Albuquerque Public Schools: Attendance Tips For Teachers

Press release from Albuquerque Public Schools:

October 11, 2021

Albuquerque Public Schools is committed to improving attendance and reducing chronic absenteeism districtwide. APS has outlined 5 pillars of excellence that the district will focus on in the 2021-2022 school year. One of those pillars -- maintaining effective and efficient operations -- aligns with the importance of taking daily/period attendance and keeping accurate records.

It is the goal of the APS Attendance Supports Unit to align with the district's pillars and ensure that it supports schools in their efforts to maintain accurate attendance records. District Attendance Coordinators can help with ideas and tools to plan for a successful year in managing accurate attendance records.

When attendance is not taken daily, it affects the following:

• Safety: Families will not receive a safety text/call
• Chronic Absence Data: Which impacts schools grades (bonus points)
• District Records: APS automatically reports attendance records to the state, so we are reporting inaccurate data on a legal document if attendance is not submitted each day, on time. 
• Domain #4: Maintaining accurate records is the responsibility of the classroom teacher. 

• Set a timer (phone, Promethean board, student job)
• Make it a part of your daily schedule
• Include the task in your lesson plans
• Get a buddy teacher to assist each other in remembering
• Set a school-wide reminder during announcements
• Create a student board for all students to check in on their own.

This press release was produced by Albuquerque Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author’s own.