Tardy Reduction Protocol: From 22% to 8% in One Quarter

Tardy Rate

22% 8%

-64%

First-Period Attendance

81% 94%

+16%

Instructional Minutes Recovered

N/A 1,200 min/week

New

Symptom

22% of students arrived late to first period every day. The tardy policy existed on paper — 3 tardies = detention — but was unevenly enforced. Some teachers tracked tardies meticulously, others didn't track at all. Students learned which teachers enforced and which didn't. The result: 1,200 minutes of collective instructional time lost per week just from first-period tardies.

People

Dr. Robert Hall, the AP responsible for attendance, led the redesign. Team: - Dr. Robert Hall — AP, data review and policy enforcement - Attendance clerk — Digital tardy logging - Department heads — Consistent enforcement messaging - Student council — Student input on incentive design

Data

Tardy data was logged digitally at every classroom door. A dashboard showed daily tardy rates by period, by teacher, and by student. Alerts flagged students with 3+ tardies in a week and teachers whose tardy rates significantly exceeded the building average. Data was reviewed weekly.

Plan

The protocol combined consistent tracking with positive incentives: 1. Universal tracking: Every tardy was logged — no exceptions, no teacher discretion. The system was the enforcer, not the teacher. 2. Immediate feedback: Students who were tardy received an automated notification. Three in a week triggered a guidance counselor check-in (not detention). 3. Positive incentive: Students with zero tardies for a full month earned entry into a monthly drawing for prizes chosen by the student council (gift cards, parking spots, early lunch release). 4. Root cause: The counselor check-in focused on why — transportation? sleep? avoiding a class? Solutions were tailored. Bus riders got schedule adjustments. Students avoiding a class were connected with the teacher. The detention-based system punished the behavior. The new system addressed the cause.

Resources

Tardy Protocol Implementation Guide

Step-by-step setup and communication plan