Sub•poe•na

verb (used with object). Summoning of witnesses or the submission of evidence (records/documents), before a court or other deliberative body. All teachers are issued a subpoena (of sorts) by administrators each day when they submit attendance. Submitting attendance is not just a “good idea” or simply a “guideline” –it’s the law! The law applies to substitute teachers as well. School districts have an added financial incentive because it affects the amount of funding they receive based on their “ADM” (or “average daily membership”). see www.ed.gov/

By law a substitute teacher needs to be conscience of two irreducible imperatives: 1) Taking attendance and 2) Maintain order/safety in the classroom (which includes being able to give account for the whereabouts of all students marked present in your room). Realistically, there are few substitutes (or human beings for that matter) who can do this without fumbling a few balls every once in a while (schools have contingency systems which operate on that assumption). Here are a few ideas that have helped me improve my own accuracy more consistently:
1) First, if your at the same site or even the same school district work at learning first names (don’t allow yourself the luxury of engaging in the “stink think” of leaning on the crutch of an excuse that “you’re just bad with names”). In the words of the great philosopher “Oscar Mayer” – baloney! You can do it. Believing you “can” and, at the very least, you will increase your ability to do so dramatically.
2) Wait till halfway through class to take attendance. Hang on! Before changing the channel (I can hear administrators crying “foul” at this point) let me explain how this can help not only in submitting more accurate attendance records but also as a strategy in classroom management (keep in mind that most administrators have spent little if any time in a real classroom and those who do have actual classroom experience haven't been in a classroom since the 20th century):
A. First, taking attendance later in the period affords you more time to engage in “heads-up”, civic skills (eye contact, greeting, observing, etc.). While greeting students I will actually begin to utilize a little behavioral profiling and observe things like, volume, posturing, high-energy, verbiage, etc. But for this to really work, you need to listen carefully for names (try “first” names initially). If you suspect a student might be a problem later, circle their name on your attendance sheet. Later if that individual doesn’t settle down and becomes a behavioral challenge you can say their name with personal authority ---adding a little more edge to your attempt to redirect. I have found that 90% of the time it will catch the student off guard and they will comply –because you’ve got their name. *I employ this utility more often with well behaved students employing my own shorthand to indicate “awesome students” (i.e. help with attendance, fetched a text book for another student, picked up trash). Give the good kids more ink then the mischievous ones.
B. Allows you to direct students to assigned work quicker and most of us know that getting (and keeping) students on task quickly may be the most important step in preventing behavioral challenges.
C. Often students who may be absent at the beginning of class end up coming in late and if you had already taken attendance you may have to interrupt the flow of teaching to correct. If you wait, you’ll probably not have to make any adjustments.
D. Document, document, document. If possible record electronically (be creative) in how you do this. But waiting until you can focus on recording may be better then trying to do when the rush of transition traffic will be at its peak. Remember in most school districts subs are “at will” employees -meaning that employers can let you go or block you from a school for no reason whatsoever. The flip side of that coin is that a sub can also choose to end employment "at will" -anytime for any reason.

Caution: Regardless of how you do it, you must remember to take attendance --that's not negotiable. In the schools I serve in I will usually take attendance at the top of the hour (marks the approximate halfway point) during a regular bell schedule.