Course Information

On this page:

Define scheduling preferences for each course in your course catalog. These preferences control how PowerSchool builds your master schedule.

The process the system uses to schedule students for courses is similar to the process of constructing a wall of bricks. The master schedule is the wheelbarrow of available bricks. Each brick used to build the walls is a course section in your course catalog. A good master schedule will have enough bricks of appropriate shapes and sizes to build solid walls for every student.

Building walls without gaps requires that the bricks all fit together. If your bricks come in different shapes, this can be a challenge. For example, a course that meets every day and all year long will have a very different shape from another course that meets every other day for one semester. Building a wall with all types of bricks requires that the wheelbarrow (master schedule) contain the right variety of bricks (course sections) from which to choose.

Course Scheduling Setup

For each course, define its shape or build type. You must also define sections, room requirements, load options, and substitute information.

Define Scheduling Preferences

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler under Applications.
2. Under Resources, choose Courses.
3. Click the name of the course you want to work with from the courses menu.
4. Do one of the following:
   
   1. • Choose Preferences.
      • Click Preferences.

5. Use the following table to enter information in the fields:
   
   

   

   The following descriptions are only for fields that require special considerations.

   Field	Description
   Course Credit Hours	Displays the number of credits that are set in the district course record. This is the value that is used in the live side of PowerSchool to determine what students receive for taking this course.
   Request Screen Credits Hours	Enter the number of credits to be displayed on the course requests screens in PowerScheduler. For more information about course requests screens, see Student Course Request Pages. This value does not copy to the district course record on the live side of PowerSchool. This is meant primarily to accommodate scheduling processes that use adjusted values. For example, if .5 is entered as the credit class value, 1 is used as the credit on the request screens because the schedule is being built as a yearlong class, but before the commit process, the system will use the split year-long classes function.
   Credit Type	The type of credit a student receives for passing this course appears, such as MATH, ENG, or FINE.
   CIP Code	In some states, schools use CIP codes to identify courses as part of a state-managed vocational program.
   Schedule This Course	Select to schedule this course in the master schedule.
   Use The Course For Lunch	Select to indicate that this course will be used exclusively for scheduled lunches. For more information, refer to Scheduled Lunch.
   Department	Click Associate to select the department to which this course belongs. Click Department to create a new department or edit an existing one.
   Build Type	Build types define the shape of a course. Choose one of the following options: Standard: This course meets for the same number of periods every time it meets. For example, a course that meets every day for one period is standard. A course that meets for one period every other day is also standard. Lab: This is a standard course that meets for the same number of consecutive extra periods on certain days in the cycle. For example, a standard Chemistry course meets every day in a six-day cycle (Days A-F). Two days in the cycle, the class meets for two consecutive periods to complete an involved laboratory assignment. LabFloat: This is a standard course that meets extra periods some days in the cycle, but the extra period is not consecutive to the course. For example, a Humanities course meets every day in a six-day cycle. One day during the cycle, the students attend a two-period lab in which they complete a community service assignment. The community service assignment does not have to occur directly before or after the Humanities course.
   Target Number of Sections to Offer	Enter the number of sections to offer for this course. To calculate this number automatically, you can use one of the following functions: the Calculate Target Number of Sections to Offer function, the Auto Fill Course Information function, or the Auto Generate Course Information function.
   Number of Teacher Assignments	Enter the number of teacher assignments for this course. For example, if the school decides to offer four sections of Algebra, the engine requires that four teacher assignments are defined. As a result, Teacher A will have an assignment for one section, Teacher B will have an assignment for two sections, and Teacher C will have an assignment for one section, totaling four teacher assignments. This tells the Scheduling Engine that four sections of Algebra must be built and also tells the Engine who must teach those sections. Only Build and Load scenarios allow for teacher assignments. Load Only scenarios do not use teacher assignments.
   Periods Per Cycle	The number of periods this course meets in the cycle appears. This number could be greater than or less than the number of days in the cycle. For example, a course could have a value of 4 in the Periods Per Cycle field for a school with a two-day-per-cycle schedule. This course meets for two periods during each day in the cycle. Another way to express periods per cycle is: Periods per meeting * Frequency + Lab Periods per meeting * Lab frequency = Periods per cycle.
   Frequency	The number of days this course meets during a cycle appears. For example, Senior Gym is held A day and B-day. Therefore, the frequency is 2. It is important to understand that the frequency of a course is not related to the number of periods it meets within a given cycle.
   Terms per Year	The number of terms per year this course meets appears. This value is automatically calculated. For example, Introduction to Art has a Terms Per Year value of 1. This means that a section of this course only meets for a single term. However, Freshman English has a Terms Per Year value of 4, which means this course meets all four terms in the year. Terms Per Year are related to the number of terms you set in the build scenario. Remember that the Terms Per Year value equals the lowest common denominator (LCD) of all scheduling terms. For example, if a school has trimesters, semesters, and quarters, the LCD is 12. For a semester course, the Terms Per Year value would be 6, or half of the schedule terms; a trimester course would have a Terms Per Year value of 4, and a quarterly course would have a Terms Per Year value of 3.
   Allow Student Repeats in the Same Term	Select to allow the system to schedule a student in more than one section of this course in the same term. For example, occasionally students need to double-up on a course within the same term. This is usually done for elective courses, such as Work Release.
   Allow Student Repeats in Different Terms	Select to allow the system to schedule a student in more than one section of this course in different terms. Use this option for either academic or elective courses.
   Balance Terms	For courses with more than one section, select if you want the system to attempt to place an equal number of sections in each valid term. For example, a course consisting of 13 sections is only offered during Term 1 and Term 3 in a four-term year. Therefore, the system schedules seven sections in one term and six sections in the other.
   Valid Start Periods	Select next to the appropriate periods to determine in which periods the course is valid to start. For example, if you want a course that has two periods per meeting to start any period except 6 or 7 in a seven-period day, select the checkboxes next to Period 1, Period 2, Period 3, Period 4, and Period 5.
   Valid Terms	Click Associate to select the terms this course can meet. For example, assume you want the system to schedule a half-year course in the fall of a four-term school year. Select S1 (first semester) as the only valid term for this course.
   Valid Day Combinations	Enter the valid days that this course can meet. For example, if a teacher is available to teach a course only on the B-day of an AB schedule, enter B. Click Day to add or edit a day. Enclose multiple entries in parentheses and separate multiple entries with commas, such as (A, B). Use dashes to indicate day combinations, such as (A-C).
   Valid Lab Day Combinations	Click Associate to select the valid days that this lab can meet. Click Day to add or edit a day. Enclose multiple entries in parentheses and separate multiple entries with commas, such as (A, B).
   Facilities	Click Associate to select the special facilities this course requires. For example, a facility could be a piano, biology lab, or woodshop. If you define a facility here, the system schedules this course in a room that contains that facility. Click Facilities to add or edit a facility.
   Load Priority	Enter a numerical value of 1 to 99 (1 being the highest priority) to prioritize in which course the system should schedule a student when a conflict between two of the student's requests arises. You can enter the same load priority number for several courses. For example, enter a load priority of 10 for all academic courses to ensure that students are loaded into these courses first, 20 for academic electives, and 30 for non-academic electives. If this course has a Section Link constraint associated with it, you may want to give it the highest load priority to prevent the section link from being broken.
   Load Type	Choose whether this is an Academic, Elective, or Alternate course. The system uses this classification to balance the types of courses in which the student is scheduled during a schedule term. For example, if your school's scheduling terms are semesters, the system does not schedule the student in all elective courses in the first semester and all academic courses in the second semester.
   Balance Priority	Set a secondary priority for the course when loading student schedules. The primary priority is determined by the load priority field. The following settings create an additional priority. For example, if you choose Grade, the system not only attempts to keep an equal number of students in each section but also an equal number from all grade levels. The default setting for loading students into the master schedule is Section. Choose one of the following options to ensure a balance of students in each section (optional): Section: When loading students into sections, the system always attempts to keep an even number of students among sections. Gender: Balanced number of males and females in each section. Grade: Balanced number of students from each grade level within each section. EthnicCode: Balanced number of students with different ethnic codes within each section. House: Balanced number of members from each house within each section.
   Use Pre-Established Teams	Select if you want the system to reference teams when scheduling students for this course.
   Close Section After Max	Select if you want the system to stop scheduling students in a section of this course after the enrollment reaches the number you defined in the Maximum Enrollment field.
   Use Section Types	Select if you want the system to schedule courses according to section types. For more information about section types, refer to Section Types.
   Don't Allow Student Substitutions	Select if you do not want the system to attempt to schedule a student in alternate courses if this course is full.
   Global Substitution 1	Click Associate to select the first course substitution you want the system to schedule for every student who cannot be scheduled in this course.
   Global Substitution 2	Click Associate to select the second course substitution you want the system to schedule for every student who cannot be scheduled in this course. The system will use this substitution if Global Substitution 1 is no longer available.
   Global Substitution 3	Click Associate to select the third course substitution you want the system to schedule for every student who cannot be scheduled in this course. The system will use this substitution if Global Substitution 2 is no longer available.

6. Click Submit.

Define Related Courses

For each course, you can define related courses. The system uses these course relationships when building the schedule. Relate courses to alert the system that it must consider other courses when determining the best place for a course in the master schedule.

For example, if a teacher can instruct multiple special education courses at one time in the same room, you can relate the courses so that the system knows it is possible to do so.

If you define a relationship for a course with another course, you do not have to define the relationship for both courses. But, you can define the relationship for both courses so that it is easy to identify this relationship regardless of which course you are viewing.

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler under Applications.
2. Under Resources, choose Courses.
3. Click the name of the course you want to work with from the courses menu.
4. Do one of the following:
   
   1. • Choose Relationships.
      • Click Relationships.
5. Click New.

6. Use the following table to enter information in the fields:

   Field	Description
   Course Number	Click Associate to select the number of the course for which you want to define a relationship.
   Relationship Type	Choose one of the following options: Is Blocked for Building With: This relationship type is used for building a master schedule. Courses that must be related to one another in the schedule. For example, you may want pottery to be scheduled before or after ceramics so that they can share a hot kiln. Alternatively, a medieval literature class may follow a medieval history class. May Be Built Concurrent With: This relationship type is used for building a master schedule. Courses that can meet at the same time, in the same place, and be taught by the same teacher. For example, a special education teacher might have a class of ten students, three of whom are taking remedial reading and the remainder of whom study remedial vocabulary and spelling. When two courses are blocked simultaneously and share the same teachers, there is no need to add a concurrent relationship between the two courses. Also, the PowerScheduler engine propagates concurrent relationships amongst courses that share a concurrent relationship. For example, if Course A has a concurrent relationship with Course B and Course B has a concurrent relationship with Course C, there is no need to add a concurrent relationship between Course A and Course C. Has a Load Coreq of: Two courses that are scheduled during the same term of a student's schedule. The term of one section must be the same as or a subsection of the term of the other section. For example, if one of the courses is scheduled in Semester 1, then the other may be Semester 1, Trimester 1, or Quarter 1 or Quarter 2. Though a Trimester 2 course overlaps a Semester 1 course, the courses cannot have a "coreq" relationship type. Has a Load Postreq of: A course that must be in a student's schedule in a term after the related course. The course you associate using the Course Number field will be scheduled after the currently selected course. The term of the first section must end before the term of the second section begins. For example, Course B is a post-requisite of Course A. When the system schedules a student for these courses, it ensures that Course B is scheduled into a term after the student is scheduled for Course A. Has a Load Prereq of: A course that must be in a student's schedule in a term before the related course. The course you associate using the Course Number field must be scheduled before the currently selected course. The term of the first section must start after the term of the second section ends. For example, Course A is a prerequisite of Course B. When the system schedules a student for these courses, it ensures that Course A is scheduled into a term before the student is scheduled for Course B. Must Not Load Coreq With: The courses cannot be scheduled in the same term or sub-term. For example, if Course A is scheduled for Semester 1, then Course B may be scheduled for Trimester 2 or Trimester 3 but not Trimester 1. This relationship is bi-directional; that is, if you indicate that Course A "Must Not Load Coreq With" Course B, then Course B is automatically set to "Not Load Coreq With" Course A. Must Load Distinct (no term overlap) With: The courses cannot load into overlapping terms. For example, if Course A is scheduled for Semester 1, then Course B may be scheduled for Trimester 3 but not Trimester 1 or Trimester 2. This is also a bi-directional relationship type. Must Load the Term After: The course must load in the next term. For example, if Course A is scheduled for Quarter 1, then Course B may be scheduled in Quarter 2 but not Quarters 1, 3, or 4. Likewise, if Course A is scheduled for Semester 1, then Course B may be scheduled in Quarter 3 or Semester 2. To indicate the reverse of this relationship type, see the "Must Load the Term Before" option. Must Load the Term Before: The course must load in the previous term. For example, if Course A is scheduled for Quarter 3, then Course B may be scheduled in Quarter 2 but not Quarters 1, 3, or 4. To indicate the reverse of this relationship type, see the "Must Load the Term After" option. Note: Coreq, Postreq, and Prereq only relate to the current scheduling year. The system does not check historical data for previous courses.
   Relationship Code	If you selected a relationship type of Block, you must define a relationship code. Choose one of the following options: Simultaneous: The blocked course must be scheduled at the same time as the current course. If the same teacher instructs both courses, they must also be concurrent. Simultaneously blocked courses can have different attributes, such as numbers of sections, different frequencies, and different teachers. The courses can be scheduled at the same time with different teachers in different rooms. The PowerScheduler engine propagates simultaneous relationships amongst courses that share a simultaneous relationship and have the same number of sections. For example, if Course A is blocked simultaneously with Course B, Course B is blocked simultaneously with Course C, and courses A, B, and C have the same number of sections, there is no need to add a simultaneous block relationship between Course A and Course C. Before or After: The blocked course must be scheduled either before or after the current course. Before: The selected course must be scheduled before the course you associate using the Course Number field. The blocked course selected in the Course Number field must be scheduled after the current course. After: The selected course must be scheduled after the course you associate using the Course Number field. The blocked course selected in the Course Number field must be scheduled before the current course. Different Terms: Two courses occur on the same days and periods, but in different terms. Combine Into: Combine courses that have different student requests but have the same teacher and the same attributes, such as frequency, periods per meeting, valid start periods, and number of sections. Since the PowerScheduler engine processes combined courses as a single course, select an "anchor" course in the Course Number field from which you can combine additional courses. For example, a combined block relationship is applied to English I, English II, English III, which are all are taught by the same teacher but were requested by different students. Those three courses will be scheduled at the same time with the same teacher in the same room. When editing course relationships for English II and English III, associated English I as the anchor course for each combined relationship. Opposite Days: Two courses occur during the same period and term but on alternate days. Section: The blocked course must have the same students in each section as the current course. For example, all students in section 1 of the blocked course must be in section 1 of the current course.

7. Click Submit.

Calculate Target Number of Sections to Offer

Use the Calculate Target Number of Sections to Offer page if you want the system to calculate the recommended number of sections to offer for each course in the current catalog. When calculating the number of sections to offer for each course, PowerScheduler divides the total number of primary requests for that course by the maximum enrollment per section. Any remainders in this calculation are rounded up to provide the necessary number of sections for the number of requests. For example, if 215 students request a Biology course and the maximum number of students in each section is 25, the system calculates a need for 9 sections of Biology.

Before you continue, you must enter a value in the Maximum Enrollment field on the Course Information page. For more information, see Define Scheduling Preferences.

Calculate Target Number of Sections to Offer

The Calculate Target Number of Sections to Offer function calculates the recommended number of sections to offer for each course in the current catalog, based upon the number of course requests, the course maximum enrollment, and whether students may repeat the class in a given school year. Be sure to enter scheduling preferences for all of your courses before using this function. For more information, see Define Scheduling Preferences.

To select a group of courses, navigate to PowerScheduler and select Functions. Choose Update Selections, then ScheduleCourseCatalog from the Current Table. Click Select Records by Hand and Hold down the COMMAND key to make multiple selections. Then Submit.

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler under Applications.
2. Under Tools, choose Functions.
3. Click Calculate Target Number of Sections to Offer.
4. Do one of the following:
   • Select All courses to perform the function for all courses.
   • Select Selected courses to perform the function for a selected group of courses.
5. Click Submit.