Wednesday Folder August 27, 2025

What's the deal with attendance this year? SB 991, 2025 in the 89th Legislature has school districts looking a lot more closely at tracking attendance and truancy prevention measures. Attendance is a general problem across the entire state, hence why it had a focus in this last legislative session.

Why does attendance matter? Every day absent is equivalent to 5-6 hours of instructional time that is lost. Attendance is the leading factor for your child's academic success! Additionally, attendance is directly tied to state funding. If your child isn't here at 10:00 am, we don't receive funding for them.

What time is attendance taken? We take attendance at 10:00 am. This is what is reported for state funding.

What are the rules with attendance? We follow Texas state law when it comes to attendance. Here are the parameters to keep in mind:

• Texas Compulsory Attendance: Students are required to attend 90% of the school year (approximately 17 days) or 90% of instruction in a 30-day time period. (TEC§25.085, TEC§25.092, SB 991)
• Chronic Absenteeism: Defined by SB 991 as students who miss more than 10% of the school year or an enrollment period exceeding 30 days. This includes both excused and unexcused absences.
• "At-Risk Designation: Students who meet the definition of "chronically absent" are reported in Skyward and to the state as "At-Risk" (SB 991, TEC§29.081).

What are the different types of absences? There are three different types of codes for absences:

• "E" Excused: health-related services with documentation (doctor's note, orthodontist's note, etc.) and a few very specific state-approved items (TEC§25.087)
• "A" Absent: parent notification of reason outside of vacation/travel (up to a reasonable amount)
• "U" Unexcused: no notification of reason

Why do the different types of absences matter? Only Unexcused ("U") absences count toward the truancy threshold.

What if I have to make a health services-related appointment? No problem, please ask for the documentation so we can mark it as Excused. And if you can, please make it after 10:00 am.

What if we have to leave early? As long as this isn't a regular occurrence, this is no problem. We know kiddos have appointments or you might have a flight to catch for a trip. Each instructional block has attendance attached to it. We have always tracked early dismissals in Skyward, but this year, we are required to indicate partial absences during instructional blocks as well using the same codes above. This is not tied to state funding and is used for truancy prevention measures.

What happens if we are absent too much? We will send you notification letters through Skyward that you are either getting close to or have already exceeded an absence threshold. You may get a call from Mrs. Heath or Mrs. Boehmer to inquire about the reasons so that we can indicate that we have a plan to improve attendance if it's possible to do so. Depending on the situation, we may have to create an attendance improvement plan for credit recovery.

What's the deal with truancy? Truancy is defined as 3+ unexcused absences (days or parts of days) in a 4-week period or 10+ unexcused absences (days or parts of days) in a 6-month period. (TEC§ 25.0951) This is why it's really important to communicate to us about the reasons behind absences.

Thank you for helping us with this very important matter. SW

Carroll Elementary School
MAP® Growth™ Assessment Information

Between September 2nd–12th, your child will participate in the MAP® Growth™ assessment from NWEA® using a computer or tablet. This assessment measures both achievement and growth in reading and math, giving teachers valuable insights to personalize instruction for each student’s learning needs.

Why MAP Growth?

MAP Growth is an adaptive assessment, meaning the test adjusts to each student’s responses. If your child answers correctly, the next question becomes more challenging; if not, it becomes easier. This adaptability provides an accurate picture of your child’s current academic level—whether they are on, above, or below grade level.

How Do We Use the Results?

• Teachers use MAP data to group students, tailor instruction, and set meaningful goals.

• Parents will receive a Family Report after each testing period to see progress over time.

• Students in grades K–4 take MAP Growth three times each year: beginning, middle, and end.

Looking Ahead: College & Career Readiness

While MAP Growth is not a college entrance exam, the skills it measures are directly tied to long-term academic success:

• Identifies strengths and areas for growth in reading and math.

• Tracks progress over multiple years to monitor growth.

• Aligns with college readiness standards, laying a foundation for future SAT/ACT success.

• Connects with resources like Khan Academy to support targeted practice.

CES MAP Testing Schedule

• Kindergarten:

• Math – September 4

• Reading – September 5

• 1st Grade:

• Reading – September 9

• Math – September 10

• 2nd Grade:

• Math – September 9

• Reading – September 11

• 3rd Grade:

• Math – September 9

• Reading – September 10

• 4th Grade:

• Math – September 4

• Reading – September 10

We are excited to see how your child grows this year and to partner with you in their success. To learn more about MAP Growth, visit NWEA.org/familytoolkit.

1. The CES school zone times are from 7:10 -7:50 am & 2:50 – 3:30 pm

During this time the posted speed limit is 20 mph and cell phone use is posted on multiple signs to be prohibited. Please abide by this as citations can and will be issued for violations.

2. When lining up for dismissal Pre K and last names A-J proceed in the right lane to the back parking lot to line up. Last names K-Z will line up serpentine through the front / north parking lot. Please DO NOT leave large spaces between cars, we are stacking as many cars as possible for efficient pick up in the carpool lines and to eliminate traffic on Continental.

3. There is NO PARKING ever in the fire lanes, especially during large school events!

https://secure.smore.com/n/m5f3n

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TYYmh37U1R78SV_VEa94f6Uxd79mTAQi_tQ9JfLTjCM/edit?tab=t.0

Dragon Love,
Stacy Wagnon

Join the Award-Winning Emerald Belles on Saturday, October 25th from 1-4p at Carroll Senior High School for the Junior Belle Clinic and Workshop including grades K-8! This will also feature a Performance at Dragon Stadium on October 30th! Dancers receive training, a commemorative photo button and a T-shirt for the performance night. Snacks are provided.

K-4 Clinic $55

5-8 Workshop $85

Online registration through 10/17 at Emeraldbelles.com; Walk up registration is available day of event for an increased fee. (T-shirt size not guaranteed)

Doors open at 12:30p, showoff performance at 3:45p and then performance night at Dragon Stadium on October 30th.

We are excited to inform you that our school has enrolled with STOPit!

STOPit is an online reporting tool designed to deter and mitigate bullying, cyber abuse, and other inappropriate behaviors, consisting of an app and a back-end incident management system for school administrators.

More information and resources can be found online at stopitsolutions.com.

Please know you are welcome to email me (stacy.wagnon@southlakecarroll.edu) or call me 817-949-4300 if you have any kind of questions. I have also included this link if you would like a quick way to reach out with any kind of question after reading this newsletter.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1i61lhJ4zHLy_Ov81W2dyjYjuQ_m44SqfwC5DINJ3tG0/edit

https://www.smore.com/sqxmd-our-favorites

We want to make sure that you feel welcomed and are able to find the answers you are looking for.

Email: stacy.wagnon@southlakecarroll.edu
Website: https://www.southlakecarroll.edu/Domain/8
Location: 1705 West Continental Boulevard, Southlake, TX, USA
Phone: 817-949-4300
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1569009640030962
Twitter: @CESSouthlake

Make sure to sign up for the Dragon eBlast, a district communication with all of the latest news, updates and announcements! Also follow the district social media accounts to see all the latest happenings within Carroll ISD:

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