

Qualifications

• Strong communication, organizational, interpersonal, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to establish effective relationships with students, families, school personnel, and community agencies.
• Ability to maintain accurate and confidential student records.
• Ability to analyze and use student attendance and other relevant data to guide interventions.
• Ability to work independently while functioning effectively as a member of a multidisciplinary team.

Responsibilities

• Implement a data-driven attendance intervention program.
• Identify students at risk for chronic absenteeism and monitor attendance patterns.
• Communicate with students and families; conduct home visits; develop attendance improvement plans.
• Coordinate interventions and referrals; collaborate with administrators, teachers, counselors, social workers, staff, families, and community agencies.
• Provide Tier 2 and Tier 3 supports within MTSS framework.
• Maintain accurate logs and prepare progress reports; assist with grant-related reporting.

Skills

Communication skills

Data analysis

Interpersonal skills

Confidential records handling

Multidisciplinary collaboration

Problem solving

Education

High School Diploma or equivalent

Bachelor's degree in Social Work, Education or related field

Job description

Job Title: Attendance Specialist

Reports To Director of Teaching and Learning, Building Administrators

FLSA Status: Nonexempt

QUALIFICATIONS:

Required:

• High School Diploma or equivalent.
• Experience working with school-age children, families, and/or student support services.
• Strong communication, organizational, interpersonal, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to establish effective relationships with students, families, school personnel, and community agencies.
• Ability to maintain accurate and confidential student records.
• Ability to analyze and use student attendance and other relevant data to guide interventions.
• Ability to work independently while functioning effectively as a member of a multidisciplinary team.

Preferred:

• Bachelors in Social Work, Education or related field a preference.
• Experience with attendance intervention, truancy prevention, chronic absenteeism, or student engagement.
• Experience working within an MTSS framework.
• Experience conducting family outreach or home visits.
• Experience with case management or community resource coordination.
• Knowledge of school attendance laws, district attendance procedures, and intervention practices.
• Experience with grant-funded programs and performance reporting.

SUMMARY

The Attendance Specialist is responsible for implementing a comprehensive, data-driven attendance intervention program designed to improve student attendance, reduce chronic absenteeism and truancy, prevent disengagement from school, and promote equitable access to educational opportunities.

The Attendance Specialist will identify students at risk for chronic absenteeism, truancy, and academic disengagement; monitor attendance patterns; communicate with students and families; conduct home visits; develop individualized attendance improvement plans; coordinate interventions and referrals; and collaborate with administrators, teachers, counselors, social workers, support staff, families, and community agencies.

The Attendance Specialist will utilize the district's Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework to ensure that students receive interventions matched to their level of need. The position will provide targeted Tier 2 interventions and intensive Tier 3 supports for students with significant or persistent attendance concerns.

Attendance Monitoring and Student Identification

• Monitor daily attendance reports to identify unexplained absences, emerging attendance concerns, truancy patterns, and students at risk for chronic absenteeism.
• Review attendance data regularly to identify trends and students requiring intervention.
• Analyze attendance by individual student, grade level, and student subgroup to identify areas of concern.
• Identify students experiencing academic, behavioral, social-emotional, family, transportation, housing, health, or other barriers affecting school attendance.
• Collaborate with school teams to identify students requiring Tier 2 or Tier 3 attendance interventions.
• Maintain accurate and confidential records of attendance concerns, interventions, contacts, referrals, and student progress.

Student and Family Engagement

• Establish positive relationships with students and families to understand and address barriers to regular school attendance.
• Contact parents/guardians regarding unexplained or excessive absences.
• Conduct attendance conferences with students and families.
• Conduct home visits for students with persistent attendance concerns when appropriate.
• Provide families with information regarding available school, district, and community resources.
• Strengthen family-school partnerships through consistent communication, outreach, and problem-solving.
• Support families experiencing transportation challenges, housing instability, family crises, health concerns, or other barriers that may affect attendance.

Attendance Intervention and Case Management

• Develop individualized attendance improvement plans based on student needs and documented barriers.
• Provide regular attendance check-ins and progress monitoring for students receiving interventions.
• Provide or coordinate mentoring and student engagement supports.
• Coordinate referrals to counseling, social work, transportation assistance, community agencies, and other appropriate services.

MTSS and Team Collaboration

• Participate in and contribute to MTSS meetings and attendance review processes.
• Provide staff with information and resources related to attendance interventions and prevention strategies.
• Support the implementation of universal attendance awareness and positive attendance initiatives.

Community Partnerships and Referrals

• Develop and maintain working relationships with community agencies and social service providers and connect families with appropriate resources.
• Follow up on referrals to determine whether students and families have successfully accessed needed services.

Data Collection, Evaluation, and Reporting

• Maintain an accurate activity log documenting student contacts, parent contacts, home visits, attendance conferences, attendance improvement plans, referrals, and services provided.
• Prepare reports summarizing attendance outcomes, intervention activities, and progress toward program goals.
• Maintain documentation required for grant monitoring and reporting.
• Assist with grant-related performance measures, documentation, and evaluation activities.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

The successful candidate should demonstrate the ability to:

• Analyze attendance data and identify students requiring intervention.
• Develop and implement individualized attendance improvement strategies.
• Communicate effectively and respectfully with students and families from diverse backgrounds.
• Address sensitive family circumstances with professionalism, empathy, and discretion.
• Conduct effective parent conferences and home visits.
• Collaborate with school and community-based professionals.
• Coordinate multiple services and referrals.
• Maintain accurate documentation and meet reporting deadlines.
• Use data to evaluate intervention effectiveness and make adjustments.
• Manage competing priorities and work effectively with limited supervision.
• Maintain confidentiality regarding student and family information.
• Promote a positive, student-centered approach to attendance improvement.
• y agencies
• Mental health and social service providers
• Transportation providers
• Other school and community partners

TRAVEL REQUIREMENT

• Travel between schools, across district required.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Community settings and schools
• Indoor classrooms/school exposure to: student noise
• Work in standard school building environment
• Outdoor schoolyard and grounds, field trips:
• Exposure to temperatures (hot, warm cool & cold)

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

• Constant hand-eye, mind-eye coordination.
• Ability to lift 50 lbs.
• Frequent sitting, standing, walking, talking, bending, lifting, and stooping required.
• Occasional travel to various school locations required.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Work is performed in an environment where unusual temperature and noise are relatively nonexistent
• Work is performed in an environment where health hazards may occur
• Occasional need for work outside the normal hours/days

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION

• Two evaluations will be conducted during the first year of employment (45 and 90 days).
• After the probationary period, evaluations will be completed in accordance with administrative procedures.

TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT

• TBD days per year
• 6.7 or 7.4 hours per day
  • 7:25 a.m. – 2:40 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
  • 7:25 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Tuesday
• Twelve sick days per year
• Four personal days per year
• At-will position
• Grant Funded Position - Employment to be reviewed for continuation of services after three school years.
• FLSA nonexempt