Rule: Students Absent On First Day of Enrollment
Summary
This validation identifies students who are reported as Absent Att. or Absent Sch. on the first date of an enrollment.
A student is flagged when either the student's present minutes or scheduled instructional minutes are less than 50% of the instructional minutes for that date. Review the student's enrollment, attendance, schedule, and the calendar's instructional minutes to determine whether the source information is accurate.
Severity
FATAL
What to Review
For each student reported in the validation, review the enrollment Start Date and the student's attendance and schedule for that date.
Review the validation results
- Locate the student by State ID and confirm the school and calendar.
- Review First Instructional Day, Present Minutes, Instructional Minutes, and Percent Present First Day.
- Use the Student Day Detail report for the same date to determine whether the student was reported as Absent Att. or Absent Sch.
Absent Att. means the student's present minutes were less than 50% of the instructional minutes. Absent Sch. means the student's scheduled instructional minutes were less than 50% of the instructional minutes. Either status can cause this validation to report the student.
Note: Exactly 50% meets the threshold. The validation reports students below 50%.
Review the enrollment Start Date
- Search for the student.
- Open Student Information > General > Enrollments.
- Select the applicable enrollment.
- Review the Start Date and confirm it reflects the student's actual first day of enrollment.
Review attendance and schedule
- Open Student Information > General > Attendance.
- Locate the attendance record for the enrollment Start Date.
- Review the Attendance Code/Excuse and applicable present minutes or time.
- Open Student Information > General > Schedule.
- Review the courses, periods, and roster dates in effect on the enrollment Start Date.
- Confirm the schedule reflects the instruction the student was expected to receive on that date.
Review instructional minutes
- Open Scheduling & Courses > Calendar Setup > Calendar Information and review Student Day Minutes.
- Open Scheduling & Courses > Calendar Setup > Day Setup and review any applicable Day Events for the enrollment Start Date.
- Confirm the instructional minutes used for that date match the school's calendar.
For this validation, an applicable abbreviated day event with standard code AD and instructional minutes greater than 0 may determine the day's instructional minutes. If multiple qualifying events are scheduled, the system uses their average instructional minutes. If there is no qualifying event, the system uses the calendar's Student Day minutes.
Refer to the School Attendance and Student Accounting (SASA) Manual for initial enrollment day attendance requirements and applicable exceptions.
Recommended Action
Determine whether the attendance, schedule, calendar, or enrollment Start Date needs correction. Update source records only when they do not accurately reflect the student's enrollment and instructional day.
Student Was Present for the Full Day
If the attendance record is incorrect and the student was present for the full instructional day:
- Open Student Information > General > Attendance.
- Select the attendance record for the student's first day of enrollment.
- Clear the incorrect Attendance Code/Excuse.
- Clear any present minutes associated with the incorrect attendance entry.
- Select Save.
Student Was Present for at Least 50% of the Instructional Day
If the student arrived late or left early but was present for at least 50% of the instructional day:
- Review the documentation supporting the student's attendance.
- Open the attendance record for the first day of enrollment.
- Select the appropriate Attendance Code/Excuse.
- Enter or correct the applicable attendance time information.
- Select Save.
Important: Use the appropriate attendance code based on the reason for the student's partial day attendance. Refer to the SASA Manual for attendance code requirements.
Student Did Not Meet the Initial Enrollment Day Requirement
If the student was not present for at least 50% of the instructional day and no applicable exception applies:
- Review the student's attendance to determine the first day the student met the initial enrollment day attendance requirement.
- Open the applicable enrollment record.
- Update the Start Date to the appropriate date.
- Verify that the attendance information for the new Start Date is accurate.
- Select Save.
The SASA Manual states that when a student is not present on the initial enrollment day, the initial enrollment date must be moved forward until the student meets the requirements to be counted present, unless an identified exception applies.
Important: Do not change attendance or the enrollment Start Date only to clear the Warning. The records must accurately reflect when the student began enrollment and the student's actual attendance.
Student Schedule Is Incorrect
If the schedule does not accurately reflect the instruction the student was scheduled to receive:
- Open Student Information > General > Schedule.
- Review the courses and sections the student was expected to attend.
- Correct missing or inaccurate course enrollments or roster dates, as appropriate.
- Confirm courses that should count toward instructional minutes are marked for attendance taking and are scheduled during instructional periods.
- Select Save where applicable.
Calendar Instructional Minutes are Incorrect
If the calendar information does not accurately reflect the instructional day:
- Correct6 the Student Day Minutes or Day Event information, as appropriate.
- Confirm the updated minutes reflect the instruction scheduled for that date.
Important: A change to calendar minutes can affect other students and PMR calculations. Verify the calendar setup before changing it.
Verify the Review or Correction
If a correction was made:
- Rerun the PMR FATAL Validations.
- Confirm FATAL-26 reflects the corrected information.
- Continue reviewing any remaining FATAL validation results.
