Attendance Tips for Teachers

Posted October 11, 2021, 4:15 PM. Updated December 7, 2021, 7:58 AM.

Attendance should be taken during the first 10 minutes of class.

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.

Teachers: Please give your best effort to take attendance within the first 10 minutes of class. It is imperative that you take attendance as soon as possible each morning, or at the start of each class, for safety reasons and accurate record keeping.

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.

Possible strategies to assist with daily/period attendance

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.

Thank you for helping us to solve this very important issue. Please feel free to contact the Attendance Supports Unit if you have any questions email us attendance@aps.edu.