Good!

4.2 update: The bar graph is amazing. At a glance I can see not only that a student was late once, but a readout of how bad attendance has been. I think even Edward Tufte would approve.

This is better at what it does than a Numbers spreadsheet or any other dedicated attendance app:

1. It is astoundingly easy to take roll.
2. Its also easy to email students individually, and to single out students who have missed class.
3. I count off a certain number of points for tardiness or absence, and the app allows me to set those values and find easy totals.
4. I can randomly select students and assign them to groups quickly.

Essentially, it does what it says on the tin, and it does it far better than the next best option--thats worth at least four stars, right? However, I have a few caveats:

1. Some options seem mutually exclusive, like the "Link with Dropbox" and "Unlink with Dropbox." Dont you need to display only one of those? Even so, the app is complex because it has to be complex--as a cluttered desk is said to be the hallmark of an active mind, I suppose an app cluttered with features is by definition "feature-rich." Certainly it is much closer to doing anything youd want it to than another app.

2. The attendance status is not aligned with the names. Its not a biggie, just odd.

3. Displays and reports of student attendance data are a little awkward and zoomed out, but theres a button right there, and pinch-to-zoom works.

4. No perfect sync between iPhone and iPad. Hopefully iOS 8’s iCloud improvements will make sync better. Even so, odds are that youre going to use this more on one device than another. Stick with that.

Allen Shull about Attendance2