Absent students – it’s that time of year! Managing absent students’ make-up work, incoming parent emails, catching them up when they return – it is a lot! (In fact, as I write this post, my daughter is missing school due to Flu A and strep.) Here are some tips for preparing for all the inevitable, seasonal absences.
Stay On Top of Planning
This is my advice for just about everything related to being a classroom teacher! Staying ahead of planning for your own sake can mitigate the stress of figuring out what to do when a parent shows up to collect assignments because their student is out for the next week with something contagious.
Having a plan in place for this exact type of scenario + staying on top of planning = winning.
Speaking of staying on top of planning…
WHAT IS MANEUVERING THE MIDDLE?
If you find yourself looking for a solution to staying ahead of planning, consider checking out more of our resources! At Maneuvering the Middle, we design and develop standards-based math resources for grades 5 – Algebra 1. Our curriculum provides high quality, engaging resources for students and provides teachers with planning resources and plenty of training.
- All Access: standards-based, on-level curricula available for grades 5 – Algebra 1
- Maneuvering Math: a skill-based intervention program for middle school math students
Put Your Content + Videos Online for Absent Students + Parents
If you teach middle school and don’t have a Google Classroom or an LMS, then let this be your sign to do so. Being able to link or reference assignments or lesson videos in emails to parents or students that they can then access from their home computer will be beneficial to students and parents who proactively reach out to secure assignments, as well as those who come back after a long absence.
These teachers agree:
“I absolutely love the videos. After I teach a lesson, I post the videos in Google Classroom. Students who were absent are able to stay caught up on the Guided Notes. Students who need extra reinforcement are able to watch the videos for extra practice. Parents also love the videos and use them to support their children at home.” – Tracey
“I post them on Google Classroom so that they may go back after the lesson to review the notes. Also, if a student is absent or virtual they can go in and watch the videos to get a jump on learning the lesson.“ – Chad
Which leads me to my next point…
Create a Template for Make-up Work Communication
Front load the work by creating a template for emails regarding make-up work. Be sure to communicate deadlines and link or attach assignments. I will get you started below:
Dear Parent,
I have attached the assignments that (student name) will be responsible for completing and turning in. In order for (student name) to complete the assignment, please have them watch videos A and B (include links).
Please let (student name) know that I wish them a speedy recovery! The assignments will be due (date or insert policy here). If they need extra assistance, please have them attend tutorials on (date with time). Thanks!
Make this a draft in your email or a Google doc template so you don’t have to waste any brainpower crafting an email. Just copy, paste, edit, and send!
Pick the Most Important Make-Up Work to Assign
Students do not need to complete 100% of what they missed in class. If they were absent for multiple days and from multiple classes, they do not reasonably have the time to finish everything they missed while also staying on top of their current load of assignments.
Students do need to be accountable for the loss of learning, so here is what I would assign:
- Like I mentioned above, assigning students to watch the video lessons while filling in the student handouts would be the only daily assignment they would be required to complete. I would not ask them to complete any corresponding activities or independent practices.
- Any quiz or test would be required to be made up, but in my classroom either before or after school, during lunch, or during class if we were completing test analysis and corrections. (I would send them to another classroom)
Provide Reasonable Deadlines
This is up to your discretion and school policies, but I would give students who miss multiple days a lot of grace when it comes to missing work. The rule of thumb is to give students the number of days they were absent to turn in work, so if they missed two school days, they have two school days to turn in work. If they missed your class, then they probably missed other classes, so two days does not seem like enough time to finish everything.
What has worked well for my students is to call dibs on their homeroom or lunch time to ask them to come make up their work for me. This might just mean that they are watching the corresponding video lessons, but this way I know that it got done, and I am available to answer any questions.
Less Technology
If you prefer the more paper and pencil approach to absent work then you are going to love what Marissa does:
“Lately my absent work hanging-file has been a life-saver. Whenever we do something on paper, I write the absent student’s name on the assignment and keep this hanging where I always see it. Next time I see them, I hand them the copy and touch base with them.”
Train your students to check this hanging-file when they return from an absence to take some of the work off of your plate!
What tips do you have for managing absent students? Are you more concerned about missing school as the teacher? Check out this post about preparing for a substitute.
This post was extremely helpful. I had a parent email me the other day that their child was sick. It would have been helpful to have this template to send with the work that needed to be completed. It is very hard to keep up with students who are absent and their missing assignments, or me and them. I have started printing out the grades I put in so students and their parents can see their missing work. I try to catch all students when they are absent and make sure all items I graded are done. But there can be so many students absent that I ultimately miss someone. This way, at least their grade is not affected by their absence.