Attendance Policy

Click here to download the Attendance Policy in PDF format.

LCI Attendance Policy

Rationale: Students at Language Center International are expected to attend all their classes.  Regular attendance is important for achievement and progress. Students who are often absent miss learning opportunities and active practice of English skills. They have more difficulty completing their assignments, being prepared for classes, understanding the materials taught, and improving their overall proficiency which is needed for advancement to a higher level of study.

Related Policies:

  1. Leave of Absence
  2. Make-up Work
  3. Change of Status
  4. Disciplinary Actions: Students
  5. Readmission

 

ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS

  1. Students are expected to attend all classes regularly, with a minimum of 80% attendance for each term of enrollment.
  2. Students are expected to register only for classes which they can attend regularly.
  3. Students are expected to be on time.
  4. Students should not ask instructors or administrators to excuse their attendance absences. Instructors and administrators CANNOT GIVE PERMISSION for a student to be absent or excuse absences.
  5. F-1 students who miss > 20% of full-time enrollment hours required for SEVP compliance during a term are placed on attendance probation.
  6. F-1 students who miss 80% of full-time enrollment hours required for SEVP compliance in any term are immediately dismissed.
  7. F-1 students who enroll on a reduced course load are subject to the non F-1 requirements listed in numbers 9 and 10 below.
  8. Non F-1 students who miss >20% of total enrollment hours during a term are placed on attendance probation.
  9. Non F-1 students who miss 80% of total enrollment hours in any term are immediately dismissed.

ATTENDANCE STATUS: PROVISION OF INFORMATION TO STUDENTS

  1. Students shall have real time access in Moodle to their individual attendance information for their term of enrollment.
  2. Students shall be given an attendance status progress report at the mid-point of each term of enrollment.
  3. Students shall be given probation notices in writing for each term of unsatisfactory attendance.
  4. Students shall be asked to attend a meeting with the Registrar whenever they have:
    1. three consecutive attendance probation notices
    2. eight cumulative attendance probation notices.
  5. An attendance history shall be maintained for the entire length of study for each student.
  6. Students shall be given a complete attendance and/or probation history upon request at any time.
  7.  If a student does not agree with his/her attendance record or probation history , the student may request a review of the information in question contained in his/her record(s). Students should make their requests for review within two weeks of receiving an attendance and/or probation  history.

EXCUSED ABSENCES:

The institution does not excuse absences.

MAKE-UP WORK:

Students who miss classes and who wish to fulfill their academic responsibilities for their term of enrollment must follow the institution’s Make-up Policy. Students are advised to contact their instructors and/or the Registrar who will assist them in submitting allowable make-up work by defined deadlines.

PROBATION

Prior to receiving an attendance probation notice, students are given an attendance status report at the mid-point of each term. Students who have attendance marks other than present at the mid-point of a term of enrollment should review their attendance record and improve their attendance during the remainder of the term in order to avoid attendance probation status and possible unsatisfactory academic progress .

Students who miss >20% of their total registered hours for a term (or in the case of full-time F-1 students, their SEVP required hours) will be placed on attendance probation status.

Students who miss 80% or more of their total registered hours during any term (or in the case of full-time F-1 students, their SEVP required hours) will be immediately dismissed from the school and are not allowed to enroll at LCI for one term.  Dismissal will result in the termination of an F-1 student’s visa status.

First-term F-1 students transferring out to another school who are in attendance probation status at the end of their first term will be transferred in terminated status.  F-1 students who have completed more than one term at LCI must not be on attendance probation status at the time of transfer in order to transfer in good standing.

SUSPENSION/DISMISSAL:

Attendance probation is cumulative. Students who receive nine attendance probations within thirty-six months of study shall be dismissed. Students who receive four consecutive attendance probations shall be dismissed.

Students dismissed from the school must apply for re-admission.  Re-admission of all dismissed students is reviewed in accordance with the Disciplinary Action Policy prior to re-admission.

Dismissal of an F-1 student will result in the termination of the student’s F-1 visa status. Reinstatement or departure from the United States will be required.

TRACKING ATTENDANCE

Attendance is reported electronically for each class by each instructor.  Attendance sheets are also submitted to the Registrar each week. Attendance information is recorded in each student’s record.  Every student’s attendance is tracked for each class. A numerical percentage is calculated at the end of each term of enrollment for each student based on that student’s total enrollment hours.  A minimum of 80% is required for acceptable attendance.

ARRIVING LATE (TARDINESS) AND LEAVING EARLY (EARLY DEPARTURE)

Students are expected to be in class on time and to remain in class until the class ends. Students are also expected to return to class on time after scheduled class breaks.  Students who arrive late or leave early will be marked with a T (Tardy) or D (Early Departure) in all classes. A combination of four (4) T or D marks in a class will count as one absence for that class.

LEAVE OF ABSENCE/MEDICAL AUTHORIZATIONS:

Documented, written evidence for non-attendance due to medical or exceptional emergency circumstances necessitating a leave of absence should be provided to the Registrar for review and inclusion in the student’s file in order to track attendance compliance accurately.

In accordance with the Code of Federal Regulations (8 C.F.R. § 214.2(f)(6)(iii)(B) ), F-1 students may be placed on a reduced course load or full medical authorization for non-attendance during a term with proper medical substantiation. “In order to authorize a reduced course load based upon a medical condition, the student must provide medical documentation from a licensed medical doctor, doctor of osteopathy, or licensed clinical psychologist.”  

The above exclusion for proper medical documentation shall extend to all other LCI students regardless of their visa category.

Students shall be responsible for maintaining the minimum acceptable attendance of 80% for the dates of authorized attendance in accordance with the Code of Federal Regulations.

 

LATE START STUDENTS:

  1. Students who have completed one or more terms at the institution and are in the United States  on or before the first day of the term of enrollment in progress are not “late start” students. Attendance absences shall be counted from the date of the first day of classes for the term regardless of the student’s date of enrollment as students had the ability to begin classes on time.
  2. Initial or transfer-in students who are in the United States but who have not applied to the institution for admission on or before the first day of the term of enrollment in progress are “late start” students. Attendance shall be counted from the student’s date of enrollment. Students shall be responsible for maintaining the minimum acceptable attendance of 80% from the date of authorized enrollment.
  3. Initial, continuing or transfer-in students who arrive in the United States after the date of the first day of classes for the term due to visa processing (visa granted after the start date of the term in question) or documented travel delays beyond their control shall be considered late start students. Attendance shall be counted from the student’s date of enrollment. Students shall be responsible for maintaining the minimum acceptable attendance of 80% from the date of authorized enrollment.
  4. Initial students who receive a change of status to F-1 after the first day of the term of enrollment in progress are “late start” students. Attendance shall be counted from the student’s date of enrollment. Students shall be responsible for maintaining the minimum acceptable attendance of 80% from the date of authorized enrollment, which should begin no later than one week from the date of visa approval.

WITHDRAWALS:

Administrative entries of  “W” shall be entered for students who have attended during a term but who have withdrawn prior to the completion of that term due to:

  1. Leave of Absence
    1. Attendance calculated up to last date of attendance
  2. Full Medical Authorization
    1. Attendance calculated for classes up to start of medical authorization
  3. Transfer Out
    1. Attendance calculated up to date of transfer out
  4. Administrative withdrawal
    1. Attendance calculated up to date of administrative withdrawal

POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES OF POOR ATTENDANCE

  1. Poor academic progress
  2. Little or no improvement in overall proficiency
  3. Dismissal from the school
  4. Loss of visa status for F-1 students
  5. Inability to transfer in active (good) status for F-1 students
  6. Inability to extend program of study (F-1 students)

DEFINITIONS

Absent:                        Not in attendance for an entire class period for a given day; missing more than 50% of a class period for a given day

Present:                        Not missing any part of a class period for a given day

Early Departure:           Leaving before the class is finished; students who leave early will be marked as early departure following the attendance tracking guidelines.

Tardy/Tardiness:           Arriving late for class; students who arrive late will be marked tardy following the attendance tracking guidelines.

Limited Attendance:      Missing up to 50% of scheduled class time in each class on each day the class is held for any reason or combination of reasons (i.e.  arriving late, leaving early, leaving during class)

Probation Status:          Given to: 1. F-1 students who miss 20% or more of enrollment hours required for SEVP compliance; 2. F-1 students on a reduced course load who miss 20%  or more of  total enrollment hours; 3. Non F-1 students who miss 20% or more of the total class hours for all their registered classes. Probation status affects an F-1 student’s ability to transfer to another school in status or to request an extension of his/her program of study.

Dismissal/Dismissed:    A student is not allowed to continue his/her studies without re-admission.   Dismissal will result in the termination of an F-1 student’s visa status.  Students are dismissed who: 1. miss 80% of registered class hours in any term as defined by their enrollment requirements; 2. have four terms of consecutive attendance probation or 3. have nine attendance probations within thirty-six months of study.

Termination of status:  An F-1 student loses his/her legal status in the United States due to a violation of SEVP regulations.

Click here to download the Attendance Policy in PDF format.