Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, June 22, 1990 TAG: 9006220358
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-8 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: By Associated Press
DATELINE: FAIRFAX LENGTH: Medium
Under the system in place at West Potomac and Edison high schools, students are failed after more than five absences and parents are not allowed to excuse any of them. Students can make up absences on Saturdays and appeals are granted for extenuating circumstances, such as long-term illnesses confirmed by a doctor.
Under the policy that remains in effect at the county's 21 other high schools, students with more than three unexcused absences during a 45-day grading period are failed. An unlimited number of excused absences are allowed.
The West Potomac and Edison policy was enacted for the spring semester that ended last week.
Before the new policy, one out of every 10 students was not in class on any given day at Edison and West Potomac, somewhat worse than the county average of 7 percent.
"That impacts on test scores, that impacts on grades, that impacts on retention, that impacts on a lot of things," West Potomac Principal Stephen P. Wareham said.
According to attendance figures, the new policy had its greatest success at the beginning. In February, attendance at West Potomac was at 94 percent, compared with 90 percent the year before, meaning 60 more students were in school each day. But by the end of the semester, as many failing students simply gave up, and attendance dropped to last year's level.
While in the past some students got away with missing as many as 25 days of the 45-day quarter, teachers said those same students missed only three to five days last semester and often earned better grades. At Edison, the number of students who failed because of absences dropped from 80 in the second quarter to 24 in the third quarter, when the policy took effect, said Principal Robert F. Clark.
"It eliminated a lot of the frivolous absences, [such as] `I'm going over to the mall and buy new clothes instead of going to school,' " said Roger Bolland, chairman of the science department at West Potomac.
But while teachers gush, some students say the policy is unfair.
With no excuses allowed for minor illnesses such as the flu, students say they went to school even if they should have stayed in bed to recover. "There are all these kids who come to school sick now and everybody walks around like zombies," said Allison Escherich, who graduated from West Potomac last week.
Students who remained healthy sometimes looked at the five permitted absences as a license to skip school. Some even wrote schedules of planned absences.
by CNB