Class Attendance is a CMS widget where a teacher takes attendance for the selected class from the teacher portal. It lists the students in the class for the chosen date, and the teacher picks an attendance type for each student and clicks Save. Depending on its settings, the widget records daily or period attendance, discipline points, an explanation and a lunch choice, and shows each student's check-in and check-out times for the day.
Setting up the widget requires an account with permission to edit CMS pages. Teachers can only choose attendance types that are teacher selectable for the class's division in Admin > Maintenance > Attendance Setup. See Attendance Type.
Adding the widget to the teacher portal
- Open the teacher portal page that teachers use to take attendance. The page needs a class selector, such as the MP & Class Selector widget (Add Widget, then Course, then MP & Class Selector), because Class Attendance shows the class selected there.
- Click Add Widget, then Course, then Class Attendance.
- In its Properties, set Show Attendance Type, Show For Divisions and Student Link, then choose the columns teachers see in Columns.
- Save the widget.
Taking attendance
- Choose the class in the class selector.
- Pick the date. The widget opens on today. When Show Attendance Type is Period Single Block, also pick the block.
- Choose an attendance type for each student, and fill in Points or Explanation where those columns are shown.
- Click Save. The page then shows "Attendance is marked as taken." for that date and block.
The totals under the list count the students in each attendance type. An asterisk next to a student's name means the student has a health alert. Clicking a student's name opens the page set in Student Link for that student.
Check-in and check-out times
The Check-in Time, Check-out Time and Check-out Comment columns show the student's most recent check-in or check-out on the selected date, whether it was recorded at a check-in kiosk or in Campus. When Program Type is set, only check-ins for that program appear. When Program Type is blank, check-ins from every program appear. The three columns are hidden by default, so turn them on in Columns. See CMS Widget - Check In / Check Out.
The widget can also check students in when the teacher saves attendance. With Check In Automatically set to Yes and a Program Type selected, Save checks in each student marked with a type whose historical meaning is Present, Late Excused or Late Unexcused, unless the student is already checked in. The check-in time is the start of the class meeting that day.
Important fields
Show Attendance Type: Daily records daily attendance for the class. Period records period attendance for every block the class meets on the date. Period Single Block adds a block list, and records period attendance for the selected block only.
Show For Divisions: The divisions whose classes show the widget. When the selected class belongs to a division that is not selected, the widget is hidden. Leave it blank to show the widget for every division.
Homeroom Only: Select it to show the attendance list only for homeroom classes.
Change Attendance After X Days: How many days before or after today a teacher can still change attendance. At 0, teachers can change today's attendance only. For dates outside the range, the list is read-only and Save does not appear.
Overwrite Access Type: Access Restricted To Modifier lets a teacher change a student's attendance only when no one has recorded it yet or the teacher recorded it, so a teacher cannot overwrite an entry made by the attendance office. Full Access lets a user with the Faculty Full role change any record whose attendance type is teacher selectable.
Use Radio Buttons: Select it to show the attendance types as radio buttons. When cleared, each student has a drop-down list.
Teacher Can Specify Points: Select it to let the teacher type the discipline points for each student. When cleared, the points come from the default points of the attendance type chosen.
Period Attendance1 Block Only: Select it to record period attendance for one block only. When the class meets more than once on the date, the record is saved for the first meeting of the day, or for the selected block when Show Attendance Type is Period Single Block.
Auto Mark Daily Period Attendance: Select it to record the matching attendance at the other level as well. Daily attendance saved here also marks the student's period attendance for the day, and period attendance saved here also marks the student's daily attendance.
Student Link: The page that opens when the teacher clicks a student's name, usually the student profile page.
Columns: Chooses the columns the list shows and their headings: Student, Last Name, First Name, Preferred or First Name, D/B, Grade Level, Lunch Choices, Attendance Type, Points, Explanation, Check-in Time, Check-out Time and Check-out Comment. Teachers record lunch choices only while the Lunch Choices column is shown. See Specifying Lunch Choice (CMS).
Email: The email template sent for each student whose attendance changes when the teacher clicks Save.
Restrict Emails To: The attendance types that send the Email. Use only selected values sends it for the chosen types, for example Absent Unexcused. Use all but selected values sends it for every type except the chosen ones.
Program Type: The check-in program the widget reads and writes, for example Morning Care. Leave it blank to show check-ins from every program in the check-in columns. Check In Automatically requires a Program Type.
Check In Out Type: The check-in type recorded on check-ins the widget creates.
Check In Automatically: Set it to Yes to check students in when the teacher saves attendance. It is No by default.
Allow Override Check In Time: Set it to Yes to show a time box in the Check-in Time column for each student who is not checked in yet, so the teacher can change the check-in time before saving. It works with Check In Automatically set to Yes and the Check-in Time column shown.
Note: The widget shows nothing until a class is selected, and nothing for a date on which the class has no students scheduled.