Browse Strategies
Discipline Fall
High · Southeast · 1050 students

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

Tardy rate
22% 8%
-64%
1st period att.
81% 94%
+16%

The Problem

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.

The Plan

  1. 1
    Universal digital tracking — no teacher discretion
    Every tardy logged. The system is the enforcer, not the teacher. Consistency is the mechanism.
    Hall Monitor See example
  2. 2
    3 tardies in a week triggers counselor check-in (not detention)
    Focus on why: transportation? sleep? avoiding a class? Solutions tailored to the cause.
    Triggers Student Profile See example
  3. 3
    Positive incentive: zero tardies = monthly drawing
    Student council picks prizes. Parking spots, gift cards, early lunch release.
    Data Wall

The Team

Dr. Robert Hall, the AP responsible for attendance, led the redesign.

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

Resources

Materials from this strategy.

Tardy Protocol Implementation Guide Get Access

Related Strategies

Passes Per Student/Day
3.2 1.4
Students miss 38 minutes of instruction daily from hall passes
Data review — no new rules needed

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