---
title: Attention rules — concepts
category: student-management
order: 5
lastUpdated: 2026-06-08
featureAvailability: GA
planRequirements: [Growth, Pro, District]
roles: [admin, facilitator]
navigationPath: Administration → Attention rules
serverFunctions: [listAttentionRules, upsertAttentionRule]
auditActions: [attention_rule_upsert]
relatedArticles: [reporting/attention-rules, student-management/student-records, cases/follow-ups]
---

## At a glance

- **Who uses it:** Admins configuring rules; facilitators consuming the resulting flags.
- **Purpose:** Conceptual overview of attention rules — what they are and how they surface in the app. For configuration steps, see the reference article in Reporting.

## What an attention rule is

An attention rule is a configurable threshold that flags a student as **needs attention** when it trips. Flags appear on:

- The student profile.
- The case header (if a case is open for that student).
- The **Needs attention** filter on the student list.
- The daily digest (if subscribed).

## What flags exist

AmplifyED ships with rules for common signals:

- **Inactivity** — no case activity for X days on an active case.
- **Missed follow-up** — a follow-up date that has passed without a new note.
- **Stale referral** — a referral sitting in the inbox longer than X days.

Available signals depend on your plan and on which data sources are wired up (LMS, SIS).

## How flags clear

A flag clears automatically when its underlying condition no longer holds — for example, a new note resets an inactivity flag.

## Why we use rules, not alerts

Rules surface in the app and digest; they do not page anyone. The intent is to keep the watch list visible during the regular workflow, not to interrupt people. For real-time interruptions, use the case follow-up mechanism instead.

[SCREENSHOT: student-needs-attention-list]
_Students → list view filtered to "Needs attention," showing 12 students with their flag reasons._

## Related articles

- [Attention rules — reference](/help/reporting/attention-rules)
- [Student records](/help/student-management/student-records)
- [Follow-ups](/help/cases/follow-ups)

## FAQ

**Are attention-rule flags audit-logged?**
The configuration of rules is audit-logged (`attention_rule_upsert`). The automatic firing of a flag is not — flags are derived state, not events.

**Can I write a custom rule?**
The shipped rules cover common K-12 signals. Custom rules can be scoped during onboarding for districts with specific MTSS frameworks.