Data Mining Research and Action Plan

Benjamin C. Brittain
University of Richmond

Demographics
Deep Run high school is located in the affluent West End of Henrico County, Virginia.
The school houses a 9th-12th grade comprehensive secondary education program consisting of
approximately 1,600 students. The number of students enrolled in each grade level ranges from
379-451with an average of 409 students per level. The student body is 54% male, 46% female,
78% white, 22% total minority and 4% economically disadvantaged. The school boasts a high
record of academic achievement through state standardized test performance (98% pass rate in
reading and 88% in mathematics) and through the high rate of enrollment in Advanced
Placement courses (41.56%). Further, Deep Run has a 97% attendance and on-time graduation
3rate; data indicates these rates to be similar across all of the schools student subgroups.
Key Data Findings
Discipline reports were retrieved from the PowerSchool school management database for
the time period beginning August 31, 2015 and ending November 19, 2015. The reports provide
the type of disciplinary infraction, the number of infractions, the sex of the student involved, the
grade level of the student and the race of the student (see figures 1 and 2 below). Visual analysis
was used to identify trends in disciplinary infractions and attendance codes were determined to
have the highest rate of incidence. The following findings are of interest:
1. Attendance- Excessive indicates students have been tardy three or more times to
school at the beginning of the day.
2. Attendance- Leaving w/o Perm indicates that a student left a classroom, the
building or school property without permission, regardless of whether the student
later returned to the classroom, building or school property.

3. While there are a higher number of white students than minority students who
committed attendance infractions, the ratio is congruent with the schools overall
demographic data.
4. The data indicates that 70% of the attendance violations were committed by males
and 30% by females. This statistic is not consistent with the distribution of truancy
demographics found in other studies (Sharples, 1979 & Puzzanchera, et. al, 2003) and
is likely the result of the relatively small data set.
5. Att-Leaving w/o Perm (skipping), has a heightened rate of incidence with 11th grade
students as compared to other grade levels and is distributed relatively equally
between males and females. Of further interest is that this data is consistent with a
1985 survey conducted in the United States which focused on discerning variations in
student skipping behaviors in the high school setting. The research indicated that
skipping was most frequent among 11th and 12th grade students (Duckworth &
deJung).
Figure 1

Figure 2

Learner-Centered Problem/Problem of Practice

The data lends itself to allow the learner centered attendance problem to focus on either
the tardy rates or the instances of skipping. Ultimately, the learner centered problem is decidedly
that students are leaving school without permission; 11th grade students being the most common
offenders. The identified problem of practice is that consequences in response to skipping are not
administered expediently. That is, the students who are skipping school are not receiving a
consequence until days after the incident has occurred. This insight is not shown in a clear
fashion by any single data report available, rather, it must be compiled by analyzing a variety of
data reports and merging them for analysis. Part of the administrative team reviewed these data
reports and concluded, both based on the data and through anecdotal evidence, that this was most
likely the problem of practice.
SMART Goals
1. The number of instances of students leaving without permission will not exceed three per
academic week as measured by schoolwide discipline data.
2. The time between an incident of leaving without permission and addressing the
correlating disciplinary consequence with the student will not exceed two school days.
Research Summary (Strategies/Tasks)
Strategy 1: Reward Student Attendance
A study conducted by Chao, Dehejia, Mukhopadhyay and Visaria (2015) in India studied
the effects of a system of rewards on school attendance rates. Students were challenged to attend
school 85% of the time and in return, they would receive a meaningful reward. The study
revealed that during the experimental period, attendance rates spiked to over twice the previous
levels for the lowest attending student population, with marked increases in the other students as
well. After the study, that is after rewards were no longer being offered for attendance,

attendance rates fell back to previous levels, with the exception of the lowest attending student
population. With this group, attendance levels fell even further than prior to the implementation
of the reward program. A variation of this model, where students receive rewards for attending
class, could be implemented to discourage skipping school or a particular class. A more focused
program could also be implemented for habitual offenders.
Strategy 2: 1 to 1 Truancy Program
A program initiated in 1980 in a Tennessee school district was designed for students who
were consistently skipping class or school. These students were sent to a separate school where
they would spend one-on-one time with a teacher to complete make-up work from their regular
school classes. Most of the students would leave the program and return to the regular setting
within two weeks; some students would even return and be ahead of their peers. These students
were also less likely to fall back into attendance issues than students who did not attend the
alternative placement (Sentelle, 1980). The program highlights the notion that one-on-one
teaching initiatives can boost attendance rates and academic achievement. A similar program,
implemented and housed within the school, could aid in the prevention of skipping. The
infrastructure for such a program is partially in place in most school buildings, currently being
operated as in school suspension.
Strategy 3: Change Schedule of Consequences
Following the work of B.F. Skinner, a 1978 study conducted by Capaldi, confirmed
previous findings that delays in reinforcement and consequences significantly impact the speed
of acquisition of learning. Further, he found that a shorter delay in reinforcement or
consequences greatly increased the likelihood that a behavior is learned. In essence, Capaldi
demonstrates that a delay in consequences results in a lack of learning, whereas a quick response
makes learning more likely. As such, decreasing the amount of time between a student leaving

without permission and the related consequence increases the likelihood that a student will learn
from that consequence and decrease the likelihood that the student will skip again.
Impact/Feasibility Chart
Strategy
Reward Student Attendance
1 to 1 Truancy Program
Change Schedule of Consequences

Impact
Medium
High
High

Feasibility
Medium
Low
High

Action Plan Logistics

In a perfect scenario, a combination of the three aforementioned strategies would be the
most effective measure in helping to resolve the issue of skipping. In such a case, a tiered system
could be developed with each of these strategies implemented at a different tier. However, for the
sake of simplicity, as well as immediate and effective impact, the approach that will be utilized is
the Change of Schedule of Consequences. This approach will require no financial investment
from the school but will require a substantial human capital investment. I relentless focus on
ensuring that everyone is taking part in the implementation is critical to the success of the new
system.

Teachers

Students
Classrooms
Administratio
n

Implementation Indicators
Implementing an Expedited Schedule of Consequences
Taking attendance within the first ten minutes of the class period
Making sure that attendance codes are entered correctly
Submitting a referral by the end of the class period for students who
leave class and do not return
Know the consequences for skipping
Hall passes utilized at all times, without exception
Attendance policy posted
Sign-out/sign-in sheets
Follow up on attendance referrals within one school day
Follow up on system generated skipper reports within one day of
release

Review data to ensure attendance codes are being recorded accurately

and within the first ten minutes of class

Expedited Schedule of Consequences Action Plan

Task
Who
When
Review Attendance Codes/Entry Times
Attendance Secretary
Daily
Review Discipline Data for # of Skippers
AP #1
End of Day Friday
Respond to Referrals/Reports of Skipping
Admin Aides/APs
Daily
within Specified Timeframe
Review Attendance Discipline Data Trends
AP #1
End of Each Quarter
Review Skipper Reports to Identify Repeat
Admin Aides
Daily
Offenders
Follow Up on Skipper Reports as they are
Admin Aides
Daily
Released
Check Hall-Passes & Halls for Students
SSO
Daily

References
Capaldi, E. (1978). Effects of schedule and delay of reinforcement on acquisition speed. Animal
Learning & Behavior, 6(3), 330-334. Retrieved from
http://link.springer.com/article/10.3758%2FBF03209622
Chao, M., Dehejia, R., Mukhopadhyay, A., & Visaria, S. (2015). Unintended negative
consequences of rewards for student attendance: Results from a field experiment in
Indian classrooms. SSRN Electronic Journal SSRN Journal. Retrieved from
http://iems.ust.hk/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/IEMSWP2015-22.pdf
Duckworth, K. & DeJung, J. & National Institute of Education (U.S.). (1986). Variation in
student skipping: A study of six high schools. Eugene, Or: Center for Educational Policy
and Management, College of Education, University of Oregon. Retrieved from
http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED267503.pdf
Puzzanchera, C., Stahl, A.L., Finnegan, T.A., Tierney, N., Snyder, H.N. (2003). Juvenile court
statistics 1998. Washington, D.C.: U. S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile ERIC
Resource Center www.eric.ed.gov. Justice and Delinquency Prevention, National Center
for Juvenile Justice. Retrieved from https://www.ncjrs.gov/html/ojjdp/193696/home.html
Sentelle, S. P. (1980). A helping hand for the chronic truant. Educational Leadership, 37(6), 471472. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/63708014?accountid=14731
Sharples, B. (1979). Patterns of school attendance in Ontario elementary and secondary schools.
Ontario Government Bookstore, 880 Bay Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M7A 1L2.
Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/63678143?accountid=14731