2012 – 2013 Student Attendance Accounting Handbook ( SAAH )

1. 2012–2013 Student Attendance Accounting Handbook (SAAH) August 23, 2012

2. Goals Understand SAAH's purpose Understand basic attendance accounting rules Learn what's new in this year's SAAH (*asterisks indicate new information)

3. SAAH Background • The SAAH: • describes the attendance accounting rules school districts and charter schools must follow to generate state funding • has the force of law; it is adopted by reference in the Texas Administrative Code (TAC) • is published yearly to include changes in statute and in other TAC rules

4. WebLocation Available on TEA's Student Attendance Accounting Handbook web page:

5. Web Location

6. Overview Section 1

7. Section 1: Overview Explains how attendance relates to funding Emphasizes that there is a difference between serving a student and receiving funding Explains how to use the handbook

8. Section 1: Overview • *Some reorganization of section this year • 1.2: *Original documentation must be created at time of attendance it supports • 1.6: Tells how to use handbook. *See note on links and cross-references • CTRL + click to go to cross-referenced section • ALT + left arrow key () to go back • 1.7: Table of major changes from last publication

9. Audit Requirements Section 2

10. General Audit Requirements • 2.1 • Attendance records must be provided within 20 working daysof written request by TEA • Failure to provide records *will* result in TEA’s keeping 100% of Foundation School Program (FSP) funding for the undocumented attendance • *Undocumented attendance = missing or so inadequate that reasonable person could not conclude from it that attendance occurred • Attendance records, including electronic records, must be kept for 5 years

11. Accounting System Requirements • 2.2 • Attendance accounting systems: • may be paper-based, partially automated/electronic, or “paperless” • must use Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) coding • must be able to reproduce required documentation on request for audit purposes • District or charter school must: • keep procedures manual for the system (2.2.5) • ensure new software or system updates allow access to previous years' data

12. “Paperless” Attendance Accounting Systems • 2.2.3 • "Paperless" systems must: • produce specified reports • use secure passwords for teachers • log dates, times, and user identities • time out after inactivity • allow for confirmation of 100% attendance • Paperless system may still require retention of some paper documents

13. Audit Requirements: Record Recovery • 2.2.4 • Record recovery in case of disaster • Have disaster recovery plan in place • Example plan: Keep backup records at several locations within district or at off-site storage facility

14. Required Documentation • 2.3 • Student Detail Reports • Campus Summary Reports • District Summary Reports

15. Other Required Documentation • 2.3.5 • Grade books • Period absence reports (if used), *signed and dated within 1 week of the attendance* • Documentation for excused absences • Student schedules • Official school calendar and approved waivers • Updated/corrected copies of reports • Any special program documentation • Meanings of any locally defined attendance codes

16. General Attendance Requirements Section 3

17. Responsibility • 3.1 • Superintendent: Accuracy and safekeeping of all attendance records • Principal: Accuracy of Campus Summary Reports • Teacher: Accuracy of absence data (s)he records • Attendance personnel: Accuracy of information submitted (to best of his or her knowledge)

18. Responsibility • 3.1 (Continued) • Attendance personnel should not determine a student's coding information • Special program staff, directors, and/or teachers make coding determinations • Special program staff are responsible for accuracy of special program data

19. Average Daily Attendance (ADA) Eligibility Codes • 3.2.1 • 0 - Enrolled, Not in Membership • 1 - Eligible for Full-Day Attendance • 2 - Eligible for Half-Day Attendance • 3 - Eligible Transfer Student Full-Day • 4 - Ineligible Full-Day • 5 - Ineligible Half-Day • 6 - Eligible Transfer Student Half-Day • 7 - Eligible - Alternative Attendance Program • 8 - Ineligible - Alternative Attendance Program

20. Funding Eligibility • 3.2.2 • 2-through-4-hour rule • Scheduled for and served for at least 2 hours for half-day eligibility • Scheduled for and served for at least 4 hours for full-day eligibility

21. Funding Eligibility • 3.2.2 (Continued) • Must be instructional hours • Study hall does not count as instruction • Sign-in does not count as instruction • Repeated courses not eligible for funding (Example: Student takes Algebra I and gets grade of C, retakes Algebra I to earn higher grade)

22. Additional Situations Eligible for Funding • 3.2.2.3: Self-paced courses if: • certified teacher present and • regularly scheduled (not “drop in”) • *3.2.2.4: On-campus online courses not provided through Texas Virtual School Network if: • certified teacher present and • regularly scheduled (not “drop in”)

23. Additional Situations Eligible for Funding • 3.2.2.5: Study program to pass required state assessment to graduate if student: • met all graduation requirements except passing assessment(s) • meets 2-through-4-hour rule requirements

24. Age Eligibility: Eligible • 3.2.3 • At least 5 years old on September 1 but less than 21 • At least 21 years old but less than 26 and admitted to complete diploma requirements • At least 3 years old, has a disability, and meets special ed. eligibility requirements

25. Age Eligibility: Eligible • 3.2.3 (Continued) • 21 years old on September 1 and receiving special ed. services (eligible for services through end of school year or graduation) • Has a disability, has graduated under 19 TAC §89.1070(b)(3), and still has need for special ed. services (may be served through age 21) • Eligible for PK and meets PK age requirements by September 1 of school year (half-day funding)

26. Enrollment • 3.3 • Residency verification • Examples of documentation • Utility bills • Lease information • These are indicators, but their absence is not conclusive that a student is not a resident

27. Enrollment • 3.3 • Examples of identity and age documentation: • Birth certificate • Driver’s license • School ID, records, or report card • Military ID • Hospital birth record • Adoption records • Church baptismal records OR • Any other legal document that can establish identity • You may not ask about citizenship or immigration status

28. Enrollment • 3.3.1 • Student enrolled under name different from documentation • Notify Missing Children and Missing Persons Information Clearinghouse • Failure to receive student records in 30 days • Notify municipal police or sheriff’s department to determine whether student missing

29. Enrollment: “Auditing” Classes 3.3.2.1 • A school district or open-enrollment charter school may not permit a student to "audit" classes at the district or school without being enrolled in the district or school

30. Enrollment: Residency • 3.3.3 and 3.3.4 3.3.3: A students is entitled to enroll in his or her district of residence. Residency requirements that apply to districts also apply to charter schools for purposes of deciding whether a student resides in a charter school's designated geographic boundaries 3.3.4: Homeless students may enroll in any district; proof of residency not required

31. Enrollment: Immunizations • 3.3.5 • Department of State Health Services website provides immunization requirements: http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/immunize/school/default.shtm#requirements • In general, student enrolling must be immunized or have begun required immunizations • Admission for 30 days pending documentation or initiation of vaccinations • Homeless students • Military dependents

32. Enrollment: *Students With GED Certificates • 3.3.7 • *A student who has a GED certificate or who has been court ordered to obtain one is still eligible to enroll in your district to complete requirements for a high school diploma if the student chooses • *Your district may not deny enrollment

33. Withdrawal • 3.4 • 18 years old or older, with 5+ absences(will count as a dropout) • Student’s whereabouts unknown (local policy sets number of days absent) • Not for temporary absences

34. Sending Records Through Texas Records Exchange (TREx) System • 3.3 and 3.4.4 • If student previously enrolled in another district, your school district or charter school must request the student's records through TREx • Sending district has 10 working days to comply • Working days do not include days that the campus or district administrative offices are closed • See TREx Data Standards

35. Compulsory Attendance • 3.5 • PK and kindergarten, if enrolled • Age 6 (or younger, if previously enrolled in first grade) through age 18 • Age 18 or older, if voluntarily enrolled • Changes to truancy statutes last legislative session

36. General Attendance-Taking Rules • 3.6 Students who are on campus and in classroom at attendance time must have attendance taken by the classroom teacher “Signing in” not acceptable Each teacher recording attendance must certify that attendance records are correct *by signing and dating the attendance record within 1 week of the attendance recorded* *Signing/dating hard copy of attendance record is not necessary if automated attendance system can track ID of those entering information and date/time of data entered (i.e., meets reqs. in 2.2.3)

37. Official Attendance-Taking Time • 3.6.2 • 2nd or 5th period • Or alternate time (if board policy allows *or if superintendent procedures allow after board designates authority to superintendent*) • Selected time may vary from campus to campus • Once time selected, cannot be changed during year • 3.6.2.2: Campus may adopt alt. time for particular group of students (e.g., dual credit students)

38. Alternate Time Policy/Procedures 3.6.2 • Board policy *or superintendent procedures* may: • allow for each campus to choose an alternate attendance-taking time for campus as whole, • allow for each campus to choose an alternate attendance-taking time for certain groups of students as described in 3.6.2.2, or • allow for both

39. Alternate Attendance Times for Certain Groups 3.6.2.2 • With board policy/*superintendent procedures*, campuses may choose alternate time for group of students scheduled to be off campus during regular time (e.g., certain career and tech. ed. students) • Alternate time in effect for the period of days or weeks for which the group is scheduled to be off campus during regular time • Alternate attendance-taking time for a particular group may not be changed

40. Absences Excused for Funding Purposes • 3.6.3 • Dual credit (students not scheduled to be on campus at all) • Full-time Texas Virtual School Network (students not scheduled to be on campus at all) • Board-approved activity with adjunct staff member • *Board-approved short-term class provided by Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired or Texas School for the Deaf*

41. Absences Excused for Funding Purposes • 3.6.3 • Mentorship for Distinguished Achievement Program • *Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment program participation* • Religious holy days (+ travel) • Taps at military funeral • Required court appearance (+ travel)

42. Absences Excused for Funding Purposes • 3.6.3 • Election clerk (+ travel) • Appearing at government office to complete paperwork for student’sUS citizenship application (+ travel) • *Student’s own* naturalization ceremony (+ travel) • Health care appointments (including for autism) • Visiting a university or college (juniors and seniors, 2 days/year)

43. Absences Excused for Funding Purposes • 3.6.3 • District must have board policy *or superintendent-established procedures* addressing parental consent for a student to leave campus • *District must distribute policy or procedures to staff and parents

44. Early Graduation/Graduation Ceremonies • 3.6.3.1 • Early graduation: If student has met graduation requirements, no longer eligible to generate ADA • Early graduation ceremony: 2-through-4-hour rule or alternative attendance program rules apply for school days after ceremony • No "signing in"

45. Absences Excused for Compulsory Attendance (Not Funding) Purposes 3.6.4 • Superintendent, principal, or teacher may excuse temporary absence for any reason acceptable to him or her • However, absence excused for compulsory attendance purposes only • Student may not be counted in attendance for funding purposes(unless meets requirements in 3.6.3) • Student must make up academic time lost to maintain 90 percent attendance

46. Attendance Accounting During Testing Days 3.6.6 • If standardized achievement tests or final exams are administered during attendance-taking period, take attendance just before, during, or just after exam • *Exemption from taking finals is not an exemption from 2-through-4-hour rule • *A student must either be provided appropriate number of hours of instruction or be counted absent

47. Saturday School/Tardies • 3.6.5 and 3.6.8 • Instruction outside regular school day • Saturday school attendance to make up absences for academic credit may not be counted for funding purposes • "Tardies" • Tardies do not exist for state funding purposes

48. General Education Homebound (GEH) • 3.7 • Eligibility criteria • Expected to be confined at home or hospital 4 weeks (need not be consecutive) • Confined for medical reasons only • Medical condition documented by licensed physician

49. GEH • 3.7 • District must have board-approved GEH policy • GEH committee • Campus administrator • Student's teacher • Student's parent/guardian • 3.7.2.1: GEH documentation • 3.7.4: *Time on campus taking required state tests cannot count for hours of GEH service for eligible days present*

50. GEH Funding • 3.7.3 GEH Funding Chart