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SIS 2000+ Excessive Absence Report Detailed Instructions Last update: 04/15/2001 jmm

This attendance report provides administrators with a list of students with a defined range of number of absences within a defined date range. The report is commonly used to spot students with excessive absences but can also be used to query students with low absence rates. A second, narrower date range may be defined to further qualify records from within the first range. The range of the number of absences to check for is specified as well as specific absence codes to report. One line is produced for each student for each class (course section) which qualifies for all the defined parameters. The report is further customizable through the application of select queries that act as data filters. A mail merge option in the print dialog will allow the merging of data from this report into a form letter (See Step 5).
 

1. Open the report
From the Attendance Menu, click on the Reports icon button. Select the report's title from the list menu that appears. See General Reporting Procedures, Step 1 for more information on finding and opening a report.

Fig. 1 - opening screen, default Options
 

2. Define Parameters
The opening screen of this report (Fig. 1) contains three information screens: 'Options', 'Select', and 'Sort'. Click on each tab to view and define various parameters for the report, or continue to the Step 3, "Print Preview" for viewing and/or printing the reports using the default parameters.

2.1 Choose Options
Click on the 'Options' tab (Fig. 2). Choose options as follows:

Fig. 2 - sample, user-defined options
 
• Title -

The default title for this report is "Excessive Absence Report". This field may be edited by the user.
• Report # absences >= -

Define the number of absences to check for by entering a range of numbers. Start in this field by entering a number that will define the beginning of the range.
• and <= -

Enter a number representing the end of the range for number of absences. If this field is blank, any number of absences will be reported that are greater than or equal to the value in the beginning range field.
• Count absences from -

Define a date range for which absences will be checked. Start in this field by entering the beginning date of the range. Use the drop-down calendar activated by the field button.
• to -

Enter the ending date for the date range for which absences will be checked.
• Only print if any absences from -

Enter the beginning date of a qualifying date range to select records from the first date range. Only students who have one or more absences within this qualifying range will be printed. A typical application of this range would be weekly monitoring of students who have had excessive absences in the past.
• to -

Enter the ending date for the qualifying date range.
• Count all sections as one class -

Put a check mark in this box to consolidate into one entry absence records from all sections of the same course.
• Select Attendance Codes -

"All" attendance codes defined for the district will be checked when searching for absences. However, a specific absence code or set of absence codes may be defined as search criteria by excluding the others. To do this, click on the Select Attendance Codes command button. A selection screen appears with two list windows: 'Not Selected' on the left and 'Selected' on the right (Fig. 3).


Fig. 3
 
In the 'Selected' list on the right, select an absence code that is not to be used by clicking on the entry until it is highlighted in gray (use the vertical scroll bar to view the entire list, if necessary). Then move it to the 'Not Selected' list by clicking on the single left arrow button. Repeat this process until only the codes to be used in the excessive absence calculations remain in the 'Selected' list on the right (Fig. 4).


Fig. 4
 
(An entry may be moved back to the 'Selected ' list by using the single right arrow button. All selections may be moved in either direction by using the double arrow buttons.) Click on the Done command button to return to the 'Options' screen, or Cancel to abort. The absence codes remaining in the 'Selected' column will now appear in the Attendance Codes field at the bottom of the screen (use the vertical scroll bar to view the entire list, if necessary). Only absences with these codes will be checked.
 
 



Click on the Reset command button to restore all Options to their default selections (Fig. 1).
 

2.2 Apply Select queries
SIS 2000+ reports can be instructed to print specific sets of records through the application of queries. A query is essentially a data filter. By defining criteria (parameters) for selected data fields, specific records can be retrieved. Click on the 'Select' tab. A list of data fields is displayed (Fig. 5). These are the data fields that will available for querying. The default criteria is "All" for each data field (with the exception of Enrollment). To apply a select query to any data field, continue with Step 2.2.1. If no queries are needed, continue to the sorting procedure in Step 2.3.


Fig. 5
 

2.2.1 Select data fields and apply queries
Select a data field in the list until it is highlighted in gray (Fig. 5). Then click on the Edit command button. A criteria selection screen will open that is specifically designed for the selected data field. The sample in Fig. 6 shows the criteria selection screen for the Grade data field with the 'Tenth' grade selected for reporting.


Fig. 6 - sample criteria selection screen, Query Type 1

There are several possible types of queries, depending on the data field selected. Instructions on how to select and apply each type of query are found in the document titled General Reporting Procedures (B).
 

• Enrollment = Query Type 2. Select one category from five possible choices: 'Active Students' (default), 'This Year's Students', 'Future Students', 'Inactive Students', or 'All Students'.
• Student = Query Type 3. A specific student or set of specific students may be selected. If none are selected, then "All" will be reported.
• Last Name = Query Type 4. A contiguous alphabetical range of students can be selected for reporting based on their last names. If no range is defined, then "All" will be reported.
• Ethnicity = Query Type 1. A specific ethnicity or set of ethnicities may be selected. If none are selected, then "All" will be reported.
• Gender = Query Type 1. A specific gender code or set of gender codes may be selected for reporting. If no gender code is selected, then 'Male', 'Female', 'Unknown', and '< unset >' will be reported.
• Grade = Query Type 1. A specific grade level or set of grade levels may be selected. If none are selected, then "All" will be reported.
• Group = Query Type 1. A specific student group or set of student groups may be selected. If none are selected, then "All" will be reported. Student groups are pre-defined in the Group Editor program.
• Track = Query Type 1. A specific track or set of tracks defined for the school site may be selected. If none are selected, then "All" will be reported.
 

Apply queries as needed for each of the above data fields.
 

Note on Query results:  Use caution when making multiple queries across data fields. Only records that satisfy all queries will be reported. Some queries may be mutually exclusive causing the report to yield no records. In this type of situation there will be no pages to preview or print for the body of the report. This status will be indicated by the following error message appearing at the bottom of the cover sheet:  ***** NO RECORDS SELECTED FOR REPORT *****

 

2.2.2 Review selected parameters
After parameters are set and queries applied as needed, the view will return to the 'Select' screen. Each data field in the list will display a code after its name signifying the parameters currently applied (Fig. 7). Review the parameters. If all are satisfactory, continue to the sorting procedure in Step 2.3. If editing is required, repeat Step 2.2.1.

In the sample below, 10th grade female students from track 0195 have been selected for reporting.


Fig. 7- sample review
 



To restore a field's parameters to its default selection, highlight the field name in the 'Select' screen and click on the Reset command button.
 

2.3 Define the Sort order
Click on the 'Sort' tab. The 'Sort' screen (Fig. 8) displays the data fields used for sorting the records in the report. In this report the default sorting order is:
 
Name (student's last name) = primary sort field

 
Fig. 8 - default sorting order

Sort Commands:
 

• Additional sorting fields may be added via the Add command button.
• A sorting field may be deleted by first selecting it in the list and then clicking on the Delete command button.
• The default sorting order may be changed by shifting the position of a field in the list by dragging the mover bar  with the mouse.
• The direction of a sort field (ascending or descending) may be edited by selecting the sort field from the list and using the Edit command (Fig. 9).


Fig. 9 - the sorting direction of the Grade field is being changed from Ascending to descending
 

In the example below (Fig. 10) the Grade field was added to the end of the list and then moved to the top of the list using the mover bar, thus becoming the primary sort field. This action caused the Name field to be shifted down to the position of secondary sort field. The sorting direction of the Grade field was then changed from its default Ascending to Descending.


Fig. 10 - sample customized sort order

For further instructions on defining the sort order of a report see General Reporting Procedures, Steps 2.3-2.3.4

2.4 Resetting global defaults



Global default parameters for all the screens can be reset by clicking on the Reset All command button at the bottom of the main screen.

 

The customized or default report can be previewed at any time before actual printing by clicking on the Preview command button. An option to print the report (see Step 4) is available when the Preview is exited.

For further instructions on previewing reports, see General Reporting Procedures, Step 3
 

4. Print the report to a printer

Click on the Print command button. In the 'Report Destination' dialog box that appears (Fig. 11), put a check mark in the Printer check box. Check the Cover Page box if a cover page is needed for the report. The 'Report Destination ' dialog will also appear whenever a Preview is exited.

For further instructions on printing reports and cover pages, see General Reporting Procedures, Step 4.

Fig. 11
 

Note:
Record retrieval time may take several minutes before the report is ready to be previewed or printed. A screen gauge will indicate the progress of the query (Fig. 12). Press Esc to cancel the operation.


Fig. 12
 
 

Fig. 13 - sample form letter

The letters are predefined in the Letters & Labels Editor (also called Document Editor). For instructions on creating form letters and other mail merge documents, see Document Editor, Sec. 3, "Create Form Letters and Account Letters".
 

5.1 Activate print dialog
Make all of the desired reporting options, queries, and sorts as you normally would when running this report. Then open the 'Report Destination' dialog (Fig. 14) by clicking on the Print command button.

Fig. 14
 

5.2 Select Mail Merge option
Put a check mark in the Mail Merge box (Fig. 14).

5.3 Continue or Edit Mail Merge

Use this command when the form letter you want to use has already been defined in the Letters & Labels Editor. Click on the Continue command button to see a list of predefined form letters (Fig. 15).


Fig. 15

Make a selection in the Document list and then click on the Print command. The form letters will begin printing. (The document selected can be previewed and/or edited before printing by executing the Display and Edit commands.)
 



If you need to create a new form letter from scratch or edit an existing letter before completing this printing session, no not click on the Continue button just yet. Instead, click on the Edit Mail Merge command to open the Letters & Labels Editor (Fig. 16).


Fig. 16 -read only mode

After the new letter is added or existing letters are edited, quit the Editor to return to the 'Report Destination' dialog (Fig. 14). Then click on Continue to resume the printing session. The new form letter just created will appear in the Document selection list (Fig. 16). Make a selection in the Document list and then click on the Print command. The form letters will begin printing. (The document selected can be previewed and/or edited before printing by executing the Display and Edit commands.)

6. Exit report

Click on the Quit command button to exit the report screen at any time.
 

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