Oklahoma students are missing class and failing in reading. What's happening?

Oklahoma’s education system, chronically ranked among the lowest-performing in the nation, is failing at even getting kids to come to school.

The state's schools received an “F” grade in chronic absenteeism on the most recent Oklahoma State Report Card issued by the Oklahoma State Department of Education. That same report card showed 73% of third-graders in Oklahoma fall into the “basic” or “below basic” categories for English language arts, a key indicator of reading ability.

State Education Secretary Nellie Tayloe Sanders strongly believes absenteeism and reading ability are connected — but perhaps not in the way one might expect.

She says it's logical to deduce that if a student doesn’t attend school on a regular basis, or at all, that their ability to read and learn would be affected. But if a child can’t read, the shame that child feels might be keeping them away from school. Sanders thinks it’s time the state addresses that issue by taking a deep dive into the myriad of ways students learn. The one-size-fits-all style of teaching, she says, clearly isn’t working.

Sanders' experience as a person with dyslexia ― and as a mother who has two sons who also have that condition ― fuels her passion.

“I have two sons who have incredible, virtual-reality thinking that dyslexia provides us with,” she said. “But all of our learning is made for a different part of the brain, by one type of thinker for one type of thinker. When you’re not in that one-size-fits-all model, it starts to really put pressure on the systems when you have to test and prove your abilities, when those are not measurable under the standard. It’s like living your day every day in somebody else’s brain.”

Research from Attendance Works indicates students who miss just two days a month are at a heightened risk of not reading at grade level by the third grade, failing courses by middle school and ultimately dropping out by ninth grade.

According to the Oklahoma State Report Card, Oklahoma's long-term goal is that by 2032, the majority of all students will score proficient (one step higher than “basic” on the scoring spectrum) on state tests, indicating they are meeting grade-level standards aligned to college- and career-readiness.

To paraphrase an old Jerry Reed song, “There’s a long way to go and a short time to get there.”

Districts seek solutions to rising rates of chronic absenteeism

Chronic absenteeism is defined as students who miss 10% or more of the school year for any reason. Oklahoma’s rate of chronic absenteeism has increased in every year since the current iteration of the State Report Card began being used in 2017-18. That year, 86.51% of students met regular attendance guidelines. That fell to 85.97% in 2018-19.

No State Report Cards were issued for the next two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the rate fell to 80.5% in 2021-22 and 79.96% for 2022-23, triggering the “F” grade in that category.

More: Chronic absenteeism is schools' 'biggest problem.' Five reasons kids are missing school.

“This is not necessarily a school problem. This is a community problem,” says new Oklahoma City Public Schools Superintendent Jamie Polk . “I’m producing graduates in order for them to be ready for the workforce. Chronic absenteeism in the school is going to be a chronically absent employee.”

Polk said the Oklahoma City district ― which had a 62.79% attendance rate for 2022-23 — is working with Oklahoma County District Attorney Vicki Behenna on how they can partner to address the issue. They have set up a task force with about 40 community members.

“I’m going to be transparent ― I’m going to put it out there: I have a problem,” Polk said. “My desired outcome will be for me to produce a flier that will be circulating throughout this city. I want the emblems, the logos, for different community agencies that support getting your kid to school. The first step is awareness. … We can’t do it alone. We need the community’s help.”

Mustang Public Schools, with a 74.42% attendance rate, has dropped its number of allowable absences per semester from 10 to eight and started a social media campaign called “Every Moment Matters,” that showcases everyday classroom achievements and the experiences a student will miss out on when absent.

“We are committed to opening every door of opportunity for our students, and it starts with being present in the classroom. Every empty desk is a missed opportunity,” said Ryan McKinney, Mustang’s assistant superintendent of secondary schools.

Putnam City Schools has started a similar initiative called, “Be Present. Be Bold.” Implemented late last school year, district spokesman A.J. Graffeo said the program sparked a small but noticeable increase in attendance. The district, with a 66.8% attendance rate on the most recent State Report Card, has struggled with attendance (like most districts) since the COVID-19 pandemic ended.

“COVID exposed a lot of inequities and things that are needed for improvement,” Graffeo said. “We’re always looking for ways to improve public education. The dynamic shifted (during the pandemic) and our foundation got rocked. Habits surrounding the mindset of going to school went upside down. During COVID, we were stuck at home, wearing pajamas and in bed and learned on Zoom. And after it ended, people asked, ‘Why can’t I always do this?’

“But public education is about educating the whole child ― social emotional and administrative skills in addition to regular academic skills. Athletics, academics, fine arts all get missed if you’re not there. You aren’t getting a full education by sitting on Zoom in your home.”

Opinion: OKCPS superintendent, District Attorney Vicki Behenna team up to fight absenteeism

Among other things, Putnam City has instituted a reward system for students with good attendance. At Putnam City North High School, for example, quarterly carnivals are held― with parents invited to participate — and attendance is part of the formula used to determine who receives the invitations. It’s an effort to celebrate positive things, Graffeo said.

“We’re focusing on highlighting the good that’s happening in schools,” he said. “One of those things is teachers who are going above and beyond to make their classrooms as inviting and welcoming as possible for every student. No matter their level, they can come in and say, ‘This is a place I want to be.’ Teachers are caring individuals. They’re superheroes. Our (district) theme is ‘Every Beat Counts.’ We’re hoping if we can empower teachers and make a welcoming environment for staff, they’re going to be empowered to make every beat count, and students will feel that energy.”

Some see chronic absenteeism as a symptom of much larger issue

Educators like Kathren Stehno , the chair of the education department at Southwestern Christian University in Bethany, say absenteeism rates are a symptom of another issue ― the state’s low literacy rates for young students.

Stehno has spent 44 years as an educator, working with students from elementary school through college. At the state’s Office of Educational Quality and Accountability, she managed Oklahoma’s school performance review program for six years. She’s taught in schools in three states for 19 years and spent 13 years as a school administrator. She holds a doctoral degree in education leadership and wrote her dissertation about sustaining literacy rates among elementary-aged children.

To address absenteeism, teaching kids to read at a young age is critical, she said: “If you don’t, you’ll be chasing your tail with it. It will be so difficult with those kiddos. Pre-K through third grade is so critical.”

Stehno is a strong advocate for the “science of reading,” defined by The Reading League as “a vast, interdisciplinary body of scientifically based research about reading and issues related to reading and writing.”

That research, she said, “has culminated in a preponderance of evidence to inform how proficient reading and writing develop; why some have difficulty; and how we can most effectively assess and teach and, therefore, improve student outcomes through prevention of and intervention for reading difficulties.”

Under pressure from state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters, Tulsa Public Schools Superintendent Ebony Johnson recently told the State Board of Education that all of its teachers and administrators have been trained in the “science of reading,” and it was a goal to implement the program throughout Oklahoma’s largest school district.

Tulsa’s attendance rate on the most recent School Report Card was 56.17%. Stehno believes the implementation of the “science of reading” will help improve that number in Tulsa and every other school district.

“If a teacher in early childhood grades is properly taught how to teach reading, they’re going to catch those kids (with reading issues such as dyslexia),” Stehno said. “If you know how to do the reading and use it correctly, then you’re going to get those little ones and you’ll get them to read, but you’ve got them early enough. But without it, kids get passed on and passed on and drop out and the dropout rate will be horrific.”

Education secretary says different kids learn in different ways, and schools must adapt

Sanders, the education secretary with dyslexia, has shared painful stories about her battles as a student who struggled to read. She often uses the analogy of glasses. With her prescription, she says, she can see, but with someone else’s prescription, she cannot. For thousands of students whose brains are wired differently ― those with dyslexia, ADHD or other conditions — they need a different prescription to learn to read, she said.

“To have a prescription not made for your eyes is one of the most defeating experiences a child must endure, and as a parent there’s nothing you can do to protect them from this special little hell they’re about to go through,” Sanders said. “And it is a hell. It is a very dark, lonely, isolating place. Just because my glasses are not made for the way they expect you to see, does not mean that my abilities, the potential I have to learn, should be limited.”

Sanders gushes in her praise of teachers, but said they often don’t enter the classroom prepared to deal with the issues necessary to reach all students. Many, she says, come from markedly different backgrounds and with different styles of learning. Through no fault of their own, “they don’t have the tools they need.”

“Special education is the biggest shortfall area of teacher workforce,” she said. “That’s where the infection is happening. … This is the epicenter of the crisis. It’s the brains of all the people who all collectively have unique differences. You can’t put everyone as one category anymore. It’s ridiculous to expect all those teachers to know how to reach all those beautiful, brilliant minds."

Sanders notes that "when you have 76% of people in fourth grade that are not reading proficient, what suddenly happens? Everybody has to become a special education teacher, because everybody has to suddenly accommodate children who are working their tails off to read and learn this, but they’re not engaging in this in the same way. It’s a cycle, going up the ladder, and now the college level is remediating children.”

All of this is enough to cause significant trauma in a student, Sanders said.

“If you’re facing this every day as a child, you don’t want to go to school, because you’re behind every day, and you’re lost in material,” she said. “You didn’t understand what you were reading because they were not reaching you where you need to be reached. Then you have to go home and tell your parents about the horrible grades. … At what point do we expect a child, who doesn’t have the emotional or psychological stamina an adult has, what in the world is going to happen to that child?”

Slowly but surely, Sanders said, teachers are learning and adapting toward a new way of teaching that she said will “safeguard human potential in our children.”

Kingfisher Junior High School principal Chris Farris said he’s working toward that goal in his school.

A former Oklahoma City Public Schools teacher and administrator, Farris said he’s seeing a trend toward teachers becoming more “trauma informed” — making the extra effort to figure out different pathways toward reaching students who learn differently than those who might be considered standard students. The key, he said, is to “create a more therapeutic atmosphere” in schools.

“Some kids are more kinesthetic learners,” Farris said. “They learn by doing, so what would work is less teacher lecture, more student interaction. It takes planning. Everything about education is about preparation. If you take time to prepare, it’s not the fix-all, but it’s a good starting point. Prepare lessons and look at how students learn. It takes time for teachers to observe how students learn.”

Farris said he’s taught and observed students who are on Individualized Education Programs, or IEPs, which are written documents designed for every public-school student who is eligible for special education.

“It’s not about if they’re intelligent,” he said. “It’s about, ‘Are we teaching them the way they learn, or are we forcing them to learn the way we teach?’ We’ve got to meet the kids where they’re at and understand how they learn and teach to that. If we do that, the sky is the limit.”

The bottom line, though, is “if they’re not in school, they can’t learn,” Farris said. “Kids need to find a place where they can learn and find some success. Our jobs as educators is to accept them and make them feel loved and find something they can be successful at.”

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma students are missing class and failing in reading. What's happening?