VCA Virtual measures attendance in weekly engagement, not daily seat-time. Because online learning is asynchronous and flexible, a scholar's "school day" looks nothing like a traditional schedule. This policy reflects that reality while preserving objective, defensible accountability.
Contents
1. Scope & Effective Date
This policy governs attendance, attendance documentation, truancy enforcement, and academic discipline for all scholars enrolled at Victory Christian Academy — Virtual Program, including families enrolled through the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program (WPCP), Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP), Racine Parental Choice Program (RPCP), and Special Needs Scholarship Program (SNSP).
Effective date: First day of instruction, 2026–27 school year. Until that date, the existing weekly-attestation framework continues to govern attendance.
2. Track 1 — Legal Attendance
Track 1 produces the state-reportable attendance count. It is objective, identical for every family, and computed automatically from observable data. Track 1 is the basis for any truancy referral or attendance-related legal action.
2.1 Three-tier verification for a school week
Attendance for a school week (Sunday through Saturday) is verified through three layers. Compliance is judged on all three layers taken together — never any one layer alone. Tier 1 is the primary determination; Tiers 2 and 3 are captured every week for every scholar and are used to verify it.
- Tier 1 — Parent Attestation. The weekly parent or guardian declaration of instructional hours.
- Tier 2 — Login & Engagement Verification. LMS logins, session attendance, and activity logs from Virtue LMS, Great Hearts Online, Wisconsin Virtual School, and IXL.
- Tier 3 — Completion Audit. Assignment submissions, assessment completion, and work product review.
Each Monday the Academic Coach and Virtual Administrator cross-reference the attestation against Tier 2 and Tier 3 data, flag any inconsistency, and initiate clarification outreach before attendance is finalized in Infinite Campus.
Tier 1 — Parent Attestation
The parent or legal guardian submits the weekly attestation form by Sunday at 11:59 p.m. affirming that the scholar engaged in meaningful school activity during the week, consistent with VCA Virtual's expected weekly hours of engagement (approximately 32 hours in grades 1–6, 35 hours in grades 7–12, consistent with §8).
A submitted attestation = 5 days present for the week.
Tier 2 — Login & Engagement Verification
Every week, for every scholar, VCA records the unique days the scholar logged in to any approved learning platform (Virtue LMS, Great Hearts Online, Wisconsin Virtual School, IXL). This record is captured whether or not an attestation is submitted. Where no attestation is submitted, or where an attestation cannot be substantiated, the login day-count below governs.
| Unique login days | Days present | Days absent (unexcused) |
|---|---|---|
| 5 or more | 5 | 0 |
| 4 | 4 | 1 |
| 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 2 | 2 | 3 |
| 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 0 | 0 | 5 |
3. Track 2 — Academic Integrity
Track 2 addresses a different question: is real learning happening? A scholar may be legally PRESENT every week of the year (Track 1) and still be placed on academic intervention if their work product, completion rate, or quality fall below academic expectations.
Track 2 is never reported as truancy. It is the school's internal mechanism for ensuring educational quality and is governed by a separate consequence ladder (see §6 below).
3.1 What Track 2 evaluates
- Assignment completion rate (LMS gradebook)
- Quality of submitted work (teacher feedback)
- Sync class participation and engagement
- Whether parent attestation patterns are corroborated by observable evidence
- Grade trajectory and standardized assessment outcomes
- Whether 5-day login patterns produce meaningful academic output
3.2 Track 2 trigger criteria
- Failing two or more courses
- Less than 50% assignment completion across four consecutive weeks
- Persistent pattern of Tier 2 logins with no work product
- Persistent pattern of Tier 1 attestations with no Tier 2 or Tier 3 corroboration
- Documented teacher concern about quality or engagement
4. Excused Absences
Unexcused absent days (from Track 1) may be reclassified as excused when the parent submits documentation within seven (7) days of the absence. Excused categories include:
- Illness (parent note for 1–2 days; doctor note for 3+ consecutive)
- Medical, dental, or therapy appointments
- Family emergency or bereavement
- Religious observance
- Court appearance or legal obligation
- Pre-approved family travel (advance notice to Academic Coach)
- Weather, utility, or technology emergency affecting the household
- Mental health day (up to 2 per semester per Wis. Stat. § 118.15(3)(c) update)
Excused absences do not count toward truancy thresholds. They are documented in the scholar's file.
5. Truancy Thresholds & Escalation
Cumulative unexcused-absent days from Track 1, counted per school year:
| Cumulative unexcused days | VCA action | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Academic Coach contacts family, written first notice, attendance review meeting offered | Wis. Stat. § 118.16(1m) habitual-truant trigger |
| 10 | Formal truancy notice, written attendance plan signed by parent, weekly Coach check-ins for four weeks | Wis. Stat. § 118.16 + VCA policy |
| 15 | Virtual Administrator + Principal meeting with family, enrollment review | VCA policy |
| 20 | Truancy referral to county designee per § 118.16(5); potential disenrollment | Wis. Stat. § 118.16(5) |
6. Academic Discipline Ladder (Track 2)
When Track 2 trigger criteria are met, the academic discipline ladder runs separately from truancy:
| Level | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Academic Coach outreach + informal intervention plan |
| 2 | Parent meeting + formal written learning plan |
| 3 | Academic Probation — quarterly review by Virtual Administrator |
| 4 | Enrollment review — potential non-renewal for the following school year |
7. Advanced Pacing & Exceptions
A scholar who consistently completes their full week of expected work in fewer than the suggested hours is recognized academically, not penalized. A scholar may be designated "Advanced Pacing" when all of the following are documented for four or more consecutive weeks:
- 95% or higher of weekly expected work marked complete in LMS
- 90% or higher on cumulative grades
- No teacher concerns logged
- Weekly parent attestation submitted
Designation is approved by the Virtual Administrator, reviewed quarterly, and documented in the scholar's file. Once designated, the scholar's reduced hours are recognized rather than penalized. Tier 2 login records and Tier 3 completion data continue to be captured every week without exception, and the academic integrity track confirms continued performance.
8. Statutory Authority
Compulsory Attendance. Wis. Stat. § 118.15 requires children ages 6 through 18 to attend a qualifying school regularly. This policy operationalizes that requirement for virtual instruction.
Truancy. Wis. Stat. § 118.16 defines a "habitual truant" as a pupil absent from school without an acceptable excuse for part or all of five or more days in a school semester. Track 1 thresholds align with this framework.
Local Virtual Attendance Policy. Neither Wis. Stat. § 118.60 nor Wis. Admin. Code ch. PI 48 prescribes a single method for determining that a pupil is in attendance for virtual instruction. DPI Training 9-3 states that “[t]here are multiple options for taking attendance in virtual (digital, analog, synchronous, asynchronous, or hybrid) instructional settings,” introduces its list with “Examples of how to do so may include,” and names regular weekly check-ins with parents or guardians among them. Training 9-3 further states that “[t]here is no special flexibility needed for schools to count students who are being served with virtual or blended instructional models on or around the count date.” This Policy is VCA Virtual's written method under that framework.
Choice Program Compliance. For families enrolled through MPCP, WPCP, RPCP, or SNSP, this Policy supports DPI audit documentation under PI 35 and PI 48, including count-day enrollment verification (3rd Friday September, 2nd Friday January) and the annual Hours of Instruction Report (due May 1).
Count Dates. On each count date (the 3rd Friday in September and the 2nd Friday in January), VCA records attendance for that specific calendar day for every Choice scholar. The count-date record is originated by the scholar's Teacher of Record — the Great Hearts Online, Wisconsin Virtual School, or VCA teacher actually delivering instruction — and is entered into Infinite Campus, VCA's student information system, as the official attendance record. It is supported by the Tier 2 login record for that date and by a teacher-originated classroom record (gradebook entry or graded submission with teacher feedback) retained for audit. Parent attestation corroborates but does not substitute for the count-date record. Pupils not in attendance on the count date are counted only if they attended at least one day before and one day after the count date within the same school year and were not enrolled in another school or a home-based private educational program during the absence.
9. Parent Obligations & Acknowledgment
By enrolling a scholar in VCA Virtual, the parent or legal guardian agrees to:
- Submit the weekly attestation by Sunday at 11:59 p.m.
- Notify the Academic Coach of any absence of three or more consecutive school days in advance when possible
- Submit excused-absence documentation within seven days of the absence
- Cooperate with intervention if the truancy or academic discipline ladders are triggered
- Acknowledge that false attestations may be treated as enrollment fraud and grounds for disenrollment
- Acknowledge that VCA reserves the right to verify any attestation through scholar conversation, work product review, or family contact
Last updated: 2026-05-28. Effective: First day of instruction, 2026–27 school year. Questions? Contact Monique Barrios, Virtual Administrator, at mbarrios@vcaschool.org.