Policy No. 3420: Attendance Learner Validated Attendance for Online Enrollment Policy

Cache County School District Board of Education recognizes that regular student attendance facilitates academic achievement by maximizing the interaction between students and teachers. The Board also recognizes that regular student attendance at school is mandated by Utah Compulsory Attendance Law 53G-6-202, which requires students between the ages of six and 18 to attend school and is critical if schools are to meet the accountability standards set by federal and state legislation. District online programs will make every effort within the following administrative policy provisions to promote, review, and substantiate learning validated attendance.

Definitions

A. “Attendance validated program”– A program within the District that consists of eligible, enrolled public school students who physically attend school in a brick and mortar school.

B. “Learner validated program”– A program within the District that consists of eligible, enrolled public school students where the student receives instruction through an online learning program.

Policy

A. Background-This policy is in compliance with Utah Board Rule R277-419 Pupil Accounting, which requires that an LEA utilizing a learner validated program do the following: a. adopt a written policy that designates a learner validated enrollment measurement to document the learner validated membership or enrollment status for each student enrolled in the learner validated program consistent with R277-4195(3)(c); b. document each student’s continued enrollment status in compliance with the learner validated enrollment policy at least once every ten (10) consecutive school days; and c. appropriately adjust and update student membership records in the student information system for students that did not meet the learner validated enrollment measurement, consistent with R277-419-7(3)(c);

B. Continuing Enrollment Measures-The District recognizes a variety of measures that may be used to determine if a student participated in the learner validated program in an online learning environment when reporting learner validated enrollment. The determination of attendance will be the decision of online enrollment administration, based on a sufficient level of engagement in the weekly educational goals established in each course. Sufficient engagement is the production of enough evidence of learning that the teacher feels confident the student has engaged in the weekly educational goals. Some examples of potential measures of evidence, that could be used either singularly or in combination with one another, include:

1. Evidence that validates student learning (e.g., online or offline assignment submissions, rubric scored written work, presentations, and artistic performances and products, research projects, formative assessment results, progress toward academic goals, student portfolios, demonstrated competency assessments, explicit self-reflection on what students have learned related to institutional programs such as service-learning, student ratings of their knowledge, skills, and reflections on what they have learned over the course of a specified period of time).
2. Evidence that validates student participation (e.g., Learning Management login data; discussion boards; completion of math and literacy supplemental software; virtual conferencing software participation, classroom response systems (surveys/polls/quick checks), observations of fieldwork, internship performance, service learning, or clinical experiences, feedback from computer-simulated tasks, Social/Emotional Learning tools, number of student hours spent at intellectual or cultural activities related to a course).
3. Evidence that validates student communication (e.g., emails from students or other electronic messages, student surveys, conversations by phone, feedback exchanges via LMS, assignment pick up/drop-off).
4. Duration/Frequency minimums for student participation (e.g., minimum student login or teacher contact requirement; minimum hourly requirement, per day or week, when students are engaged in course work; required periodic contact with a licensed educator). 

C. Continued Enrollment Status-Learner validated attendance will be determined weekly on the last school day of the week. A student will be marked present if it is determined they have sufficiently engaged in coursework as outlined in B above. A student will be marked absent, if it is determined they have not engaged in coursework as outlined in B above for the week in question.

D. Truancy, Absenteeism, and Parent Notification-A student will be considered in good standing if they have no unverified absences. Any unverified absence will be subject to Cache County School District Policy and online enrollment administrator. The online enrollment administrator shall make reasonable efforts to resolve the school attendance problems of its students. To the extent deemed reasonably feasible by the Board or its designee in individual cases, such reasonable efforts may include the following: 

1. Counseling of the student by school authorities;
2. Issuing a Notice of Truancy;
3. Adjusting the curriculum and schedule if determined necessary to meet special needs of the student;
4. Considering alternatives proposed by the parent or legal guardian;
5. Monitoring school attendance of the student;
6. Voluntarily participating in truancy mediation, if available;
7. Providing the student’s parent or legal guardian, upon request, a list of resources available to assist the parent or legal guardian in resolving the student’s attendance problems; and
8. Enlisting the assistance of community and law enforcement agencies as appropriate to the extent permitted under Utah Code § 53G-8-211. 

E. Amending Student Membership-In accordance with R277-419-5 any student that has had no contact or participation for ten (10) consecutive days in the learner validated program and who is unresponsive to any of the attempts outlined in D above to engage in the Learner Validated Program shall be removed from the Cache County School District membership role. 

Legal References:

Utah Administrative Code R277-419;

Utah Code Ann. § 53G-8-211;

Utah Code Ann. § 53F-5- 501

Synopsis:

Approved by the Board of Education: June 17, 2021

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