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• The English Department recommends that instructors include a fair and clearly-worded attendance policy in all syllabi. Instructors should define an absence and emphasize the correlation between consistent attendance and success in the course.
• Instructors should not adopt any policy that draws a direct link between attendance and grades (i.e., “Five absences will result in a one letter grade reduction”). Instead, instructors might wish to consider assigning a significant number of participation points to each day's activities.
• According to Title 5, instructors may drop students for non-attendance or issue an FW (failure to withdraw) grade at the end of the semester. Syllabi might state, “Missing X classes may result in being dropped for non-attendance or receiving an FW grade.” 
• Instructors should make reasonable efforts to conference with students who are chronically absent before automatically dropping them.
• No matter how instructors phrase attendance policy, it should be enforced uniformly in each class.