What is tracked: Attendance

A function of TaskMaster is to track student attendance. Without this function, it would merely be database of student information. To be able to track attendance, first attendance must be taken, and then it must be entered into TaskMaster. Attendance may be taken and entered, either manually or by scanning.

Take attendance manually

For users who do not need or do not want to use scanning, attendance may be taken manually. Under some circumstances, manually taking attendance may actually be more convenient than by scanning, such as when taking the attendance of a group of students who attended an event. There are three methods to take attendance manually:

• Attendance Sheet. Take attendance by marking attendance on attendance sheets printed by TaskMaster that list all the students and provide a space to mark student attendance for each day of the month. The attendance data on the sheets is then manually entered into TaskMaster.
• Attendance Card. Take attendance by marking attendance on individual student muster cards printed by TaskMaster that provide a space to mark attendance. The attendance data on the sheets is then manually entered into TaskMaster.
• Student ID Cards. Student ID cards are normally used for scanning, but cards may also be used to enter attendance into TaskMaster manually. Collect the cards for a class and, instead of scanning the cards, use them to manually record attendance.
  

Enter attendance manually

Under some circumstances, manually entering attendance may actually be more convenient than by scanning, such as when entering the attendance of a group of students who attended an event. There are four methods to enter attendance manually:

• Student ID number. Manually enter the student’s ID number into TaskMaster instead of scanning it.
• Attendance calendar. Enter attendance on individual students into TaskMaster using a graphic calendar format.
• Manual/group. Use to enter attendance when scanning is not used or to enter attendance for a group event, such as a camp. Use TaskMaster to print signup sheets for event, attendance muster sheets, or attendance muster cards, and then use them to take attendance manually. To manually enter the attendance into TaskMaster: enter event date, construct an event, create a list of students according to chosen criteria (such as by rank), select students on the list who attended the event, and then click to enter all the attendance at one time.
• Special entry. Use to enter attendance into TaskMaster for some special reason that is not otherwise provided, such as to add credits to a student's attendance due to some error. To use the special entry: select a student, select a data, enter the event, enter the credits, and click to record the attendance.
  

Take and enter attendance by scanning

To take attendance by scanning, the user will need to print ID cards, put them in protectors, have a system for students to retrieve their cards easily, and a barcode scanner (pen type, gun type, or slide type). A pen or gun type scanner may also be used scan barcodes on ID labels, attendance cards, attendance sheets, and in ID binder. There are three ways to take and enter attendance by scanning of barcodes.

• ID Cards. When using ID card scanning, each student has an ID card stored in the school.  Before each class, each student in attendance pulls his or her ID card from the ID card storage, and puts it into a collection box. User removes the cards from the collection box, scans them, and returns them to the ID card storage.  When ‘play birthday song’ option is selected, when a student's ID number is entered into TaskMaster on his or her birthday (or within 2 days before or after the birthday), a selected birthday song will play. This action is especially useful when TaskMaster is set up to allow students to scan their own cards since it automatically offers the student feedback from the school on his or her birthday.
• ID labels, attendance cards, attendance sheets, or other objects with ID labels on them. All these items may be scanned to enter attendance into TaskMaster.  Some schools may use some other means than those used in TaskMaster to keep attendance. If they wish, they may print labels with student ID barcodes on them using TaskMaster and attach the labels to their other means of attendance keeping. The labels may then be scanned to transfer the attendance into TaskMaster.
• ID Binder. When using the ID Binder, a student's name is located in the binder and the barcode beside the name is scanned. ID Binder is useful for quickly scanning attendance at an event without having to collect individual ID Cards.
  

Cycle Attendance Report

The cycle attendance report is one of the most important reports in TaskMaster. It presents each student's testing requirements and their attendance for the current cycle in a report that may be posted so students may easily check their attendance and testing eligibility status without asking staff or instructors. The report displays the following for each student on the list:

• Name of each active student who has attendance during the current cycle; an (E) after a name indicates the student has an expired instructor certification.
• Rank.
• Date of rank.
• Time in rank.
  • Minimum months in rank needed to be eligible to test.
  • Current months in rank up to the report cutoff date
• Attendance credits
  • For color belts:
    • Minimum attendance credits that must earned during current cycle to be eligible to test. 
    • Attendance credits accumulated in this cycle up to and including the cutoff date.
  • For black belts:
    • Minimum attendance credits that must earned in current rank to be eligible to test. Black belts must earn at least 16 credits in current cycle.
    • Number of attendance credits earned since the date of rank. Must earn at least the minimum required before the student's testing date.
    • Number of attendance credits earned in the 6 months prior to the current cycle's test date. Must earn at least the minimum credits as set by the program requirements before the student's testing date. If testing nationally, the student's test date may be on a different date than the cycle test date.