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Everyone knows you can’t win
the lottery if you don’t buy a ticket. Or as they say, "You’ve got to
be in it to win it."
Well, the same philosophy applies
to passing Regents exams. In this case, the "ticket" to success for
many students is simply coming to school on a regular basis.
Indeed, a recent study by one large
district showed that students who attended school 93% of the time or better
scored 85 to 100 on their exams. Students with a 91% attendance rate scored
65-84, and students with attendance of 85% or less scored 0-54.
Teachers will tell you that
learning happens when you engage students with ideas, allow them to interact
intellectually with other students, and provide them with support and direction.
This is not something that can occur in a make-up class or when the student is
at home alone.
The state is weighing in
Good attendance is proving to be so
critical that the New York State Board of Regents has established stricter
school attendance guidelines.
In light of national statistics
(showing that 10-19% of school children are absent without excuse on any given
day), state officials now require secondary schools to take attendance not just
at the beginning of the day but on a period-by-period basis and report it to the
state.
The state has also required
districts to set up firm attendance policies. While not dictating the content of
these policies, the state is encouraging schools to look at factoring attendance
into student grades and establishing minimum attendance requirements as a
condition of course credit. (Click
here for details on Mohonasen's attendance policy.)
What parents can do?
There are many reasons why a high
school student might "skip" school or "cut" a class, even
when penalties are attached. It might be personal, such as a failed relationship
with another student or a fear of being bullied. Or it might be academic, such
as a conflict with a teacher or a fear of failing a test. Whatever it is,
parents are encouraged to ask the principal or a guidance counselor for help.
The one thing parents can be sure of is that teachers and administrators share
their desire to make sure the student is in school.
In some cases, parents themselves
will sanction an illegal absence – e.g., to take a family vacation or to care
for a sibling. There are also times when parents allow their child to "take
a day off" on the belief that an absence here and there won’t hurt.
But even the occasional
class-cutter runs the risk of missing that one critical class that will make a
difference in his/her grades. And once a student starts to fall behind, it
becomes easier to miss more classes, producing a pattern that’s detrimental to
success.
Educators stress that good
attendance not only brings better test scores. It also leads to better learning
every day!
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permission to reprint this article, please contact the
Capital Region BOCES Communications Service at (518)
464-3960.
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