CCLS HOUSTON ATTENDANCE POLICY FOR NON-INTENSIVE LANGUAGE PROGRAMS
This policy outlines CCLS Houston’s attendance requirements, expectations, and procedures to ensure that students maintain good standing and make satisfactory academic progress.
This policy applies to in-person and IDL students enrolling in non-intensive language programs.
Consistent attendance is essential for students to follow the sequence of instruction, build on previously learned material, and engage in ongoing interactive language practice that supports a comprehensive understanding and progression toward achieving fluency in the language.
PROGRAM LENGTH:
Students enrolled in non-intensive language programs sign up for less than 300 clock hours within each enrollment period.
MINIMUM ATTENDANCE
Students must attend at least 80% of their scheduled classes.
TRACKING ATTENDANCE
- Instructors record attendance every class in attendance logs and inform the Academic Coordinator if a student is absent for three consecutive days.
- The Academic Coordinator reviews attendance logs once every 2 weeks.
- Attendance logs are recorded in students’ files at the end of the course.
- Instructors remind students in class and inform the Academic Coordinator if they are at risk of not meeting the minimum attendance requirement.
- The Academic Coordinator monitors attendance and notifies students of their progress.
ABSENCES, TARDINESS AND EARLY DEPARTURES:
- T (Tardy): Student arrives 15–30 minutes late or leaves 15–30 minutes early.
- Six Tardy marks are equivalent to one absence.
- PA (Partial Attendance): student arrives more than 30 minutes late.
- Two Partial Attendance marks are equivalent to one absence.
- A student who misses 30% of the course hours consecutively (not counting school breaks) will be administratively withdrawn, unless they have an approved Leave of Absence.
EXCUSED ABSENCES:
Absences due to valid reasons, such as illness, family emergency, or other unavoidable circumstances, are considered excused, but still count as absences in attendance records.
Excused absences allow for make-up work or rescheduled exams.
GROUP CLASSES
- Absences in group classes are recorded, and missed sessions could be made up through a private class at the student’s expense.
- If ALL students agreed to reschedule the class and provided at least 24-hour’ notice, they will not be marked absent and class will be made up at no extra cost.
- Students authorized to join a group after the start date will have the total number of hours of course updated before the calculation of cumulative attendance.
PRIVATE CLASSES
- Missed, late cancellations, or no shows are marked as unexcused absences.
- If a private student rescheduled the class by providing their instructor with at least 24-hour’ notice, they will not be marked absent and the class will be made up at no extra cost.
SEMI-PRIVATE CLASSES
- Individual missed, late cancellations, or no shows are marked as unexcused absences.
- If BOTH students agreed to reschedule the class and provided their instructor with at least 24-hour’ notice, they will not be marked absent and class will be made up at no extra cost.
IDL CLASSES
- To be considered in attendance, students must be academically engaged, which requires meeting all of the following criteria: o
- Attending live synchronous sessions.
- Keeping both camera and microphone on throughout the session.
- Actively participating through verbal interaction with instructors and peers.
- The minimum attendance, absences, tardiness, make-up work, and tracking attendance procedures delineated in this policy apply to IDL classes.
MAKE-UP WORK
Absent students are encouraged to complete any missed work within one week of their return. While make-up work supports continued academic progress, it does not remove or reduce recorded absences. All make-up assignments must be comparable in content and instructional value to the material missed.
LEAVE OF ABSENCE
Students may request a Leave of Absence (LOA) for temporary interruptions in study, without affecting minimum attendance requirements.
CORPORATE TRAINING PROGRAMS
Corporate students enrolled under business-to-business (B2B) agreements are not subject to this policy. These training programs are customized based on employer requirements, and attendance is considered in accordance with the terms established in the corporate training agreement.
COMMUNICATION
This policy is communicated to students through the registration form at enrollment and is also posted on our website. Minimum attendance requirements are included in each syllabus and explained during the first class.
RELATED POLICIES
Refer to Satisfactory Progress Policy, Leave of Absence Policy, and Cancellation and Refund Policy.
This policy becomes effective during the second semester of 2025.
This policy is subject to periodic review and may be updated as necessary. Any updates must be approved by the President as specified in CCLS Houston’s Policy for Institutional Policy Development.
Updated: 07/02/25