Attendance Information
Every School Day Matters - Attendance is key to school success!
In many cases, absences from school are unavoidable due to health problems or other circumstances. However, chronic absenteeism can have a drastic impact on your child's education. Missing just 2 days a month, even when the absence is excused, adds up to 10% of the school year, resulting in a child being considered chronically absent.
- Children chronically absent in kindergarten and first grade are much less likely to learn to read by the end of third grade.
- By sixth grade, chronic absence is a proven early warning sign of drop-out.
- By ninth grade, good attendance can predict graduation even better than eighth-grade test scores!
OPA offers Short-term Independent Study for students who must be out of school for one (1) or more consecutive days. Short-term Independent Study can help students stay on track with their learning and not risk falling behind. Please contact the Registrar at your school for more information and contract procedures.
Truancy vs. Chronic Absence
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Truancy
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Chronic Absence
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Counts only unexcused absences and tardies of 30 minutes or more.
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Counts all absences: excused, unexcused, and suspensions.
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Calculated by:
Absent without a valid excuse for three full days in one school year,
- or -
Tardy or absent for more than 30 minutes on three separate days
- or -
Any combination of the two.
*For Middle School, each class is recorded independently.
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Calculated by:
Missing 10% or more of school days based on the number of school days that have occurred.
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