The most common setup uses the Attendance Period for FTE system preference to define a specific period used to determine a students daily attendance status.

To configure:

• Navigate to Setup > System Preferences > School Preferences / Default School Preferences > Attendance.
• Set the Attendance Period for FTE to the period used for ADA reporting.

Focus will use attendance data from the selected period to determine whether a student is Present or Absent for the day.

If attendance reporting periods change by day (e.g., Period 2 on Monday/Wednesday/Friday and Period 3 on Tuesday/Thursday), set the system preference to Varies by Day.

To configure:

• Set Attendance Period for FTE to Varies by Day in system preferences via Setup > System Preferences > School Preferences / Default School Preferences > Attendance.
• Define the period used for each day in the Attendance Calendar.

In this configuration, Focus determines ADA based on the period defined for each calendar day, offering greater flexibility for complex schedules.

In special cases, a students daily attendance period may need to differ from the district-wide or day-specific configuration. The ADA Override field allows you to manually assign the period used to calculate ADA for a specific student.

How It Works:

• The ADA Override field is found on the Student Info screen (typically under the Enrollment or FTE tab, depending on district setup). The override consists of the following fields:
  • ADA Period: Select the period to use for ADA reporting for this student. This value overrides the district-wide Attendance Period for FTE setting and the Attendance Calendar configuration.
  • Start Date: The first day the override takes effect. Leave blank to apply immediately.
  • End Date: The last day the override is valid. Leave blank to apply indefinitely.
  • Rotation Day (optional): Used only if your school uses a rotating schedule. Select the applicable rotation day for which the ADA Period applies.
• If multiple overrides are entered for a student (e.g., to change the ADA Period mid-year), Focus will apply the override based on the current date falling within the Start and End Date range.
• When populated, this field supersedes the value set in the Attendance Period for FTE system preference--even if that preference is set to Varies by Day.
• Focus uses the period specified in this field to determine the students attendance for state reporting.

When to Use:

• The student is on a modified or non-traditional schedule.
• The student participates in a program with a different ADA time requirement (e.g., homebound, alternative education).
• ADA must be evaluated during a different period than peers due to IEPs or support services.

Example:

A student attends only in the afternoon and is present during Period 6. The district has Period 2 set as the ADA period. To ensure accurate ADA reporting:

• Set ADA Period to Period 6.
• Set Start Date to the date the schedule change begins.
• Leave End Date blank to apply the override going forward.

Focus will use this override logic regardless of the system preference or calendar setup.