Processing Mass Update Attendance

The Update process type in the Mass Update Attendance utility enables you to modify existing attendance records. For example, if several students have unexcused absences on October 5, you can use this utility to modify those records and change the unexcused absences to excused absences if you receive a note from a parent or guardian.

Scroll past the video to access the step-by-step instructions.

Before you begin

Audio Transcript

Processing the Update process type within the Mass Update Attendance utility enables you to update several student attendance records at once. We’ll navigate to the Mass Update Attendance utility within the Attendance module. Since we are updating attendance records, we’ll leave the Process Type option as is. We’ll also accept the Range of Students radio button for the Student Selection Type option. We only want to include active students in this update, so let’s indicate that now within the filters. For this example, we don’t need to utilize any other filters, so we’ll scroll down to view more fields. We want to include all attendance periods, types, and reasons, so the following fields can be left as is. The Attendance Dates by option can be left as Range for our example. The Date Low and High fields default to today’s date but can be changed if necessary. Under the Values To Use heading, we’ll leave the Update Attendance Type box checked and select the desired attendance type we want to update attendance to. For our example, we’ll select College Visit. We’ll check the box for Update Guardian Notified. This will prompt an additional box for Guardian Notified and we’ll also check that box for this example. Let’s click Next. We see a list of all the attendance records that will be updated. If we don’t want a specific record to be included in this update, we could uncheck that record. Since we want to update all the records on this screen, we’ll click Run Process. We see the total successful records and any failed records display and can click Close to complete the process. Now that you know how to update students’ attendance records en masse, you can correct or adjust any attendance records as needed.

Processing the Update process type within the Mass Update Attendance utility enables you to update several student attendance records at once. We’ll navigate to the Mass Update Attendance utility within the Attendance module. Since we are updating attendance records, we’ll leave the Process Type option as is. We’ll also accept the Range of Students radio button for the Student Selection Type option. We only want to include active students in this update, so let’s indicate that now within the filters. For this example, we don’t need to utilize any other filters, so we’ll scroll down to view more fields. We want to include all attendance periods, types, and reasons, so the following fields can be left as is. The Attendance Dates by option can be left as Range for our example. The Date Low and High fields default to today’s date but can be changed if necessary. Under the Values To Use heading, we’ll leave the Update Attendance Type box checked and select the desired attendance type we want to update attendance to. For our example, we’ll select College Visit. We’ll check the box for Update Guardian Notified. This will prompt an additional box for Guardian Notified and we’ll also check that box for this example. Let’s click Next. We see a list of all the attendance records that will be updated. If we don’t want a specific record to be included in this update, we could uncheck that record. Since we want to update all the records on this screen, we’ll click Run Process. We see the total successful records and any failed records display and can click Close to complete the process. Now that you know how to update students’ attendance records en masse, you can correct or adjust any attendance records as needed.



  1. Select Menu > Administrative Access > Attendance.
  2. Select Mass Update Attendance under Utilities.
    Expected Result

    You see the Mass Update Attendance screen.

  3. Complete the appropriate fields.
    Step Information

    Required fields are identified with an asterisk. You must complete required fields before you can save your work.

    1. Under the Attendance Details heading, select the Update radio button for the Process Type.
      Expected Result

      The fields under the Class Filters heading change based on the Update process type selection.

    2. Under the Selection Options heading, select the appropriate radio button for the Student Selection Type.
      Expected Result

      If you selected Range of Students, the Student Filters display. Continue to the next sub-step.

      If you selected Individual Students, the Select Students field displays. Skip to sub-step d.

    3. Build the Student Filters if appropriate.
      Step Information
      This table is meant to be a reference for populating the Student standard filter. Any fields left blank populate all values. Entering information into the filter limits the results to those that match all of the criteria. If you wish to search for records that meet one set of criteria or a different set of criteria, you can add a new filter using the option at the bottom of the existing filter. This enables you to search for records that meet one of the filters' criteria. You can add up to 21 filters if needed.
      Field NameHow the Field WorksExample
      Student Processing ListsLimits the students who are included based on the selected processing lists.If you wish to include students from a processing list already filtered to only include the students on activity rosters for the spring and summer, you would enter that student processing list.
      Active Limits the students who are included in the filter based on their current enrollment status.If you wish to include students with an active enrollment status, select Yes from the drop-down list.
      Grad Year Limits the students who are included in the filter based on the selected Grad Years. If you wish to include students within a single grad year, you would enter that grad year.
      Grade Limits the students who are included in the filter based on the selected Grade Levels. If you wish to include students in grade 11 and grade 12, you would enter those grade levels.
      Student Type Limits the students who are included in the filter based on the selected Student Types. If you wish to include students with a designation of Regular, you would enter that student type.
      GenderLimits the students who are included in the filter based on the selected genders.If you wish to include only female students, check the box to the left of F - Female.
      Gender Identity Limits the students who are included in the filter to the records with a certain Gender Identity code. If you wish to only include students who are not male or female, you would enter the gender identity or identities.
      Cross Entity Course Scheduling Limits the students who are included in the filter based on whether they take Courses at other Entities in addition to their current entity. If you wish to include students who have enrolled in a course or courses at an entity other than the current entity, select Yes from the drop-down list.
      Graduated Limits the students who are included in the filter based on graduation status. If you wish to only include students who have not graduated, select No from the drop-down list.
      School Limits the students who are included in the filter based on the selected schools.If you wish to include students from a single school, you would enter that school.
      Homeroom Limits the students who are included in the filter based on the selected Homerooms. If you wish to include students in certain homerooms, you would enter those homerooms.
      AdvisorLimits the students who are included in the filter based on the selected advisors.If you wish to include students who have John Smith as an advisor, you would enter that name.
      CounselorLimits the students who are included in the filter based on the selected counselors.If you wish to include students who have John Smith as a counselor, you would enter that name.
      Activity Limits the students who are included in the filter based on the selected Activities. If you wish to include students who play tennis, you would enter that activity.
      Calendar Limits the students who are included in the filter based on the selected calendars.If you wish to include students attached to a particular calendar, you would enter that calendar.
      Graduation Requirement Year Limits the students who are included in the filter based on the selected Graduation Requirement Years. If you wish to include students within a particular range of graduation requirement years, enter the first year in the Low field and the last year in the High field.
      Default Entity Limits the students who are included in the filter based on the selected default Entity. If you wish to include students whose default entity is 101, you would enter entity 101.
      Student Number Limits the students who are included in the filter based on the selected student numbers.If you wish to include students with particular student numbers, you would enter those numbers.
      Last NameLimits the students who are included in the filter to the students whose last names fall between the low and high values entered. If you wish to only include students whose last names begin with the letter A through the letter F, enter A in the Low field and FZZZ in the High field.
      First NameLimits the students who are included in the filter to the students whose first names fall between the low and high values entered. If you wish to only include students whose first names begin with the letter G through the letter P, enter G in the Low field and PZZZ in the High field.
      Middle NameLimits the students who are included in the filter to the students whose middle names fall between the low and high values entered. If you wish to only include students whose middle names begin with the letter Q through the letter Z, enter Q in the Low field and ZZZZ in the High field.

      Method Of Instruction
      Limits the students who are included in the filter based on the selected Method of Instruction Offering codes.

      If you wish to include students attached to a particular method of instruction, you would enter that Method of Instruction Offering code.

      Primary Language

      Limits the students who are included in the filter based on their primary language of use.

      If you wish to view students with a particular primary language in order to provide translated messages, you would enter that language.

      Home Language

      Limits the students who are included in the filter based on the language used in their home.

      If you wish to view students with a particular home language in order to provide translated messages, you would enter that language.

      Students

      Limits the students who are included in the filter to the selected students.

      If you wish to include specific students, you would enter the appropriate student names.

      If you want to filter by other criteria, you can build the Advanced Filter.

      Skip to sub-step e.

    4. Enter one or more students in the Select Students field or click the Magnifying Glass icon to choose from the drop-down list.
      Step Information

      You can click outside of the selection box once you have made your selections.

    5. Under the Class Filters heading, build the Course Filters if appropriate.
      Step Information
      This table is meant to be a reference for populating the Course standard filter. Any fields left blank populate all values. Entering information into the filter limits the results to those that match all of the criteria. If you wish to search for records that meet one set of criteria or a different set of criteria, you can add a new filter using the option at the bottom of the existing filter. This enables you to search for records that meet one of the filters' criteria. You can add up to 21 filters if needed.
      Field NameHow the Field WorksExample
      School YearLimits the Courses that are included in the filter to only those that fall within the specified school year.If you only wish to include courses that would be available for a specific school year for scheduling purposes, you would select that school year.
      Course Code Range Limits the Courses that are included in the filter to only Course codes that fall between the low and high values entered. If you only wish to include a specific course within a set range as opposed to all Course codes, you can enter the Course code in both the low and high fields.
      Course LengthLimits the Courses that are included in the filter to only those that fall within the specified Course Length. If you only wish to include courses that are offered as a semester as opposed to all course lengths, you would select Semester.
      ActiveLimits the Courses that are included in the filter to only those that are Active, inactive, or includes both the active and inactive courses. If you only wish to include courses that are currently active for students to be scheduled into, you would select Yes.
      RequiredLimits the Courses that are included in the filter to only those that are Required, not required, or includes both the required and the elective courses. If you only wish to include courses that are not required by the school and can be taken as an elective, you would select No.
      Keep AttendanceLimits the Courses that are included in the filter to only those that Keep Attendance, do not keep attendance, or includes both courses that do and do not keep attendance. If you only wish to include courses that teachers can take attendance for, you would select Yes.
      Grade CourseLimits the Courses that are included in the filter to only those that are Graded courses, not graded courses, or includes both graded and non-graded courses. If you only wish to include courses that can be graded, you would select Yes.
      Course TypeLimits the Courses that are included in the filter to only those that fall within the specified Course Type. If you only wish to include courses that are offered as special education classes, you would select Special Ed.
      DepartmentLimits the Courses that are included in the filter to only those that fall within the specified Department. If you only wish to include courses within the Math department as opposed to all departments, you would select Math.
      CategoryLimits the Courses that are included in the filter to regular, lunch, study hall, or transfer courses.If you only wish to include courses that have a curriculum and grading system in place, you would select R - Regular.
      HonorsLimits the Courses that are included in the filter to only those that are Honors courses, non-honors courses, or includes both honors and non-honors courses. If you wish to include honors and non-honors courses, you would select Show all values.
      SubjectLimits the Courses that are included in the filter to only those that fall within the specified Subject. If you only wish to include courses that are offered for English and Art as opposed to all subjects, you would select English and Art.
      Exclude from Student Section Linking Limits the Courses that are included in the filter to only those that are Excluded from Student Section Linking, are not excluded from student section linking, or includes both courses that are and are not excluded from student section linking. If you only wish to include courses where the organization does not allow Sections of the course to be linked with another section on report cards and transcripts, you would select Yes.

      If you want to filter by other criteria, you can build the Advanced Filter.

    6. Build the Section Filters if appropriate.
      Step Information
      This table is meant to be a reference for populating the Section standard filter. Any fields left blank populate all values. Entering information into the filter limits the results to those that match all of the criteria. If you wish to search for records that meet one set of criteria or a different set of criteria, you can add a new filter using the option at the bottom of the existing filter. This enables you to search for records that meet one of the filters' criteria. You can add up to 21 filters if needed.
      Field NameHow the Field WorksExample
      School YearLimits the Sections that are included in the filter to only those that fall within the specified school year. If you only wish to include course sections that would be available for a specific school year, you would select that school year.
      Bell Schedule GroupLimits the Sections that are included in the filter to only those that fall within the specified Bell Schedule Group.If you only wish to include course sections that have the default bell schedule group attached, you would select Default.
      Section Code RangeLimits the Sections that are included in the filter to only those that fall within the specified Section codes. If you only wish to view sections 1, 2, and 3 for a course to verify their set up is correct, you would enter 01 and 03 in the Low and High fields.
      Section LengthLimits the Sections that are included in the filter to only those that fall within the specified Section Length. If you only wish to include course sections that are offered as a semester as opposed to all section lengths, you would select Semester.
      Exclude from Student Section LinkingLimits the Sections that are included in the filter to those that meet the specified criteria for student section linking. If you only wish to include course sections that are excluded from student section linking, you would select Yes.

      If you want to filter by other criteria, you can build the Advanced Filter.

    7. Enter one or more Attendance Periods or click the Magnifying Glass icon to choose from the drop-down list, if appropriate.
      Step Information

      For example, if you want to update the attendance records for specific class periods, you can select those periods. Leaving the field blank will include all values.

      You can click outside of the selection box once you have made your selections.

    8. Enter one or more Old Attendance Types or click the Magnifying Glass icon to choose from the drop-down list, if appropriate.
      Step Information

      For example, if the attendance record you need to change was marked as unexcused, you would select Unexcused. Leaving the field blank will include all values.

      You can click outside of the selection box once you have made your selections.

    9. Enter one or more Old Attendance Reasons or click the Magnifying Glass icon to choose from the drop-down list, if appropriate.
      Step Information

      Typically, if you are mass updating unexcused attendance records, you would leave this field blank to include all attendance reasons. If the attendance type selected is unexcused you will not normally have a corresponding reason. However, if you did enter attendance reasons, you could limit those using this field. Leaving the field blank will include all values.

      You can click outside of the selection box once you have made your selections.

    10. Select the appropriate radio button to indicate the method you wish to select Attendance Dates by.
      Step Information

      If you update attendance by Range, this option enables you to pull multiple attendance records for multiple dates within the date range set.

      If you update attendance by Today Less Number of School Days, this option pulls attendance records for one school day, which is determined by taking the current date minus the number of school days entered.

      Expected Result

      If you selected the radio button for Range, the Date Low and Date High fields display. Continue to the next sub-step.

      If you selected the radio button for Today Less Number of School Days, the Today Less Number of School Days field displays. Skip to sub-step m.

    11. Verify the Date Low or enter the correct date if necessary.
      Step Information

      This defaults to the current date, but can be modified as needed.

      Any attendance records within this date range must also meet the other ranges set above in order to be pulled.

      For example, if you wish to pull attendance records for an entire week, you could enter Monday's date in this field.

    12. Verify the Date High or enter the correct date if necessary.
      Step Information

      This defaults to the current date, but can be modified as needed.

      Any attendance records within this date range must also meet the other ranges set above in order to be pulled.

      For example, if you wish to pull attendance records for an entire week, you could enter Friday's date in this field.

      Skip to sub-step n.

    13. Enter the Today Less Number of School Days.
      Step Information

      For example, if you wish to pull attendance records for today, enter 0 in the field. Alternatively, if you wish to pull attendance records for yesterday, enter 1 in the field.

    14. Under the Values to Use heading, uncheck the box for Update Attendance Type if appropriate.
      Step Information

      This box defaults to checked, but can be unchecked if necessary.

      Expected Result

      If you left the box checked, the Attendance Type field displays. Continue to the next sub-step.

      If you unchecked the box, skip to sub-step p.

    15. Enter an Attendance Type or click the Down Arrow icon to choose from the drop-down list.
      Step Information

      Selecting a new attendance type replaces the old attendance type that you selected for the Old Attendance Types field.

    16. Check the box for Update Attendance Reason if appropriate.
      Expected Result

      If you checked the box, the Attendance Reason field displays. Continue to the next sub-step.

      If you did not check the box, skip to sub-step r.

    17. Enter an Attendance Reason or click the Down Arrow icon to choose from the drop-down list, if appropriate.
      Step Information

      If you select a new attendance reason this replaces the old attendance reason that you selected for the Old Attendance Reasons field.

    18. Check the box for Update Comment if appropriate.
      Expected Result

      If you checked the box, the Comment field displays. Continue to the next sub-step.

      If you did not check the box, skip to sub-step t.

    19. Enter a Comment if appropriate.
      Step Information

      For example, you could enter "Parent note to excuse absence received."

    20. Check the box for Update Guardian Notified if appropriate.
      Expected Result

      If you checked the box, the Guardian Notified checkbox displays. Continue to the next sub-step.

      If you did not check the box, skip to sub-step v.

    21. Check the box for Guardian Notified if appropriate.
    22. Click Next near the top left of the screen.
      Expected Result

      You see the student attendance records to be updated.

    23. Uncheck the box for each attendance record you want to exclude from being updated.
      Step Information

      All records are checked by default. For example, you might choose to exclude students if you are updating Unexcused records to Excused records, but you did not receive a note from several students' parents excusing them for the day.

      You can use the box at the top of the Select column to check or uncheck all students.

  4. Click Run Process near the top left of the screen.
    Expected Result

    You see the number of successful and failed records under the Records Counts heading. If there are any records that could not be updated, those records display under the Failed Records heading. Under the Errors heading, you see the corresponding error detail record indicating why the record failed to update.

  5. Click Close near the top left of the screen.
    Expected Result

    You return to the screen you were previously on.

Result(s)

You have successfully run the Update process type in the Mass Update Attendance utility.