This article is reprinted with permission from West Brunswick High School West Wind
A new school year has begun, and with this new year have come several new policies. Most importantly, a policy regarding the maximum number of absences to qualify for an exam exemption has been put into place. This new approach to exemption has caused quite a discussion, as it’s made the reward more difficult to achieve. Intended to improve student attendance, the implementation of this policy has received mixed feedback among students and teachers.
Chronic absenteeism is classified as missing at least 10% of days in an academic year. Missing this amount or more of school has shown a great relation to a decrease in academic performance. In efforts to support this prominent issue, the myFutureNC Commission has made a statewide goal to decrease chronic absenteeism from the most recently recorded percentage of 25% to 11% by 2030. Though trying to quickly implement effective policies isn’t the easiest thing to do, teachers have high hopes for this new policy.
“At my previous school, we had a similar rule,” said teacher and coach Olivia Scott, “I think as long as there is fidelity and we hold students accountable, it will motivate them to go to school.”
Motivation is a key factor in both attendance and academic success. While student motivation has seen a general decrease since the pandemic, schools are found searching for incentives to help recreate the spark for learning that was once there. With exam exemption already being a great reward for students, administrators have just slightly changed the requirements of this benefit to increase motivation. Several students report that this update in the policy has positively influenced them and that the policy serves as a great motive.
“I already strive not to miss days, but I definitely think about the policy whenever I think about missing school,” said junior Janie Tucker, “Now I have to use my absences wisely.”
Though the time for exams is still a while away, students are already keeping their restrictions in mind. With fewer days to miss, now is the time for students to use their absences most efficiently. Reasons for student absences can vary, but the most popular causes are problems related to both mental and physical health, transportation, and food insecurity. It’s the acknowledgment of both excused and unexcused absences that students seem to have a problem with most. Though this rule still applied to the latest version of the policy, it was a different case when the number of absences could be far greater. Many academically successful students worry that this puts them at an unfair disadvantage as they already try to keep their absences to a minimum.
“I understand trying to get better attendance from the students, but I think that it doesn’t take into account things that naturally happen in life, like with sickness and family,” said junior Finn Gorritz, “A straight-A student shouldn’t be harmed because they got sick.”
Other students echoed similar concerns.
“Coming to school is not the issue for me–I enjoy being here,” says sophomore Drayton Swartzmiller, “There are just some things I can’t stop from happening all because I have school.”
While it may be hard for students to adjust to these new rules, it’s important to keep in mind that they’re meant to benefit students, not harm them. Principal Scott Dalton shares that the key element of this process is to have students “exposed to instruction.”
“If you miss too many days, whether excused or excused, you have missed a lot of instruction,” said Dalton, “So yes, you will need to take the exam to prove that you have mastered the content.”
The idea of the attendance and exemption policy is not to take away from any reward, but to prioritize education. Students who miss a great amount of instructional time need to ensure that they’re prepared for their next classes. While an exam may seem stressful, it’s a measure of academic ability and understanding. This policy is simply encouraging students to maximize their instruction time, which will improve their chances of passing the exam and continuing with their academic career.
“Now that we have an attendance policy, hopefully that will help,” said Dalton, “I don’t want to see any kid not be successful here, because I know what the value of the piece of paper that I’m going to hand some of you in June is to your future.”
