Attendance Criteria Setup Page

Use this page to set up criteria for determining when attendance letters and PLUS 360 notifications should be generated for student absences. Criteria are grouped so that communications are generated by only one criterion in the group for the same set of absences and trigger date (the date on which the criterion was met). For more information, refer to Attendance Criteria Examples.

In addition to generating communications, attendance criteria can be used to:

Determine athletic eligibility. Using the page's Eligibility panel, you can select how the status for eligibility should be set for students who meet the criteria.
Create behavior incidents. Using the page's Behavior panel, you can enter settings for creating incidents when students meet the attendance criteria. Criteria used for this purpose will not generate attendance communications. If you need to create incidents and generate communications for the same absences, you would have to set up separate criteria records.
Set the at risk status of students. Using the page's At Risk panel, you can specify the at risk reason to assign to students who meet the attendance criteria.

Attendance Calculations

Attendance calculations can be based on either the Attendance Bottom Line table or the Student Day Totals table. Following are the differences between the two:

Attendance Bottom Line - Checks the official entries in the att_bottomline table, as entered each day by either the office or teachers, depending on your Attendance Building Configuration. In this case, the attendance calculation is based on the table's attendance_code and either the attendance_period or minutes_absent fields. Each period absence counts as one absence. Calculation totals may be by period or course, depending on the criteria selected.
Day Totals - Checks the att_stu_day_totals table's view_type and attendance_code, and then either the att_code_value, present_time, or absent_time field. This provides flexibility, for example, in combining multiple half-day absences (att_code_value = 0.5). If the absent_time or present_time field stores minutes, the calculation also can check for students who have absences entered as specific minute values. In this case, you cannot check for absences by course. For an illustration of how day totals are calculated, refer to Overview of Attendance Records.

Fields

Definition Panel

Field	Description
Building	Select the building of the students to process.
Criteria Code	Code identifying this criteria. Character/5
Criteria (Description)	Title or description of the criteria. Character/255
Notification Group	Group that this criteria belongs to. Attendance criteria within the same group will be considered in the order defined in the Processing Order field. Groups are created in the Attendance Criteria Groups option. Students can qualify for only one criteria record within a group. However, they could qualify under attendance criteria in other groups at the same time.
Processing Order	The order in which the criteria should be processed within its criteria group.
Maximum Letters	The highest number of letters a student can receive for this criteria. Leaving the field blank allows an unlimited number of letters. Integer/5 Examples: If you enter a range of absences, but only want to send one letter for the range, enter a maximum of 1. If you enter a range of absences and want to send a separate letter for each absence, leave the Maximum Letters field blank.
Send Communications	Checked if this criteria is used to determine whether communications should be generated. When you run the Attendance Criteria Calculation option, you can specify whether to generate letter records, PLUS 360 notifications, or both. Unchecked if this criteria is used only for calculations and not for generating communications. Communications can be generated for attendance, athletic eligibility, and students at risk. However, they cannot be generated for behavior incidents.

Calculations Panel

Attendance Selection Section

Field	Description
Calculation Timeframe	Determines when a new reporting cycle starts. Absences recorded before this period are ignored. Attendance calculations run from the start of the cycle through the end date (Date To Calculate To) entered on the Attendance Criteria Calculation page. For example, some calculations could be by semester; others for the entire year. Select: A - Attendance Interval - to count all absences from the beginning of the interval selected in the Interval field. S - Semester - to count all absences from the beginning of the current semester or term. Y - Year - to count all absences from the beginning of the school year.
Interval	Select the attendance interval to use for calculating the number of absences. The choices are defined in the Attendance Intervals option, but could include Marking Period, Semester, or other durations. This field can be accessed only if A - Attendance Interval is selected in the Calculation Timeframe field.
Calculation Days to Check	Select the days the calculation should check for absences: Sun, Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri, or Sat. You must select at least one day to generate communications.
Calculation Based on	The type of attendance grouping to use. Determines the selections that are available in the Include Codes/Groups field. Select: A - Attendance Code - to check absences for specific attendance codes. D - District Groups - to check absences within a district group. Multiple attendance codes can be combined into one district group. For example, the attendance codes EXC and MED could be in the EXC district group. S - State Groups - to check absences within a state group. Multiple attendance codes can be combined into one state group. For example, the attendance codes EXC and MED could be in the EXC state group.
Include Codes/Groups	Select the attendance codes, district groups, or state groups to check for absences. The selections available depend on your entry in the Calculation Based on field. You can select multiple values from the drop-down list as needed. You must select specific codes or groups to generate communications.
Attendance Source	Identifies the table to check for absences. Select: A - Attendance Bottom Line - to check the official attendance for courses or periods, as entered by the office or teachers. This option enables you to access the Attendance Periods field. D - Day Totals - to check the totals calculated using the Day Totals Calculation. This option enables you to access the Attendance View Type field. Day Totals Example Attendance is taken by course period, but you want to calculate letters based on whether the student has absences totaling 5.0 days. Depending on the Attendance View Type selected, you can determine both half-day and full day values in calculating the total absences.
Attendance View Type	Select the attendance view for creating the day totals to use in the calculation. If you want to select to calculate on minutes, make sure the view you choose calculates totals for minutes as well. This field can be accessed only if D - Day Totals is selected in the Attendance Source field.
Attendance Periods	Select the attendance periods to use for calculating absences. You can select multiple values from the drop-down list. This field can be accessed only if A - Attendance Bottom Line is selected in the Attendance Source field. In this case, you must select at least one period to generate communications.
Include Attendance History	The length of the attendance history to include in letters or notifications generated. Absences that occur afterwards, for example, later the same week, will not be included, regardless of the option selected. Select: R - For this Reporting Cycle - to include all attendance from the beginning of the reporting cycle selected in the Calculation Timeframe field through the date that the communication was triggered. L - Since the Last Notification - to include all attendance since the last time the student was notified for the same attendance group. Y - Year To Date - to include the attendance history for the entire year.
Sort	The order in which the attendance history should display. Select: Ascending - to display the earliest date at the top of the list and the most recent date at the bottom. Descending - to display the most recent date at the top of the list and the earliest date at the bottom.

Occurrence Criteria Section

Field

Description

Criteria

Your choice expands the set of fields to use as criteria.

Select:

Absences Anywhere

Select this option to define criteria to find when students reach the minimum number of absences at any point in the reporting cycle and receive no more than the maximum. This option can be used whether the calculation is based on day totals or attendance bottom line:

Day Totals - The calculation looks for students with any of the selected attendance codes in any day total record for the date range and days selected. The range of absences can be filled by multiple day total records on a single day, multiple days, or a combination. Also, the attendance view can be set to calculate totals as minutes or periods.

Attendance Bottom Line - The calculation looks for students with the selected attendance codes in any course/period within the date range and days selected. The range of absences can be filled by multiple absences on one day, absences on multiple days, or a combination. Also, the type of attendance total depends on whether Absences or Minutes Absent is specified as the field to check in the attendance bottom line record.

Complete the following fields:

Minimum Count

The minimum number of absences for triggering the criteria.

Minimum Type

The type of absences to calculate for determining the minimum number of absences.

Select:

A - Absences - to base the minimum count on absences.
M - Minutes Absent - to base the minimum count on minutes.

Maximum Count

The maximum number of absences for triggering the criteria.

Maximum Type

The type of absences to calculate.

Select:

A - Absences - to base the maximum count on absences.
M - Minutes Absent - to base the maximum count on minutes.

Same Course or Period

Select this option to define criteria to find students who have a minimum number of absences for the attendance codes selected but no more than a maximum for the same courses or attendance periods within the date range and days selected.

Only courses/attendance periods where a student had the selected range of absences are included.
The reporting cycle is limited by two factors: the start and end dates for the Calculation Timeframe selected (Attendance Interval, Semester, or Year) and the days selected in the Calculation Days to Check field.
If you have courses that cross periods (their start and end periods differ), each period absence is counted separately.

Complete the following fields:

Same

Determines whether to base the calculation on courses or periods.

Select

Absence - to base the calculation on attendance periods.
Course - to base the calculation on courses.

Minimum Count

The minimum number of absences for triggering the criteria.

Maximum Count

The maximum number of absences for triggering the criteria.

Consecutive or Cumulative Attendance Patterns

Select this option to define criteria to find students who have a minimum number of absences but no more than the maximum, where the absences are Consecutive or Cumulative.

The absences must occur in the range of days (low end to high end) within the selected attendance periods.
The calculation checks for one or more absences per day on one or more days.

Complete the following fields:

Absence Pattern

Determines whether the absences checked are consecutive or cumulative.

Select:
Consecutive - to check for the specified number of absences in consecutive attendance periods.
Cumulative - to check for the specified number of absences in any period of the day.

Minimum Absence Count

The minimum number of absences for triggering the criteria.

Maximum Absence Count

The maximum number of absences for triggering the criteria.

Day Pattern

Determines whether the absences occurred on consecutive or cumulative days.

Select:
Consecutive - to check for absences entered on consecutive days.
Cumulative - to check for absences entered on any days in the reporting cycle.

Minimum Day Count

The minimum number of days for triggering the criteria.

Maximum Day Count

The maximum number of days for triggering the criteria.

Eligibility Panel

If you want to update students' athletic eligibility status based on attendance, use this panel to select how the eligibility status should be set for students who meet the attendance criteria.

Field	Description
Activity Eligibility	Checked if this criteria is used to determine eligibility for students who participate in athletics. This checkbox must be selected to access the panel's other fields.
Eligibility Based On	The basis for determining eligibility. Select: Calculation Only - to base the student's eligibility status solely on the attendance criteria. In this case, eligibility is determined by attendance and without regard for the student's current eligibility. The student's overall eligibility status is determined by the most severe status actively assigned to the student for one of the eligibility types, for example, for report cards or behavior. If you select this option, use the Ineligibility Status field to specify the status to assign when a student meets the criteria. Current Status - to base the student's eligibility status on both the attendance criteria and the student's current eligibility status. For example, if a student's status is Eligible, the calculation could change this to Probationary, and if the status is already Probationary, the calculation could change it to Ineligible. The progression is set in the Calculation Based On Current Status section.
Ineligibility Status	The status to assign if the student meets the criteria. This field can be accessed only if the Eligibility Based On field is set to Calculation Only.
Duration of Status	Select the appropriate duration for the status assigned when a student meets this criteria. The duration determines the expiration date for the status. When the Overall Eligibility Calculation is run, the calculation looks at all eligibility records that are not expired to determine the student's status. However, this also depends on other eligibility calculations, such as the Behavior Criteria Calculation, Progress Calculation, and Report Card Calculation. Select: (Duration Type) - to use durations defined for your building, such as Marking Period or Quarter. In addition, the system allows future durations to be applied by appending "Next" to the beginning of these options, for example, Next Marking Period or Next Quarter. Duration Type Examples (Quarter) Quarter - Use this option to specify that the student is ineligible for the remainder of the current marking period. The expiration date for the ineligibility will be set to the end date of the marking period as specified in the Marking Period Weeks records. Next Quarter - Use this option to specify that the student is ineligible for the entire next marking period. The effective date for the ineligibility will be set to the start date of the next marking period, while the expiration date will be set to the period's end date. These dates are specified in the Marking Period Weeks records. Regular Calendar Days - to specify that the student is ineligible for the number of calendar days entered in the Number of Days field. Calendar days do not consider whether school meets on those days. For example, if a student should be ineligible for 3 weeks, enter 21, which would include weekends and other non-membership days within the period. School Days - to specify that the student is ineligible for the number of school (membership) days entered in the Number of Days field. For example, if a student should be ineligible for 3 weeks of school days, enter 15.
Number of Days	Indicates the number of days the student is ineligible for activities. This field can be accessed only if you selected School Days or Regular Calendar Days in the Duration of Status field.
Calculation Based on Current Status Section	Use this section to set up the eligibility status codes to assign when students meet the attendance criteria. The section enables the assignment of a particular code based on students' current status codes. For example, you could set up a progression where students' status can change from Eligible to Probationary and from Probationary to Ineligible. When you select a code in the Current Status List field, a new row of fields displays for setting up another eligibility level. Current Status List Select the eligibility codes assigned to students to define their current status. You can select multiple codes from the field's drop-down list. For example, the codes in this field could reflect that students are eligible Set Eligibility to Select the eligibility code to assign when the student meets the attendance criteria and is currently assigned one of the codes displayed in the Current Status List field. (Delete) To delete a record, select the row's Delete checkbox, then click Save.

Behavior Panel

If a behavior incident should be created for students who meet this criteria, use this panel to define how the incident should be created. Criteria used to create a behavior incident will not generate a letter or notification.

If you want to generate attendance communications and create a behavior incident for the same absences, you must set up two separate criteria records. The criteria must be for unique criteria groups since students can only be selected by one criterion within a group.

Field	Description
Create Incident	Checked if you want to create a behavior incident for students who meet this criteria. In this case, the criteria cannot create attendance letters or notifications. This checkbox must be selected to access the panel's other fields.
Reported By	Type of person who reported the incidents created. Select: N - Other Non-Student - to enter a non-student as the person who reported the incident. If you select this option, the name and ID fields will be validated by Non-Student information. S - Staff - to select a staff member as the person who reported the incident. If you select this option, the ID and name fields will be validated by Staff Catalog information.
Name (unlabeled field)	Name of the person who reported the incidents. To search by name, enter the last name or part of the last name, then click Search to display the Staff Search or Non-Student Search window.
ID (unlabeled field)	Identification number of the person who reported the incidents. If you know the ID, enter it, then click Search to display the name. Otherwise, search for the person by name.
Incident Code	Behavior incident code to assign to the incidents created.
Action Code	Action code to assign to students when their Offender Action records are created. The action created does not include a scheduled duration of dates. The action's timeframe needs to be set in the Incident Detail page.
Include Fine	Checked if the Fines and Costs defined on the Behavior District Configuration page should be assigned to the behavior incident created.

At Risk Panel

Use this panel to define the at risk reason that should be calculated when the student meets the attendance criteria.

Field	Description
At Risk	Checked if the attendance criteria should be used to determine a student's at risk status when the calculation is run. This checkbox must be selected to access the panel's other fields.
At Risk Reason	Select the at risk reason to create for this attendance criteria. The field's selections are defined in Registration's Reasons table.
Duration of Status	Select the appropriate duration of the at risk reason assigned when a student meets this criteria. At the end of the period specified, the reason expires. When the at risk calculation is run, the reason will no longer display for the related factor on the student's At Risk Detail page. Select: (Duration Type) - to use durations defined for your building, such as Marking Period or Quarter. In addition, the system allows future durations to be applied by adding "Next" to the beginning of these options, for example, Next Marking Period or Next Quarter. Duration Type Examples (Quarter) Quarter - Use this option to specify that the at risk reason applies to the remainder of the current marking period. The expiration date for the reason will be set to the end date of the marking period as specified in the Marking Period Weeks records. Next Quarter - Use this option to specify that the at risk reason applies for the entire next marking period. The effective date for the reason will be set to the start date of the next marking period, while the expiration date will be set to the period's end date. These dates are specified in the Marking Period Weeks records. Regular Calendar Days - to specify that the at risk reason applies for the number of calendar days entered in the Number of Days field. Calendar days do not consider whether school meets on those days. For example, if the at risk reason should apply for 4 weeks, enter 28, which would include weekends and other non-membership days within the period. School Days - to specify that the at risk reason applies for the number of school (membership) days entered in the Number of Days field. For example, if a student should be ineligible for 4 weeks of school days, enter 20.
Number of Days	Indicates the number of days the student would be at risk for the reason selected. This field can be accessed only if you selected School Days or Regular Calendar Days in the Duration of Status field.