Attendance Codes
Attendance Codes are categorization of types of lates and absences, mostly defined by the SIS. Codes are the general group, while reasons are the specific type of absence. It is crucial to complete this configuration before the start of the school year to avoid disruptions to attendance tracking and reporting. Changes to code and reason values should be made with extreme caution, as they will impact attendance totals and report card generation.
While duplicate code and reason combinations are not allowed, duplicate text is permitted. However, for clarity, consider using different text for unexcused and sanctioned absences, even if they share the same reason text.
Attendance Code Fields:
| Field | Purpose/Notes |
| Default Absent Type | The field sets the default option on the Incident form if more than one absent code exists. This field will only be visible if two or more absent codes are present. |
| Code | Unique code for a type of late or absence. Typically the code is one or two characters. |
| Code Text | The description of the code. The text is visible to faculty, students, and parents. |
| Is Late | Specifies whether the code and accompanying reasons pertain to tardiness occurrences. |
| Counts on RC | Determines whether the code and associated reasons will be used in calculating absences and lates on the report card, in Zoom totals, attendance threshold warning and the attendance summary. |
| Discipline | In some jurisdictions, the government body requires truancy reporting. The discipline checkbox will mark whether the absence needs government intervention. |
| Reason | Unique code for the reason of absence. |
| Reason Text | The description of the reason. The text is visible to faculty, students, and parents. |
| Parent | Indicates whether the reason is available for use by parents. All reasons are available to the Senior Admin, Office Head, and Office roles. |
| Teacher | Indicates whether the reason is available for use by teachers. All reasons are available to the Senior Admin, Office Head, and Office roles |
| Late Equivalent | Optional, appears when the “Is Late” checkbox is enabled for a code. It’s used when a planned absence covers only part of a class meeting. |
| Notes | The field is for documentation purposes and is only visible on this form. |
When code and reason are set as available for teachers and parents, they may use them to mark attendances. If no reason option is available to non-admin for a code, then parents or teachers will not see the code at all during marking. This prevents teachers or parents from putting reasons they wouldn’t be able to make.
Export and Import Attendance Codes
Attendance configuration may already be standardized by district or SIS, or may have been finished in Sandbox mode. The Attendance Configuration form includes an Export button. The resulting files can be imported as a standardCSV.
Test Plan
Before the attendance configuration is used for a school year, it should be tested for accuracy. The test will identify and mitigate issues early, such as inadequate reasons, or wrong permissions. If you do not active classes, groups can be used to test your attendance configurations.
- Configure attendance.
- Create a group and open it to staff and students.
- Before hitting save on the bottom, click Permissions &Options. Then click Enable Attendance.
- Invite the students to the group, and then impersonate invited students to accept the invitation. Invite a student for each type of attendance code made.
- Click attendance on the top right.
- Click Create Extra Attendance.
- Mark students as absent, and put each type of attendance code made. Be sure reasons made in attendance configuration are available.
Default Attendance Codes
Edsby has a default set of absence and late codes, if these are suitable for your organization, you don’t need to configure custom codes.
By default, the following Absent reasons are available to teachers and school administrators. All these absences would count toward absence totals in Zooms and the Panorama.
- Bereavement
- Bus Issue
- Confirmed/Other
- Emergency
- Family
- Illness
- Medical Appointments
- Personal Transportation
- Religious Holiday / Event
- Suspended
- Truant / Unexcused
- Vacation
The following Absent reasons are available to teachers and school administrators. All these absences would be listed as Other in the Students Zoom.
- School Activity
- School Closure
- Withdrawn.
Parent can choose from the following set of absent reasons:
- Bereavement
- Bus Issue
- Confirmed / Other
- Emergency
- Family
- Illness
- Medical Appointment
- Personal Transportation Issue
- Religious Holiday / Event
- Vacation
- Weather
Configure Codes
If your organization needs a different setup, you can use the Configure Codes to set up your own codes, reasons and reason text.
Planning the order of codes and reasons before filling out the form is crucial. It ensures clarity for attendance office staff, teachers, and parents, as the sequence directly affects the forms they see.
While duplicate code and reason combinations are not allowed, duplicate text is permitted. However, for clarity, consider using different text for all reasons.
Also note the planned absence form displays all absence reasons in one list. Prepending the reason text with the code text can enhance clarity and organization.
Note for new customers: Before classes begin for the year, changes can be made without any impact. Reviewing the setup with the Attendance Office is strongly recommended. Once attendance starts, deleting or changing a Code or Reason will have serious consequences. Changing the Reason text only impacts the text seen by faculty and parents.
Note for customers pre 2024: Your district may already be using an attendance customization, please consult Edsby Support before completing this form.
Common Attendance Configurations
Unexcused Absence: A set of reasons that are counted as absences for the purposes of report cards. This set of reasons will also appear in the Attendance sheet in the Absent column and Student/My Students/Student Report under the A column. Unexcused absences also trigger the attendance warning and danger thresholds set in the Attendance Configuration form.
Excused Absences: Students are absent for educational events. These absences are tracked but are not counted as absences on report cards. These absences appear in the Other column in the attendance sheets and Zooms. Excused absences do not trigger the attendance warning and danger thresholds. Whether illnesses count as excused absences depends on the jurisdiction.
Late: Much like absences, late reasons can be categorized into unexcused lates (or early departures), often due to personal or parental time management issues, and excused lates, such as other educational obligations, for missing part of a class meeting.
School Level Absences: Some jurisdictions have separate codes for school-level reasons, such as school closures or bus cancellations. These are not counted as absences on report cards. These absences appear in the Other column in the attendance sheets and Zooms. School level absences do not trigger the attendance warning and danger thresholds.
Multiple Absent/Late Categories Example
In this example, the excused and unexcused categories include separate Codes that can only be used by the attendance Office. In addition, the late category has been split into two categories to handle excused and unexcused absences.
Note that if the code does not have reason visible to the teacher, the teacher will not see the code.
