Revised Policy Regarding Student Absence Limits
To:
From:
Re:
Date:
AMDA Students
Education Department
Revised Policy Regarding Student Absence Limits
10/05/15
For quite some time there have been many questions regarding AMDA’s current student absence limits
(current policy: 5 absences before a student reaches “course failure”) and the impact those excessive
absences take, especially as relating to courses that meet less than three (3) times per week. The policy
was impacting classroom standards and not effectively preparing students to meet highly demanding
industry expectations.
Thanks to student feedback, input from key faculty, and thoughtful dialog on best practices, AMDA is
pleased to provide faculty and students with a revised policy. This revised policy is designed to blend
current and previous policies into one that is balanced, fair and aligned with AMDA’s mission of modeling
professional industry standards and expectations.
Effective at the start of the Fall 2015 semester, limits regarding student absences will now correlate to
the number of times per week a course meets. Based on the frequency of class meetings for a given
course, AMDA has established a maximum number of absences. This revised policy models industry
standards; reflecting that productions, rehearsals, and/or classes with fewer total meetings or occurring in
a more condensed time frame, carry greater responsibility with regard to attendance.
The table below illustrates the correlation between the number of weekly class meetings per course and
the effect of total cumulative absences:
Weekly class meetings per course
Absences resulting in course failure
Maximum of 4 absences.
Three (3) or more class meetings per week
Fifth [5th] absence will result in a failed grade*
Maximum of 3 absences.
Two (2) class meetings per week
Fourth [4th] absence will result in a failed grade*
Maximum of 2 absences.
One (1) class meeting per week
Third [3rd] absence will result in a failed grade*
*Students who reach “failure status” are removed from the class roster and do not continue to
attend the class.
Discounted Absences: Absences due to extenuating circumstances (as defined under AMDA’s
Attendance Policy) may result in the Education Services Department classifying an absence as
“discounted”. The Education Services Department will notify faculty directly when this occurs and
advise instructors to “discount” the particular absence when calculating the total number of
cumulative absences as depicted in the chart above; however discounted absences may still
impact grades as related to points earned for daily class participation or with regard to fulfilling
minimum curricular requirements.
The complete Attendance policy will be included in all Fall 2015 Syllabi and the consolidated Catalog on
the AMDA website. Please be sure to review the entire policy at the start of the semester.
We appreciate everyone’s desire for the highest level of commitment within our professional training
programs.