📘 PowerSchool Attendance Tutorial

Based on the South Carolina Student Attendance Regulation 43-274

📌 Introduction

Welcome to your go-to guide for taking and managing attendance in PowerSchool! Whether you're working with Daily or Meeting attendance, this document will walk you through everything—from the legal requirements to using SCDE-approved codes and running reports. This tutorial ensures you are compliant with state laws and accurately recording student attendance.

📅 South Carolina Attendance Regulations

According to Regulation 43-274, attendance must be:

• Taken daily

• Finalized weekly

• A student is dropped on the 11th consecutive unlawful absence

• Do not drop students with disabilities who are still receiving services per Regulation 43-279

🔗 View the full regulation here

🧭 Pre-Attendance Setup in PowerSchool

Ensure the school calendar is fully set up:

Go to: Start Page > School Management > Scheduling > Configure Calendar

You must define:

• Cycle Day

• Bell Schedule

• School In-Session

• Membership Value

🏫 Attendance Types

Onsite Attendance

Student is physically present on school grounds.

Virtual Attendance

Instruction is delivered offsite. Presence is based on submitting work or participating as required by the teacher.

Hybrid Schedules

Mix of onsite and virtual learning. If students complete all virtual assignments by the teacher’s deadline, they are considered present.

🔍 Where is Attendance Taken?

Start Page > Search Student > Attendance > Modify Attendance (Choose either Daily or Meeting)

Attendance Types:

• Daily – for elementary with only 1 period in the schedule

• Meeting – for middle/high schools or elementary with multiple periods

• Meeting (Bridge Period) – used for grades K–8 or K–12 where needed

📋 Using Attendance Codes

SCDE provides the state approved attendance codes.

📍 Important: Schools must not create new attendance codes.

Find Codes in PowerSchool:

• Start Page > School Management > Attendance > Attendance Codes

• Start Page > School Management > Attendance > Attendance Code Categories

  • Categories: Excused, Unexcused, Out of School Suspension, Tardy

🖊️ Taking Meeting Attendance

Go to: Start Page > Search student > Attendance > "Meeting" > Choose week range

Scenarios:

• Absent All Day
  Select “Absent” attendance code for all periods.

• Present ≥ 50%, Left Early
  Use SC-EDSM (Early Dismissal) ➜ Present

• Present < 50%, Left Early
  Use SC-DSML (Dismissal) ➜ Absent

• Late Arrival (<50%)
  Use SC-LATE ➜ Absent

• Left for Appointment (<50%)
  Use SC-MED ➜ Absent

• Left for Appointment, Returned (≥50%)
  Use both:
  SC-MED ➜ Absent and
  SC-CKIN ➜ Present

🖊️ Taking Daily Attendance

Go to: Start Page > Search student > Attendance > "Daily" > Select day (M, T, W, H, F)

Fields to Fill:

• Attendance Code

• Time In

• Time Out

Scenarios:

• Absent All Day
  Select full-day absence code.

• Present ≥ 50%, Left Early
  Use SC-EDSM (Early Dismissal) ➜ Present

• Present < 50%, Left Early
  Use SC-DSML (Dismissal) ➜ Absent

• Late Arrival (<50%)
  Use SC-LATE ➜ Absent

• Medical Appointment, Did Not Return
  Use SC-MED ➜ Absent

• Medical Appointment, Returned (≥50%)
  Use both:
  SC-MED ➜ Absent and
  SC-CKIN ➜ Present

✅ To update return time: Click the clock under the same day and input Time In and Time Out.

📈 Attendance Reports in PowerSchool

🔷 SC46 Daily Attendance Report

• For Elementary Schools

• Includes student-level daily data

Data & Reporting > Reports > Compliance Reports > (Under the "Attendance Heading) SC46 Daily Attendance Report

Note:

• inactive student names display in parenthesis.

• This report only applies to schools that use Daily Attendance.

🔷 SC48 Daily Attendance Validation Report

• Flags errors in daily attendance (e.g., SC-EDSM, SC-CKIN used when student was ≥50% absent)

Data & Reporting > Reports > Compliance Reports > (Under the "Attendance Heading) SC48 Daily Attendance Validation Report

Note:

• inactive student names display in parenthesis.

• This report only applies to schools that use Daily Attendance.

🔷 SC47 Meeting Attendance Report

• For Middle & High Schools

Data & Reporting > Reports > Compliance Reports > (Under the "Attendance Heading) SC47 Meeting Attendance Report

Note:

• inactive student names display in parenthesis.

• You will see an error message at the bottom of the report if you are running this report, but you are setup for meeting attendance.

🔷 Attendance Profile Report

• Summarizes attendance by student and school enrollment

Data & Reporting > Reports > System Reports > (Under the "Attendance Heading) > Attendance Profile

🔷 Attendance Count Report

• Lists students and how many times each attendance code was used

Data & Reporting > Reports > System Reports > (Under the "Attendance Heading) Attendance Count

🔷 Consecutive Absence Report

• Tracks students with consecutive absences

Data & Reporting > Reports > System Reports > (Under the "Attendance Heading) Consecutive Absences

🔷 Class Attendance Audit

• Teacher/section-specific attendance rosters

Data & Reporting > Reports > System Reports > (Under the "Attendance Heading) Student Attendance Audit