Unexcused absence

[Anonymous]

The principal of my elementary school just made a big deal about my son's one day non medical absence. It said that it is an unexcused absence. What impact does it have on my son's report card?

[Anonymous]

For an unexcused absence it means they don't have to let your child make up missed tests/work, although in practice they usually do. In ES, it won't matter. In MS or HS it could matter.

[Anonymous]

Thanks. I am getting a spanking from the principal because my son will miss the standard test. She claims that a special ed teacher would have dismiss all lesson plans with the entire school to just serve us to administer several hour test. Don't I just love how administrator email spank the parents. Then they wonder why parents in upper grades do not participate school events.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks. I am getting a spanking from the principal because my son will miss the standard test. She claims that a special ed teacher would have dismiss all lesson plans with the entire school to just serve us to administer several hour test. Don't I just love how administrator email spank the parents. Then they wonder why parents in upper grades do not participate school events.

let me get this straight....
1. Your child had an unexcused absence on standardized test day
2. Now your child needs to sit for the test
3. You think that it is no big deal that other children are now not taught for the day b/c your child's exam needs to be proctered?

Where were you? Disney?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks. I am getting a spanking from the principal because my son will miss the standard test. She claims that a special ed teacher would have dismiss all lesson plans with the entire school to just serve us to administer several hour test. Don't I just love how administrator email spank the parents. Then they wonder why parents in upper grades do not participate school events.

let me get this straight....
1. Your child had an unexcused absence on standardized test day
2. Now your child needs to sit for the test
3. You think that it is no big deal that other children are now not taught for the day b/c your child's exam needs to be proctered?

Where were you? Disney?

Agree. I'm not one to say no unexcused absences, but you are irresponsible and your decision is impacting the services owed to many other kids.

[Anonymous]

Actually at our high school parents are very involved and the kids show up for school, for tests, for APs, etc.

OP I hate to say it but you are an entitled jerk.

[Anonymous]

OP - you have got to have some sort of serious "once in a lifetime" sort of thing going on to miss standardized test for a non-medical reason. Your principal is right - the school must make accommodations for your child that seriously impact other students.

So, what is this majorly important event?

[Anonymous]

get over it. who cares?

[Anonymous]

Why does the principal say it has to be the special ed teacher that administers the test?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The principal of my elementary school just made a big deal about my son's one day non medical absence. It said that it is an unexcused absence. What impact does it have on my son's report card?

You FAIL as a parent. I bet you lie about your sick days at work.

[Anonymous]

Yea OP - you kinda blew this one.

The standardized test is kind of a big deal and I understand the principal's frustration.

Around MSA time, DS' school sends a pamphlet home and leaves a robo-call message. #1 on both is "Please make sure your child is at school that day." They then go on to say that if your child is absent that special accomodations have to be made for your child to take the test and it is disruptive to your child, the teachers and the other children.

So....probably not an issue that you publicly want to vent over.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why does the principal say it has to be the special ed teacher that administers the test?

Why not have the child's teacher administer the test and ask the rest of the class to work qiutely at their desks while the other child does the testing.

[Anonymous]

PP, your suggestion would never work. Standardized testing is done when the class is SILENT, not off doing "small group" work or "independent" work, both of which often get noisy.

OP would then complain that her child was penalized that he was not afforded the same accommodations as the rest of the children in the grade due to noise level, which then interfered with her child's level of concentration.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why does the principal say it has to be the special ed teacher that administers the test?

Why not have the child's teacher administer the test and ask the rest of the class to work qiutely at their desks while the other child does the testing.

No dice! Ever been in the school on an MSA day? The entire envirmonment is geared towards the testing. I am thinking that the OP does not realize the importance of the standardized test. It is not like making up a classroom quiz.

How do you know that is what the teacher had planned for the class that day? So even in this case....the principal is right. Because of an UNEXCUSED absence, the teacher would have to change his/her program to accomodate OP's child and the other children in the class are impacted.

OP screwed up - plain and simple.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yea OP - you kinda blew this one.

The standardized test is kind of a big deal and I understand the principal's frustration.

Around MSA time, DS' school sends a pamphlet home and leaves a robo-call message. #1 on both is "Please make sure your child is at school that day." They then go on to say that if your child is absent that special accomodations have to be made for your child to take the test and it is disruptive to your child, the teachers and the other children.

So....probably not an issue that you publicly want to vent over.

Really, the MSA is a big deal? It is a big deal to the school, because it is how the school's performance is measured...so the schools make a huge deal about it, but it is my understanding that it really has almost no impact on the child - no impact on you're child's placements or ultimately getting into college. If you miss the test, then you miss the test. Why require a "make-up"? Especially if the make-up is going to negatively impact the rest of the children.

While the child was absent due to non-medical reasons, we don't know what those reasons are. Many are assuming a vacation, and while that may be the case, it could also have been a valid reason. I pulled my son out of ES for 2 days to travel out of town to attend my mother's (his grandmother's) funeral, and I was told that it was an unexcused absense. So, it was an "unexcused absense" - I could care less. Somethings are more important than a day of school.