Attendance and Enrollment Information
Contact: Dianne Bittermann
900/990 Hour Requirement Information (Effective Beginning with the 2018-19 School Year)Latest Attendance News
05-24-2022
180 Days and Cancelled U.S. History Regents Exam
The Department has cancelled the June U.S. History Regents exam, scheduled June 1, 2022. For state aid purposes, the days on which the Regents exams were previously scheduled to be held will operate like any day during the school year without a Regents exam. Instructional time will count towards the minimum hourly requirement and session days will count towards the statutory 180 day minimum. Districts planning to excuse grades seven through twelve on these days may continue to do so, provided that the district meets the 180 day and minimum hourly requirements exclusive of this time.
04-27-2022
Emergency Declarations Cancelling Session Days
12-22-2021
180 Days and Cancelled January Regents Exams
The Department has cancelled January Regents exams. For state aid purposes, the days on which the Regents exams were previously scheduled to be held will operate like any day during the school year without a Regents exam. Instructional time will count towards the minimum hourly requirement and session days will count towards the statutory 180 day minimum. Districts planning to excuse grades seven through twelve on these days may continue to do so, provided that the district meets the 180 day and minimum hourly requirements exclusive of this time.
09-23-2021
Waivers for Minimum Instructional Hour Requirements
Waivers for minimum instructional hour requirements will be available in the SAMS calendar collection.
09-23-2021
The Office of State Aid has posted a list of Frequently Asked Questions about attendance, including information regarding instructional hours and session days for state aid purposes.
09-02-2021
School District Schedules Impacted by Storm Damage
The "snow day" pilot, extended for the 2021-22 school year, enables districts to provide "remote instruction on what would otherwise be a day of school closure due to weather and non-weather emergencies." The pilot may be utilized if (1) the district would otherwise need to close, and (2) the closure would be caused by an emergency.
Districts that would otherwise cancel previously scheduled session days due to an emergency may utilize the pilot whether those days fall at the beginning of the school year or later on. The pilot is not limited to cold weather emergencies. High winds, heavy rain, and flooding may qualify as an emergency, depending on local conditions. For more information on this pilot, see the memo extending this pilot.
In addition, Education Law allows for the Commissioner to disregard any day or days on which (1) session had been previously scheduled, and (2) the superintendent was required to close the school or schools due to a properly executed declaration of a state or local state of emergency.
Districts that are required to close schools due to a state or local emergency declaration should follow the process outlined in the April 2021 memo to avoid future reductions in state aid for shortfalls in session resulting from these closures.
A reminder that pursuant to education law §215 and Commissioners’ Regulation 155.17(f), all districts must complete “Report of School Closure” forms when buildings are closed and “Report of School Re-Opening” when the buildings re-open. This requirement applies when a school avails itself of the remote instructional pilot or is required to close by an emergency declaration, as described above. For more information on these forms, please see the Student Support Services memo from September 2020.
08-05-2021
Session Prior to September 1
Education Law §3205(1)(c) provides that students are required to attend full time instruction beginning with the first day of September in which school is in session. Instruction provided before students are required to attend cannot be counted towards the instructional minimum requirement of 180-days. Per Commissioners Regulation §175.5(h), districts may hold superintendents conferences in the last two weeks of August. Up to four of these superintendent conferences will count toward the 180-day requirement. Districts scheduling at least 180 days of session between September 1 and Regents Rating Day may schedule supplemental session days prior to September 1.
05-12-2021
Remote Snow Day Pilot for 2021-22 School Year
Continuing the Department’s ongoing efforts to provide districts with flexibility in meeting local needs during the pandemic, the Department has continued the snow day pilot. This pilot may allow school districts to pivot to remote instruction on what would otherwise be a day of school closure due to a snow emergency.
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Scheduling a Superintendent’s Conference Day after the June 2021 Regents Examination Period
04-29-2021
180 Day Requirement Compliance for the 2020-21 School Year
This memorandum provides additional information to school district officials about reporting minimum instructional time requirements, including instructions for reporting days and minimum instructional hours for the 2020-21 school year to the Office of State Aid.
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Juneteenth 2021-22 School Year Calendar Planning
General Construction Law §24 provides rules for holiday observance: Section 24 stipulates that any holiday that falls on a Sunday is observed on the Monday after. For example, Juneteenth falls on Sunday, June 19 in 2022, and will be observed on Monday the 20th. The law does not require that holidays falling on a Saturday are observed on a Friday. In 2021, June 19 falls on a Saturday, so districts are not obligated to close for this holiday.
The 2021 regents examination notice specifies that no exams were scheduled on Friday, June 18, 2021 “to allow for the weekday observance of the Juneteenth holiday.” Friday, June 18 is still an allowable session day, so it is up to the discretion of the district to close in observance or not.
09-08-2020
Remote Snow Day Pilot for 2020-21 School Year
As part of the Department’s ongoing efforts to provide districts with flexibility in meeting local needs during the pandemic, the Department is establishing a one-year pilot to enable school districts, at district option, and consistent with each district’s re-opening educational plan, to pivot to remote instruction to provide continuity of instruction on what would otherwise be a day of school closure due to a snow emergency. This pilot is in effect for the 2020-21 school year, after which the Department will review the outcome of the pilot in determining whether to continue this flexibility in subsequent school years.
09-03-2020
Districts may now submit COVID-19 Minimum Instructional Time Waivers in SAMS 2020-2021 Claim Year. For the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years, school districts may apply for a waiver from the minimum instructional hour requirement if, as a result of an Executive Order(s) of the Governor pursuant to the State of emergency declared for the COVID-19 crisis, or pursuant to Education Law 11 §3604(8), as amended by Chapter 107 of the Laws of 2020, or reopening procedures implemented as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, the district is unable to meet the requirement in either or both school years.
Districts may now submit 2019-2020 School Year Calendars in SAMS 2020-2021 Claim Year.2019-20 School Year Model Calendar (
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2019-20 COVID Closure Reporting ( 84 KB)
03-31-2020
Clarification on 180-day Requirements in Light of Executive Orders 3/30/2020. For further questions regarding the 180 day requirement, please email 180days@nysed.gov. More information and guidance for other State Education program areas can be found on SED’s Coronavirus (COVID-19) information page(s).