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Load Only User Guide

PowerSchool

Student Information System

Load Only User Guide

Introduction

Document Properties

of Apple Computer, Inc. and is for reference only. It is not to be reproduced or

distributed in any way without the express written consent of Apple Computer,

Inc. Other brands and names are the property of their respective owners.

Owner

Technical Communication and Documentation

Last Updated

8/10/2004

Version

4.0

Please send comments, suggestions, or requests for this document to manuals@powerschool.com

Your feedback is appreciated.

Load Only User Guide

Introduction

Contents

Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................................... 5

Legend ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 6

Audience................................................................................................................................................................................ 6

Prepare to Load ............................................................................................................................................................... 7

When to Load Only Student Schedules ......................................................................................................................... 7

Load Only: Schedule Setup .......................................................................................................................................... 7

How to Define a Schedule Year and Terms................................................................................................. 7

How to Define a Day.............................................................................................................................................10

How to Create a Build Scenario.......................................................................................................................10

How to Copy the Master Schedule ................................................................................................................14

How to Delete the Master Schedule .............................................................................................................14

How to Verify Periods ...........................................................................................................................................15

How to Verify the Build Scenario ....................................................................................................................15

How to Move a Course Section .......................................................................................................................17

How to Map Periods..............................................................................................................................................19

Load Only: Course Information ................................................................................................................................20

How to Auto Generate Course Information ..............................................................................................20

How to Verify and Complete Course Information..................................................................................21

Load Only: Prepare Staff and Students ................................................................................................................24

How to Prepare Staff.............................................................................................................................................24

How to Prepare Students....................................................................................................................................26

Load Only: Load Students...........................................................................................................................................29

How to Run a Load ................................................................................................................................................29

Import Student Schedules..........................................................................................................................................33

How to Import Student Schedules.................................................................................................................33

Analyze the Results ........................................................................................................................................................34

Load Results Log..............................................................................................................................................................35

How to View the Load Results Log................................................................................................................35

Load Only: Load Constraints......................................................................................................................................37

Define Load Constraints...............................................................................................................................................37

How to Add a Balance Adjustment Constraint........................................................................................37

How to Add a Student/Student Avoid Constraint .................................................................................38

Load Only User Guide

Introduction

How to Add a Student/Teacher Avoid Constraint .................................................................................39

How to Add a Student Free Constraint .......................................................................................................40

How to Add a Section Link Constraint.........................................................................................................41

How to Add a Student Preference Constraint..........................................................................................42

Load Only: Post-Load Options..................................................................................................................................44

Reload Students...............................................................................................................................................................44

How to Reload Students into the Master Schedule ..............................................................................44

Manually Adjust Student Schedules......................................................................................................................47

How to Enroll a Student in a Course.............................................................................................................47

How to Drop a Student From a Course.......................................................................................................50

How to Filter Manual Schedule Options.....................................................................................................52

How to Mass Enroll a Group of Students in a Course ..........................................................................55

Other Scheduling Functions......................................................................................................................................57

How to Auto Generate Course Information ..............................................................................................57

How to Auto Generate Rooms.........................................................................................................................58

How to Auto Generate Teacher Assignments..........................................................................................59

How to Copy the Master Schedule ................................................................................................................59

How to Delete the Master Schedule .............................................................................................................60

How to Move Previous Year Data...................................................................................................................60

How to Set the Schedule Year .........................................................................................................................61

How to Regenerate Bitmaps .............................................................................................................................62

How to Reset Class Counts ................................................................................................................................62

How to Reset Sections Offered ........................................................................................................................62

How to Split Yearlong Classes..........................................................................................................................63

Update Selections ...........................................................................................................................................................63

How to Update Selections..................................................................................................................................63

Commit the Master Schedule ...................................................................................................................................67

When to Commit the Master Schedule................................................................................................................67

How to Commit the Master Schedule..........................................................................................................67

Load Only: Print Schedules and Rosters..............................................................................................................68

How to Print Student Schedules.....................................................................................................................68

How to Print Class Rosters (PDF).....................................................................................................................70

Load Only User Guide

Introduction

Use PowerSchool Help to learn the PowerSchool Student Information System (SIS) and to serve as a

reference for your daily work. However, before you can begin using PowerSchool, the PowerSchool

administrator at your school must set up the system and import the data from your previous

system. Once those steps are complete, you can start using PowerSchool. Use PowerSchool Help to

assist you in navigating in PowerSchool.

PowerSchool Help is updated as PowerSchool is updated. Not all versions of PowerSchool Help are

available in a printable guide. For the most up-to-date information, click Help on any page in

PowerSchool.

There are user guides available that include the same information as PowerSchool Help for each

major release of PowerSchool. These user guides include instructions for certain user roles, though

these roles will vary depending on your school or district's circumstances. For the most recent

version of the printable guides, visit the PowerSchool Customer Support web site at

https://www.powerschool.com/support/documentation/userguides/

. This URL is case-

sensitive.

Note: You need a username and password to view anything on the PowerSchool Customer Support

web site. Contact your PowerSchool administrator for access.

You are encouraged to read each section of the help that pertains to you. While the introductory

sections build a foundation of knowledge that you will use every time you log on to PowerSchool,

the remaining sections are independent of each other and can be read in any order. However, if

you have never used PowerSchool before, it will be most helpful if you start with the section

“

Introduction to PowerSchool

.” Whenever you read this guide, keep the following points in

mind:

•

The actions you can perform in PowerSchool depend on your job responsibilities and

subsequently on your level of access to PowerSchool. Some users only have viewing rights

to some pages. Others can view or edit any page. Still other users can view or edit any page,

and create new ones as well. Finally, some pages are view-only for everyone. This guide

outlines viewing, editing, and creating options for most pages. Depending on your needs

and your level of access, only certain options will be applicable and available to you. If you

find that your work requires a greater level of access, contact the system administrator at

your school.

•

Almost all of the activities described in this guide begin by selecting the appropriate

student or group; thus, it is imperative that you understand how to search for and select a

student. For detailed instructions on how to do this, refer to the section "

Search and

Select

•

The school and student records used in this guide differ from those displayed on your page

as you work. You will work with real data based on student records at your school. The

graphics in this guide are only examples.

•

In PowerSchool, different pages provide some of the same information because you view

the same data from a different place each time. If you add, change, or delete data on one

page, it will be added, changed, or deleted on other pages that contain the same field(s) of

data.

Load Only User Guide

Introduction

•

The reporting features described in this guide are some of the most important you will use

in the system. A PowerSchool report is a statement of student or staff records that is

produced for viewing or printing and can include information text in addition to the report

listings. PowerSchool reports include report cards, lists of class schedules, lunch balance

sheets, mailing labels, lists of current staff members, and attendance records.

•

Use PowerSchool to create numerous types of reports that pull selected data quickly and

easily. Select from a list of pre-configured reports that have preset parameters or create a

custom report to include parameters needed for a specific task. You should read the

sections "

Custom Reports

" and "

Pre-Configured Reports

" before creating a report.

Legend

•

This guide uses the > symbol to move down a menu path. Thus, if instructed to "Click File >

New > Window", begin by clicking the File menu. Then, click New and Window. The option

noted after the > symbol will always be on the menu that results from your previous

selection.

•

It is easy to identify notes because they are indented and prefaced by the text Notes:.

Audience

This document is intended for school administrators, office staff, registrars, and counselors.

Load Only User Guide

Prepare to Load

When to Load Only Student Schedules

Use the "load only" procedure if you already have a master schedule and need to load student

schedules only. It is relevant for schools that meet any of the following criteria:

•

Built a master schedule manually

•

Copied a previous year’s master schedule

•

Plan to copy a previous year’s master schedule

Because every situation is different, there is some flexibility as to which steps an individual school

will need to perform. It is important to understand each step and know how to make adjustments

when necessary. Do not perform a step if you are not sure that you should.

The process of loading only student schedules includes preparing to load, loading, and committing

schedules. This process assumes that you have entered student course requests but not done any

other preparation for preparing to build a master schedule.

Load Only: Schedule Setup

When loading student schedules, you must first define the school year, terms, and days that school

is in session. Then, create a build scenario into which you can copy an existing master schedule.

Finally, verify that these setup procedures are performed correctly.

How to Define a Schedule Year and Terms

For scheduling purposes, you need to define the upcoming school year and its associated terms.

Note: If you are working with a copy of a previous year’s master schedule, the terms will remain the

same as they were in that schedule.

It is important to enter the terms sequentially. For example, first create the school year, and then

create Semester 1 and Semester 2.

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler from the main menu.

2. Under Parameters, choose Years & Terms from the PowerScheduler menu. The Schedule

Years & Terms page appears.

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Prepare to Load

3. Click New. The Create New Schedule School Year page appears.

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

Field

Description

Name of School Year

Enter the name of the school year, such as 2002-2003.

Abbreviation

Enter an abbreviation for the school year, such as 02-03.

First Day of School

Enter the first day of school for this academic year in

MM/DD/YYYY format, such as 08/29/2002.

Last Day of School

Enter the last day of school for this academic year in

MM/DD/YYYY format, such as 05/24/2003.

5. Click Submit. The Schedule Years & Terms page displays the schedule year.

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6. Click Edit Terms in the row of the appropriate schedule year.

7. On the Term Setup page, click New. The Edit Schedule Term page appears.

Note: Enter the terms sequentially. That is, if your school has terms of two semesters and

four quarters, enter them in this order: Year, Semester 1, Semester 2, and then Quarter 1,

Quarter 2, Quarter 3, and Quarter 4.

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

Field

Description

Name of Term

Enter the name of this term, such as Semester 1.

Abbreviation

Enter an abbreviation for this term, starting with a letter, such

as S1.

First Day of Term

Enter the first day of this term in MM/DD/YYYY format.

Last Day of Term

Enter the last day of this term in MM/DD/YYYY format.

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Field

Description

What portion of the

school year does this

term represent?

Choose the fraction that this term represents within the school

year from the pop-up menu. If your school year consists of four

terms, choose 1/2. If this term represents the whole school year,

choose "Full year."

Import File Term #

Enter an import file term number so that the system can align

terms when it imports the master schedule. For example, if your

school uses semester and quarter classes, you might state in

the import file that all sections of S1 are identified by the

number S10203. Enter the same number in this field to map the

date.

9. Click Submit. The Term Setup page appears.

How to Define a Day

Define whether your school’s schedule will consist of one or two days. If your school’s schedule will

consist of more than two days, contact PowerSchool Technical Support.

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler from the main menu.

2. Under Parameters, choose Days from the PowerScheduler menu. The Edit Days page

appears.

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

Field

Description

Name

Enter the name of the day.

Abbreviation

Enter an abbreviation for the day name.

4. Click Submit. The Changes Recorded page appears.

How to Create a Build Scenario

You need to create a build scenario. First, define the basic build information, such as the number of

terms, days, and periods in your master schedule.

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Prepare to Load

Then, define load optimization parameters to determine the minimum and maximum number of

possibilities the system evaluates while loading student schedules with courses.

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler from the main menu.

2. Under Processing, choose Scenarios from the PowerScheduler menu. The Scenarios page

appears.

3. Click New. The Edit Build Scenario page appears.

4. Use the following table to enter information in the Build Information fields:

Field

Description

Build Name

Enter a name for this build scenario. If you are creating several

scenarios, use descriptive names so that you can easily

distinguish among them.

Active Build

If you are creating only one build scenario, select this checkbox.

If you are creating more than one build scenario, select the

checkbox for the one you want the system to use to build your

master schedule.

Note: You will only be able to edit the course catalog that is

associated with the active build.

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Field

Description

Build Description

Enter a description of this scenario.

Terms

Click Associate to select the number of schedule terms you

want this scenario to include. The Schedule Term Setup page

appears.

1. Select the checkbox(es) in the row(s) that represent the

number of schedule terms you want this scenario to

include. For example, if you plan to build a two-

semester master schedule, select the checkbox in the

row of Semester 1 and Semester 2.

2. Click Select.

Periods

Choose the number of periods per day for this build scenario

from the pop-up menu. For example, if you are building a block

schedule, you might enter 4. If you are building a regular

schedule, you might enter 7.

Days

Choose the number of days in this build scenario from the pop-

up menu. If the appropriate number of days does not appear,

contact PowerSchool Technical Support.

Course Catalog

Choose the course catalog you want the system to use to build

this schedule from the pop-up menu. If this is your first time

creating a master schedule, do not select this checkbox. The

system will automatically generate a course catalog, which you

can modify. For more information, see the section "

Course

Catalogs

5. Use the following table to enter information in the Build Optimizations and Load

Optimizations fields:

Field

Description

Percent of schedule

combinations to

evaluate for each course

The default value of this field is 10. Change this value only if

you encounter problems with the amount of time the system is

using to build the master schedule.

For example, if you enter 25, the system evaluates one-quarter

of the possible schedule combinations for each course. If you

enter 75, the system evaluates three-quarters of the possible

schedule combinations for each course.

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Field

Description

Minimum number of

schedule combinations

to evaluate for each

course

The default value of this field is 10,000. Change this value only if

you encounter problems with the amount of time the system is

using to build the master schedule.

For courses with few possible combinations to begin with,

leaving this number high prevents the system from attempting

too few schedule combinations and not being able to fit the

course into the schedule.

Percent of schedule

combinations to

evaluate for each

student

The default value of this field is 10. Change this value only if

you encounter problems with the amount of time the system is

using to build the master schedule.

For example, if you enter 25, the system evaluates one-quarter

of the possible schedule combinations for each student. If you

enter 75, the system evaluates three-quarters of the possible

schedule combinations for each student.

Minimum number of

schedule combinations

to evaluate before

skipping

The default value of this field is 10,000. Change this value only if

you encounter problems with the amount of time the system is

using to build the master schedule.

Entering a high number forces the system to sample a

minimum number of student schedule course possibilities.

Note: You can also set build optimizations for a particular course by adding a Course

Optimize constraint. This type of constraint takes precedence over the build optimizations

you set here. For more information, see the section "

Build Constraints

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

Field

Description

Student conflicts

The default value of this field is 50. To have the system give

more weight to student conflicts than section balance when

confronted with a conflict while building the master schedule,

enter a larger number in this field than the Section balance

field.

Note: The numbers in both of these fields must add up to 100.

Section balance

The default value of this field is 50. To have the system give

more weight to section balance than student conflicts when

confronted with a conflict while building the master schedule,

enter a larger number in this field than the Student conflicts

field.

Note: The numbers in both of these fields must add up to 100.

7. Click Submit. The Scenarios page appears.

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Prepare to Load

How to Copy the Master Schedule

If you did not build your own master schedule, you can copy an existing master schedule to use as

the foundation for your new master schedule.

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler from the main menu.

2. Under Tools, choose Functions from the PowerScheduler menu.

3. On the Scheduling Functions page, click Copy Master Schedule. The Copy Master Schedule

page appears.

4. Choose the year from which you want to copy the master schedule from the School pop-up

menu.

5. Select the checkbox if you want to proceed.

6. Click Submit. The Changes Recorded page appears.

How to Delete the Master Schedule

Delete the current year's master schedule.

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler from the main menu.

2. Under Tools, choose Functions from the PowerScheduler menu.

3. On the Scheduling Functions page, click Delete Master Schedule. The Delete Master

Schedule page appears.

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4. Select the checkbox if you want to proceed.

5. Click Submit. The Changes Recorded page appears.

How to Verify Periods

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler from the main menu.

2. Under Parameters, choose Periods from the PowerScheduler menu. The Periods page

appears.

3. Verify that the period names and times are accurate.

Note: If you edit the information, edit the periods and click Submit.

How to Verify the Build Scenario

After you verify the accuracy of your master schedule, make sure that the details of the build

scenario you created are accurate.

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler from the main menu.

2. Under Processing, choose Scenarios from the PowerScheduler menu. The Scenarios page

appears.

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3. Click the name of the build scenario you want to use to build your master schedule. The

Edit Build Scenario page appears.

4. Verify that the data in the following fields is correct: Build Name, Terms, Periods, Days, and

Course Catalog. Make modifications, if necessary.

5. Click Associate next to the Terms field. The Schedule Term Setup page appears.

6. Select the checkbox(es) in the row(s) that represent the number of schedule terms you want

this scenario to include. For example, if you plan to build a two-semester master schedule,

select the checkbox in the row of Semester 1 and Semester 2.

7. Click Select.

8. On the Edit Build Scenario page, enter comments in the Build Description field to describe

this scenario.

9. Click Submit to save any changes. The Scenarios page appears.

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Prepare to Load

How to Move a Course Section

You probably need to make minor changes to the master schedule you built or copied. For

example, you might know from past experience that a particular course section should convene

during a different period, or maybe a new teacher will replace one who is retiring.

Delete any courses that are not part of next year’s master schedule or that you schedule manually,

such as before- or after-school sections. Also, keep in mind that the loading process often runs

smoother if you do not include teacher aid, work release, study hall, independent study, or

preparation courses in your master schedule.

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler from the main menu.

2. Under Schedule, choose Sections from the PowerScheduler menu. The sections menu

appears.

3. Click the section you want to move. The Edit Section page appears.

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Note: In the Schedule section of the page, you must select a period and term and the

appropriate checkboxes.

4. Use the following table to enter information in the specified fields:

Field

Description

Period

Choose the period during which this course meets from the

pop-up menu.

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Field

Description

Schedule

Select the checkbox(es) for the periods for the appropriate days

on which this section is taught.

Note: This creates the schedule expression that appears next to

the section on several pages.

The expression must tell the scheduling engine exactly how to

schedule the section. For example, your school has a two-day

schedule that includes periods 1, 1A, and 1B. A course held

during Period 1 meets both A day and B day. A course held

during Period 1A meets first period on A day, and a course held

during Period 1B meets first period on B day. In this scenario,

you would select the A and B checkboxes in the Period 1 row.

Teacher

Choose a teacher from the pop-up menu.

Room

Enter the room name or number in which this section is taught.

5. Click Submit. The [course name] page appears.

How to Map Periods

You must perform period mapping to create expressions and bitmaps for all of your course

sections. Mapping only sets the first period to be in the expression. If a section spans two periods,

you must set the schedule expression to cover both periods manually.

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler from the main menu.

2. Under Tools, choose Functions from the PowerScheduler menu.

3. On the Scheduling Functions page, click Period Mapping. The Period Mapping page

appears.

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4. Choose the new period and new day for each original period from the pop-up menus.

5. Click Submit. The Changes Recorded page appears.

Load Only: Course Information

Automatically generate information into fields on the Course Information page based on the

current master schedule. Then, verify the information and set scheduling preferences for each

course.

How to Auto Generate Course Information

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler from the main menu.

2. Under Tools, choose Functions from the PowerScheduler menu.

3. On the Scheduling Functions page, click Auto Generate Course Information. The Auto-Fill

Course Info page appears.

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4. Select the checkbox to verify that you want to generate course information for the fields.

5. Click Submit. The Changes Recorded page appears.

How to Verify and Complete Course Information

If you use the auto-generate course information function, the system enters the following

information for each course:

•

Valid terms

•

Terms per year

•

Periods per meeting

•

Periods per cycle

•

Frequency

•

Maximum enrollment

•

Schedule this course

•

Build type

•

Load priority

•

Load type

•

Balance priority

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Prepare to Load

Verify and adjust these values; then enter course scheduling preferences for each course on the

Course Information page.

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler from the main menu.

2. Under Resources, choose Courses from the PowerScheduler menu. The courses menu

appears.

3. Click the name of the course for which you want to define course information. The Course

Information page appears.

4. Select the "Allow Student Repeats in the Same Term" or "Allow Student Repeats in Different

Terms" checkbox for the appropriate courses.

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Prepare to Load

5. Note the Load Options section of the page.

6. Use the following table to adjust any values in the Load Options section.

Field

Description

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.

Note: 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 from the pop-up menu. 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

the first semester and all academic courses the second

semester.

Balance Priority

Use this pop-up menu to 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 from the pop-up menu, 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. Use the pop-up menu to 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

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Field

Description

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 this checkbox if you want the system to reference teams

when scheduling students into this course.

Close Section After Max

Select this checkbox 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.

7. Click Submit.

Load Only: Prepare Staff and Students

Prepare staff and student records before loading the master schedule.

How to Prepare Staff

You must verify that you selected the "Use for Scheduling" checkbox for each teacher on the Staff

Scheduling Preferences page in the live area of PowerSchool. You can use the Set Staff Field Value

function to select the checkbox for all teachers at the same time.

1. On the start page, choose Staff from the main menu.

2. On the Search Staff page, select the group of staff members.

3. Click Functions. The Group Staff Functions page appears.

4. Click Set Staff Field Value. The Teacher Field Value page appears.

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

Field

Description

Field to Change

Enter the name of the field to be changed. Enter

Sched_Scheduled to prepare teachers for scheduling.

Note: To view a list of field codes, click Field List on the start

page.

New Field Value

Enter the new value of the field. Enter true to prepare teachers

for scheduling.

Put quotation marks around any values that do not perform

calculations, such as constant characters or a string of

characters.

Clear Field Value

Select this checkbox if you want to remove any existing values

for that field.

Do not overwrite existing

data

Select this checkbox if you do not want the system to overwrite

any existing field values.

6. Click Submit. The Field Value page appears.

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7. Click Submit to confirm. Now you can perform a search to find the group with the changed

value.

How to Prepare Students

Confirm that the appropriate students are available in your database for scheduling. Before the

system can load students into the master schedule, you must enter detailed scheduling information

for each student.

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler from the main menu.

2. Under Resources, choose Students from the PowerScheduler menu. The Scheduling page

appears.

3. Enter the name of the student to whom you want to assign a scheduling priority.

4. Click the Search icon. The Selected Students page appears.

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5. Select the name of the appropriate student. The student’s name appears.

6. Choose Preferences from the pop-up menu in the students menu.

7. Click the student’s name. The Edit Scheduling Preferences page appears.

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8. Use the following table to enter information below the Required Settings header:

Field

Description

Next Year Grade

Enter the student’s next year grade level.

Priority

Enter a number to indicate the order in which the system

should schedule this student during the load process.

You can assign scheduling priorities to students for the system

to follow when loading student schedules. Students can share

the same priority.

For example, if there are more requests than available spots,

you might want the system to schedule graduating seniors first

because it is their last chance to take the courses they request.

If this is the case, assign all twelfth graders a priority of 10, all

eleventh graders a priority of 20, all tenth graders a priority of

30, and all ninth graders a priority of 40.

Note: The lower the number, the higher the priority.

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Field

Description

Schedule This Student

Select this checkbox to include the student in the scheduling

process.

If you forget to select this checkbox for a student who has

made course requests, the system will be unable to schedule

that student.

Not only do you have to select to include the appropriate

students, but also you must exclude graduating students by

deselecting this checkbox.

Year of Graduation

Enter the student’s year of graduation.

Note: You do not have to enter a year of graduation for

students who are graduating this year.

Next School Indicator

Choose the school the student will attend next year from the

pop-up menu.

Choose Graduated School for students who are graduating this

year.

9. Click Submit.

Load Only: Load Students

Once you have a satisfactory master schedule, you can begin fine-tuning student schedules by

running a load.

Do not load students into your master schedule until you are satisfied with it. Loading will not have

any impact on the structure of the schedule, just on the placement of students within it. Also, do

not make manual adjustments to student schedules and then reload students; the system will

overwrite all of the changes you made.

Note: PowerSchool recommends you run the first load before you define any load constraints.

How to Run a Load

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler from the main menu.

2. Under Processing, choose Load from the PowerScheduler menu. The Load Student

Schedules (step 1) page appears.

Load Only User Guide

Prepare to Load

3. Select a type of load:

•

Full: The system reschedules all students.

Note: Previously created student schedules or manually adjusted student schedules

are deleted.

•

Balance: The system adjusts student schedules to help improve the balance of

students among sections.

Note: There is no guarantee that students' schedules will not change.

•

Reschedule: The system reschedules only students whose schedules have not been

locked.

Note: You can select this option multiple times.

The Load Student Schedules (step 2) page appears.

•

Full

Load Only User Guide

Prepare to Load

•

Balance

•

Reschedule

Load Only User Guide

Prepare to Load

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

Field

Description

Close sections at

maximum.

Select this checkbox to ensure that courses close at their

maximum enrollment numbers.

Note: Do not select this checkbox the first time you do a load.

The build itself runs without considering section maximums, so

this will let you determine if you can get a little better

percentage. Also, doing so will help you focus on students with

conflicts.

Use global course

substitutes.

Select this checkbox to ensure that the system automatically

inserts any global course substitutes after student course

substitutes have been tried and rejected.

Load Only User Guide

Prepare to Load

Field

Description

Use student course

substitutes.

Select this checkbox to ensure that the system automatically

inserts student course substitutes in the order chosen, if

needed.

5. Click Submit. The PowerSchool Scheduler page appears.

Import Student Schedules

After you load students into schedules, you must import the results in order to display student

schedules in PowerSchool.

Note: You must import the load that corresponds with the appropriate build.

If you import schedules that have changed for a student or a group of students after the first

import, only the schedules of the selected students will be overwritten. Students schedules that did

not change since the last import are not affected.

How to Import Student Schedules

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler from the main menu.

2. Under Processing, choose (Q) next to Load from the PowerScheduler menu. The Load

Student Schedules Queue page appears.

Load Only User Guide

Prepare to Load

3. Click Import in the appropriate row in the Results column. The Changes Recorded page

appears.

Analyze the Results

When the load finishes, percentages for students with requests, students without conflicts, and

total requests satisfied appear on the main Scheduling page.

To display the Scheduling page, choose PowerScheduler from the main menu on the start page.

The page displays the following information:

Field

Description

Build Scenario

The name of the build scenario.

Note: Click the name of the scenario to view or edit its

information.

Load Only User Guide

Prepare to Load

Field

Description

Last Build

The most recent date you built the master schedule for a build

scenario.

Last Load

The most recent date you loaded student schedules for a build

scenario.

Students With Requests

The total number of students for whom course requests were

entered.

Requests Satisfied

The percentage of all primary student course requests satisfied.

Students Without

Conflicts

The percentage of students without any conflicts in their

schedules.

Status

Indicates if the build scenario is active or inactive.

Load Results Log

Similar to the build results log, the load results log displays the names of students it cannot

schedule. It also provides possible reasons the engine did not run properly and alerts you to any

potential issues the engine finds.

How to View the Load Results Log

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler from the main menu.

2. Under Processing, choose (Q) next to Load from the PowerScheduler menu. The Load

Student Schedules Queue page appears.

Load Only User Guide

Prepare to Load

Note: Use this page to import the student schedules after being loaded. For more

information, see the section "

Import Student Schedules

3. Click View in the Results Log column of the appropriate row. The "Results Log for [school

name]" page appears.

If the build stops because of validation errors, the results log displays details about these errors.

There are three types of errors:

Load Only User Guide

Prepare to Load

•

Info: These messages are informational, such as "Course [x]: Rescheduled [x] students out of

[x] (leaving [x] unscheduled)." These do not prevent a successful load.

•

Warning: These are "red flag" messages, such as "The teacher’s preferred room is not

suitable for the course the teacher is teaching." These do not prevent a successful load.

•

Error: These messages are validation errors that must be corrected in order for the engine to

run, such as "Invalid valid term found in the Course file (does not match the term length)."

These do prevent a successful load.

For more information on validation messages, see the section ""

Build Validation

Load Only: Load Constraints

Load constraints restrict the way the system loads students into courses.

PowerSchool contains six types of load constraints you can define. Use each one to constrain

student schedules in a specific way. For example, use a Student Preference constraint to force a

student to be scheduled in a particular teacher’s section.

Note: Since constraints restrict student schedules, the more constraints you define, the less

flexibility the system has to load students into courses and the less optimal the resulting schedule

will be. It is always best to use the fewest number of constraints required to accomplish your

scheduling goals.

To view a list of load constraints and the number of each that have been defined for your schedule,

choose Load Constraints from the constraints menu.

For more information on load constraints, see the section "

Define Load Constraints

Define Load Constraints

You must build your master schedule before you can define load constraints.

Note: To view a list of load constraints and the number of each that have been defined for your

schedule, choose Load Constraints from the constraints menu.

To edit or delete constraints, see the section "

Work With Load Constraints

How to Add a Balance Adjustment Constraint

Use a Balance Adjustment constraint to preload a course section with a certain number of pseudo

students before adding the rest of the students. For example, use this constraint if you have a math

class that needs five seats open for SPED students.

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler from the main menu.

2. Under Resources, choose Constraints from the PowerScheduler menu. The constraints menu

appears.

Load Only User Guide

Prepare to Load

3. Under Load Constraints, choose Balance Adjustment.

4. On the Balance Adjustment Constraints page, click New. The Edit Balance Adjustment

Constraint page appears.

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

Field

Description

Course Number

Click Associate to select the name of the course you want to

balance.

Section Number

Enter the section number of the selected course that you want

to balance.

Teacher

Click Associate to select the name of the teacher who instructs

this course section.

Number of Students

Enter the number of pseudo students to load into this section

to hold seats.

6. Click Submit. The Balance Adjustment Constraints page appears.

How to Add a Student/Student Avoid Constraint

Use a Student/Student Avoid constraint to specify that two selected students cannot be scheduled

into any of the same course sections.

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler from the main menu.

2. Under Resources, choose Constraints from the PowerScheduler menu. The constraints menu

appears.

Load Only User Guide

Prepare to Load

3. Under Load Constraints, choose Student Avoid.

4. On the Student/Student Avoid Constraints page, click New. The Edit Student/Student Avoid

Constraint page appears.

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

Field

Description

Student 1

Click Associate to select the name of one of the students you

want to separate from one another.

Student 2

Click Associate to select the name of the other student.

6. Click Submit. The Student/Student Avoid Constraints page appears.

How to Add a Student/Teacher Avoid Constraint

Use a Student/Teacher Avoid constraint to specify that this student and this teacher cannot be

scheduled into any of the same course sections.

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler from the main menu.

2. Under Resources, choose Constraints from the PowerScheduler menu. The constraints menu

appears.

3. Under Load Constraints, choose Teacher Avoid.

Load Only User Guide

Prepare to Load

4. On the Student/Teacher Avoid Constraints page, click New. The Edit Student/Teacher Avoid

Constraint page appears.

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

Field

Description

Student

Click Associate to select the name of the student you want to

avoid scheduling with a selected teacher.

Teacher

Click Associate to select the name of the teacher you want to

avoid scheduling with the selected student.

6. Click Submit. The Student/Teacher Avoid Constraints page appears.

How to Add a Student Free Constraint

Use a Student Free constraint to specify those periods when a student must be free, such as when

taking a course at another school.

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler from the main menu.

2. Under Resources, choose Constraints from the PowerScheduler menu. The constraints menu

appears.

3. Under Load Constraints, choose Student Free.

4. On the Student Free Constraints page, click New. The Edit Student Free Constraint page

appears.

Load Only User Guide

Prepare to Load

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

Field

Description

Student

Click Associate to select the name of the student who needs to

have a free period(s).

Term

Choose the term that this student needs the free period(s) from

the pop-up menu.

Schedule

Select the checkbox next to each period in each day that you

want to schedule this student to have a free period(s).

6. Click Submit. The Student Free Constraints page appears.

How to Add a Section Link Constraint

Use a Section Link constraint to specify that if students are enrolled in one course section, they

must also be enrolled in another, specific course section.

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler from the main menu.

2. Under Resources, choose Constraints from the PowerScheduler menu. The constraints menu

appears.

Load Only User Guide

Prepare to Load

3. Under Load Constraints, choose Section Link.

4. On the Section Link Constraints page, click New. The Edit Section Link Constraint page

appears.

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

Field

Description

Course Number 1

Click Associate to select the name of one of the courses for

which you want to link a section.

Section Number 1

Enter the section number of the course in the Course Number 1

field that you want to link to another course section.

Course Number 2

Click Associate to select the name of the other course for which

you want to link a section.

Section Number 2

Enter the section number of the course in the Course Number 2

field that you want to link to the section in the Section Number

1 field.

6. Click Submit. The Section Link Constraints page appears.

How to Add a Student Preference Constraint

Use a Student Preference constraint to schedule a student into a particular course section. You can

also specify the course per a specific term and teacher.

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler from the main menu.

Load Only User Guide

Prepare to Load

2. Under Resources, choose Constraints from the PowerScheduler menu. The constraints menu

appears.

3. Under Load Constraints, choose Student Preference.

4. On the Student Preference Constraints page, click New. The Edit Student Preference

Constraint page appears.

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

Field

Description

Student

Click Associate to select the name of the student you want to

force to schedule in a specific course section.

Course Number

Click Associate to select the name of the course.

Term

Choose the term to which you want this constraint to apply

from the pop-up menu (optional).

Section Number

Enter the section number of the course into which you want

the student to be scheduled.

Teacher

Click Associate to select the name of the teacher who instructs

this course section (optional).

6. Click Submit. The Student Preference Constraints page appears.

Load Only User Guide

Prepare to Load

Load Only: Post-Load Options

After completing a load, you can do one or more of the following procedures:

1. Accept the results of the load and begin manually adjusting student schedules. Select this

option only if you are positive that the master schedule will not change and that student

schedules are correct. Verify student schedules to make sure the master schedule is correct.

2. Resolve student conflicts by using or adding alternate course requests if you did not use

them in the first load. If your schedule contains alternate student course requests but you

did not allow the system to use them, rerun the load and select the substitutes options.

3. Manually adjust student course requests to allow better scheduling. For example, if a

student has a course request that is impossible to meet, change it. Repeat this process until

you are satisfied with the results.

4. Select the students you want to reschedule. Then, reload student schedules.

If you select option 2, 3, or 4 above, you probably need to reload student schedules. For more

information, see the section "

Load Only: Load Students

Reload Students

After you make changes to student course requests, you may want to reload the affected students

into the master schedule. For more information about rescheduling students, see the section "

Run

a Load

How to Reload Students into the Master Schedule

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler from the main menu.

2. Search for and select the group of students you would like to reschedule.

Note: You must select the students before you click Reschedule.

3. Under Processing, choose Load from the PowerScheduler menu. The Load Student

Schedules (step 1) page appears.

Load Only User Guide

Prepare to Load

Note: By default, all student schedules are unlocked. Only the Reschedule option adjusts

unlocked student schedules.

4. Click Reschedule. The Load Student Schedules (step 2) page appears.

Load Only User Guide

Prepare to Load

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

Field

Description

Close sections at

maximum.

Select this checkbox to ensure that courses close at their

maximum enrollment numbers.

Note: Do not select this checkbox the first time you do a load.

The build itself runs without considering section maximums, so

this will let you determine if you can get a little better

percentage. Also, doing so will help you focus on students with

conflicts.

Use global course

substitutes.

Select this checkbox to ensure that the system automatically

inserts any global course substitutes after student course

substitutes have been tried and rejected.

Load Only User Guide

Prepare to Load

Field

Description

Use student course

substitutes.

Select this checkbox to ensure that the system automatically

inserts student course substitutes in the order chosen, if

needed.

6. Click Submit. The PowerSchool Scheduler page appears.

Manually Adjust Student Schedules

Manually adjust and fine-tune student schedules only if you are certain that the master schedule

will not change and that student schedules are correct.

You can also manually enroll students in courses based on their course requests. For more

information, see the section "

How to Manually Schedule Students

How to Enroll a Student in a Course

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler from the main menu.

2. Under Resources, choose Students from the PowerScheduler menu. The Scheduling page

appears.

3. Enter the name of the student whose schedule you want to change.

4. Click the Search icon. The Selected Students page appears.

Load Only User Guide

Prepare to Load

5. Select the name of the appropriate student. The student’s name appears in the students

menu.

6. Choose Schedule from the pop-up menu.

7. Click the student’s name. The Schedule page appears. To determine which student course

requests have yet to be filled, see the bottom of the screen.

Load Only User Guide

Prepare to Load

8. Click the Enroll pop-up menu.

9. Choose the period in which you want to enroll this student in a course. The Available Period

Courses page appears.

Load Only User Guide

Prepare to Load

Note: For information on the filter options, see the section "

How to Filter Manual

Schedule Options

The page displays the following information:

Field

Description

Crs.Sec

The course and section number.

Course Name

The course name.

Note: Click a course name to automatically add it to the

student’s schedule.

Expression

The period and day combination.

Term

The selected term.

Teacher

The teacher’s name.

Grade

The grade level.

Credit Type

The credit type, such as Math.

Cr Hours

The number of credit hours earned by taking this course.

Enrollment

The number of students currently enrolled in this course during

the selected period, followed by the maximum enrollment

figure.

10. Click a course name to add that course to the student’s schedule during the selected

period. The Scheduling page appears.

How to Drop a Student From a Course

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler from the main menu.

2. Under Resources, choose Students from the PowerScheduler menu. The Scheduling page

appears.

Load Only User Guide

Prepare to Load

3. Enter the name of the student whose schedule you want to change.

4. Click the Search icon. The Selected Students page appears.

5. Select the name of the appropriate student. The student’s name appears in the students

menu.

6. Choose Schedule from the pop-up menu.

7. Click the student’s name. The Schedule page appears.

Load Only User Guide

Prepare to Load

8. Click the Drop pop-up menu.

9. Choose the period in which you want to drop this student from a course. Period names in

the menu match the periods on the page. For example, to drop a course that convenes

during Period A2 in Semester 2, choose the second occurrence of A2. The Scheduling page

appears.

Note: To drop more than one course at a time, select the checkbox in the appropriate row,

and then click Drop Classes.

How to Filter Manual Schedule Options

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler from the main menu.

2. Under Resources, choose Students from the PowerScheduler menu. The Scheduling page

appears.

Load Only User Guide

Prepare to Load

3. Enter the name of the student whose schedule you want to change.

4. Click the Search icon. The Selected Students page appears.

5. Select the name of the appropriate student. The student’s name appears in the students

menu.

6. Choose Schedule from the pop-up menu.

7. Click the student’s name. The Schedule page appears.

Load Only User Guide

Prepare to Load

8. Click the Enroll pop-up menu.

9. Choose the period in which you want to enroll this student in a course. The Available Period

Courses page appears.

Load Only User Guide

Prepare to Load

10. Select one of the following to filter information on the Available Period Courses page.

Field

Description

Period

Choose the period from the pop-up menu.

Term

Choose the term from the pop-up menu.

Teacher

Choose the teacher from the pop-up menu.

Day

Choose the day from the pop-up menu.

Grade

Choose the grade level from the pop-up menu.

Course

To jump to a particular course, enter the course number and

press Return (Mac) or Enter (Windows).

Show only classes with

available seats

Select this checkbox to display only classes that have not

reached the maximum enrollment.

11. Repeat step 10 to further filter the selections. To enroll the student in a course, see the

section "

How to Enroll a Student in a Course

How to Mass Enroll a Group of Students in a Course

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler from the main menu.

2. Under Resources, choose Students from the PowerScheduler menu. The Scheduling page

appears.

Load Only User Guide

Prepare to Load

3. Select the students you want to work with, using any of the following methods:

•

Click a number to select all students in a particular grade level.

•

Click M or F to select all males or all females in your school.

•

Click the Search icon to view a list of all students and then make your selection by

hand.

•

Enter a search command line to conduct your own search, such as for all students

assigned to a particular team.

Note: For more information, see the section "

Schedule Search and Select

4. On the Selected Students page, click Functions. The Scheduling Functions page appears.

5. Click Schedule Mass Enroll. The Mass Enroll page appears.

Load Only User Guide

Prepare to Load

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

Field

Description

Teacher

Choose the teacher from the pop-up menu.

Period

Choose the period from the pop-up menu.

Term

Choose the term from the pop-up menu.

course.section

Alternatively, enter the course and section number. Separate

the course and section numbers with a period and no spaces.

7. Click Submit. The Changes Recorded page appears.

Other Scheduling Functions

Use the links on the Scheduling Functions page to execute processes related to the master

schedule. For scheduling functions not listed in this section, see the following sections:

•

Calculate Sections

•

Duplicate Scenarios

•

Expression Mapping, used when "

Importing the Master Schedule

•

Update Selections

," including the processes "

Unlock Previously Scheduled

Courses

," "

How to Set the Next Year Grade Field for an Entire Grade Level

How to Include All of Next Year’s Students

," and "

How to Assign a Group of

Students to a Building

How to Auto Generate Course Information

Automatically generate information into the fields on the Course Information page based on the

current master schedule.

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler from the main menu.

2. Under Tools, choose Functions from the PowerScheduler menu.

3. On the Scheduling Functions page, click Auto Generate Course Information. The Auto-Fill

Course Info page appears.

Load Only User Guide

Prepare to Load

4. Select the checkbox to verify that you want to generate course information for the fields.

5. Click Submit. The Changes Recorded page appears.

How to Auto Generate Rooms

Automatically generate rooms from the existing master schedule to use in the new build.

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler from the main menu.

2. Under Tools, choose Functions from the PowerScheduler menu.

3. On the Scheduling Functions page, click Auto Generate Rooms. The Generate Rooms page

appears.

4. Select the checkbox to verify that you want to copy the existing rooms into the current

build.

5. Click Submit. The Changes Recorded page appears.

Load Only User Guide

Prepare to Load

How to Auto Generate Teacher Assignments

Automatically generate teacher assignments from the existing master schedule. To verify that these

assignments display the correct terms, number of assignments, and other information, run the

Teacher Assignments by Teacher Report

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler from the main menu.

2. Under Tools, choose Functions from the PowerScheduler menu.

3. On the Scheduling Functions page, click Auto Generate Teacher Assignments. The Generate

Teacher Assignments page appears.

4. Select the checkbox to generate teacher assignments using the existing master schedule.

5. Click Submit. The Changes Recorded page appears.

How to Copy the Master Schedule

Copy the current year's master schedule to another year.

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler from the main menu.

2. Under Tools, choose Functions from the PowerScheduler menu.

3. On the Scheduling Functions page, click Copy Master Schedule. The Copy Master Schedule

page appears.

Load Only User Guide

Prepare to Load

4. Choose the year from which you want to copy the master schedule from the School pop-up

menu.

5. Select the checkbox if you want to proceed.

6. Click Submit. The Changes Recorded page appears.

After copying the master schedule, do the following:

•

Map periods

from the Functions menu.

•

Regenerate bitmaps

from the Functions menu.

•

Align the active scenario to the imported master schedule in terms of years and terms,

periods, and days. For more information, see the section "

Build Scenarios

How to Delete the Master Schedule

Delete the current year's master schedule.

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler from the main menu.

2. Under Tools, choose Functions from the PowerScheduler menu.

3. On the Scheduling Functions page, click Delete Master Schedule. The Delete Master

Schedule page appears.

4. Select the checkbox if you want to proceed.

5. Click Submit. The Changes Recorded page appears.

How to Move Previous Year Data

Use this function to delete all constraints, relationships, and teacher/course assignments for the

current build and replace them with constraints, relationships, and teacher/course assignments

from the selected build.

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler from the main menu.

2. Under Tools, choose Functions from the PowerScheduler menu.

3. On the Scheduling Functions page, click Move Previous Year Data. The Move Previous Year

Data page appears.

Load Only User Guide

Prepare to Load

4. Choose the build that you want to use to overwrite the current build from the pop-up

menus.

5. Select the confirmation checkbox if you want to proceed.

6. Click Submit. The Changes Recorded page appears.

How to Set the Schedule Year

Because course requests can be made for the current year or for other scheduling years, you must

set the schedule year for student requests made in PowerScheduler, in Parent Access, or on the

Requests Modify Future page in PowerSchool.

For example, set the scheduling year to 2004-2005 if you want students to enter course requests on

the student access pages for the 2004-2005 year. In this case, the request Screen Setup function in

PowerScheduler will apply to the 2004-2005 school year. The student's requests made through the

Requests Modify Current page in PowerSchool will apply to the 2003-2004 school year.

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler from the main menu.

2. Under Tools, choose Functions from the PowerScheduler menu.

3. On the Scheduling Functions page, click Set Schedule Year. The Set Schedule Year page

appears.

4. Choose the schedule year from the pop-up menu.

Note: Only the years established on the Years & Terms page appear. If you want to select a

year that is not listed in the pop-up menu, you must first set up that scheduling year. For

more information, see the section

Schedule Years and Terms

5. Click Submit. The Scheduling page appears.

Load Only User Guide

Prepare to Load

How to Regenerate Bitmaps

Reset the bitmap from the expression for all sections and constraints in the current build.

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler from the main menu.

2. Under Tools, choose Functions from the PowerScheduler menu.

3. On the Scheduling Functions page, click Regenerate bitmaps. The "Expression to Bitmap"

page appears.

4. Select the checkbox if you want to proceed.

5. Click Submit. The Changes Recorded page appears.

How to Reset Class Counts

Use this function to reset the number of students in each section for all courses in the current build.

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler from the main menu.

2. Under Tools, choose Functions from the PowerScheduler menu.

3. On the Scheduling Functions page, click Reset Class Counts. The system resets the number

of students in each section in the current build, and redisplays the Scheduling Functions

page.

How to Reset Sections Offered

Use this function to reset the number of sections needed for all courses in the current course

catalog.

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler from the main menu.

2. Under Tools, choose Functions from the PowerScheduler menu.

3. On the Scheduling Functions page, click Reset Sections Offered. The system resets the

number of sections needed for the current course catalog, and redisplays the Scheduling

Functions page.

Load Only User Guide

Prepare to Load

How to Split Yearlong Classes

Use this function to split yearlong classes into smaller terms. By creating yearlong classes and then

using this function to divide the class into smaller terms, you reduce the number of classes you

need to set up.

Note: This should only be done when you are ready to commit your master schedule.

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler from the main menu.

2. Under Tools, choose Functions from the PowerScheduler menu.

3. On the Scheduling Functions page, click Split Year-Long Classes. The Split Year-Long Classes

page appears.

4. Select the term segment into which you want to split yearlong classes.

5. Select the checkbox if you want to proceed.

6. Click Submit. The Changes Recorded page appears.

Update Selections

Use the Update Selections function to update a group of selected records at one time. Update

selections for procedures such as "

Unlock Previously Scheduled Courses

," "

How to Set the

Next Year Grade Field for an Entire Grade Level

," "

How to Include All of Next Year’s

Students

," and "

How to Assign a Group of Students to a Building

." See the section "

How

to Update Selections

" for general instructions.

How to Update Selections

To change the records for a group of students, first select the group. For examples of how to search

for a group of students, see "

How to Set the Next Year Grade Field for an Entire Grade

Level

" in the section "

Next Year Grade

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler from the main menu.

2. Under Tools, choose Functions from the PowerScheduler menu. The Scheduling Functions

page appears.

Load Only User Guide

Prepare to Load

3. Click Update Selections. The Update Selections page appears.

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

Field

Description

Current Table

Choose the table from which you want to export records from

the pop-up menu.

Note: For a complete list of PowerSchool tables and fields, see

http://your.school.address/admin/home?ac=structure.

Select all [x] records in

this table

To indicate the records to use in the export, either:

•

Click "Select all [number of] records in this table" to

select all records. Skip to step 6.

•

Identify search criteria in the Search Students fields by

continuing to the next step.

Load Only User Guide

Prepare to Load

Field

Description

Search Students

Choose a field from the first pop-up menu.

Choose an operator from the second pop-up menu:

•

Equals (=)

•

Less than (<)

•

Greater than (>)

•

Less than or equal to (<=)

•

Greater than or equal to (>=)

•

Does not equal (#)

•

Contains (contains)

•

Does not contain (!Contain)

Enter the value for the field in the last field.

5. Click "Search within the current [# of selected] records only." The Update Selections page

displays the new number of current records in selection.

6. Do one of the following:

•

Click List View to view the selections.

•

Click "Select Records by Hand" to narrow the selection. Press and hold Command

(Mac) or Control (Windows) and click the selections you want to keep. Click Submit.

Load Only User Guide

Prepare to Load

•

Click Modify Records and continue to the next step. The Modify Records page

appears.

7. Choose the field to modify in the selected records from the pop-up menu.

8. Enter the value for the field to modify in the selected records.

9. Click Modify Selected Records. The system updates the records, and the Update Selections

page appears.

Load Only User Guide

Commit the Master Schedule

When you have a satisfactory schedule and want to make it your master schedule for the next

school year, you must commit it. Once a schedule is committed, it replaces any existing master

schedule and becomes your current schedule.

You can commit the schedule as soon as the current academic year has ended, or you can wait until

just before the next academic year begins. If your periods for the next academic year are set up

exactly as they are for the current year, you can commit the schedule as soon as you are confident

that you no longer need to build or load.

For information on committing the master schedule, see the section "

When to Commit the

Master Schedule

When to Commit the Master Schedule

When your schedule is as good as it can possibly be and school is no longer in session, commit the

master schedule. When you commit a master schedule, it replaces any existing master schedule for

that school year.

How to Commit the Master Schedule

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler from the main menu.

2. Click Commit. The Commit Master Schedule page appears.

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Commit the Master Schedule

3. Select which schedules to copy:

•

Sections Only: Select this option to commit only sections.

•

Student Schedules Only: Select this option to commit only student schedules.

•

Sections & Student Schedules: Select this option to commit both sections and

student schedules.

4. Click Submit. The Changes Recorded page appears.

Load Only: Print Schedules and Rosters

Print schedules and rosters either before or after you commit the master schedule.

How to Print Student Schedules

Print student and teacher schedules either before or after you commit your master schedule.

Note: You can also print student schedules using a report card template.

Use the Student Schedule List report to view the number of courses scheduled by each student.

You can also use this report to view each student’s schedule.

Note: To run this report for a specific group of students, first select those students. Then, select the

Use Selected [number] Students checkbox on the Scheduling Reports page before clicking Student

Schedule List.

1. On the start page, choose PowerScheduler from the main menu.

2. Under Tools, choose Reports from the PowerScheduler menu. The Scheduling Reports page

appears.

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Commit the Master Schedule

3. Click Student Schedule List. The Student Classes Scheduled page appears.

The report displays the following information:

Field

Description

Student

The student’s name. Click the heading to sort the list by student

name.

Load Only User Guide

Commit the Master Schedule

Field

Description

% Scheduled

The percentage of the student's course requests that were

fulfilled. Click the heading to sort the list by percentage

scheduled.

Classes Scheduled

The number of courses that have been scheduled for this

student. Click the heading to sort the list by the number of

classes scheduled. Click the number per student to view the

student’s Schedule page.

How to Print Class Rosters (PDF)

Print class lists either before or after you commit your master schedule. Generate a class roster as a

PDF file for the current or previous terms.

1. On the start page, choose Reports from the main menu.

2. On the Reports page, click Run Reports.

3. On the Run Reports page, click (PDF) next to Class Rosters. The Class Rosters (PDF) page

appears.

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Commit the Master Schedule

Load Only User Guide

Commit the Master Schedule

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

Field

Description

Print roster(s) for

Select the teacher(s) whose attendance records are to be

audited. Press and hold Command (Mac) or Control (Windows)

to select multiple teachers.

Period(s)

Enter the periods to be audited in the second field. To audit all

periods, use a blank field.

Include students who

Select an enrollment period option. Some option require you to

enter a date or date range.

Heading Font

Choose the heading font from the pop-up menu.

Heading Style

Enter the font size and line height in points. One point equals

1/72 of an inch.

Select the Bold checkbox to bold the heading.

Print heading on

Choose an option from the pop-up menu to determine how

you want the heading to print.

Heading Text

Enter the content to include in the report heading using text,

HTML tags, and PowerSchool data codes. For a complete list of

data codes, visit the PowerSchool Customer Support web site at

https://www.powerschool.com/support/downloads/

and

click PowerSchool Codes. For a complete list of field codes, click

View Field List on the PowerSchool start page.

Roster Font

Choose the roster listing font from the pop-up menu.

Roster Style

Enter the font size and line height in points. One point equals

1/72 of an inch.

Select the Bold checkbox to bold the roster listing.

Roster Columns

Enter the content to include in the student listings columns

using the following format: field name \ column title \ column

width. For a complete list of field codes, click Fields.

Rule Width

Enter the thickness in inches of the vertical and horizontal lines

on the report, as well as the outline of the entire report.

Cell Padding

Enter the amount of space horizontally and vertically from edge

of the cells to the text in points.

Rule Width

Enter the thickness in inches of the vertical and horizontal lines

on the report, as well as the outline of the entire report.

Load Only User Guide

Commit the Master Schedule

Field

Description

Cell Padding

Enter the width of each cell and the amount of space from all

sides of the cells to the text in points. One point equals 1/72 of

an inch.

Page size

Choose a size for the report page from the pop-up menu. If you

choose a custom size, enter the size of the page in inches.

Margins

Enter the size of the margins in inches.

Orientation, Scale

Choose the page layout from the pop-up menu. Portrait is a

vertical page; landscape is a horizontal page.

Scale is the finished size of the report. Fit more on a page by

reducing it by a percentage, but remember to leave it as large

as possible for easier viewing.

Watermark Text

If you want to print text as a watermark on each page of the

report, use the pop-up menu to either choose one of the

standard phrases or choose Custom and enter the text you

want to print as a watermark in the field.

Watermark Mode

Use the pop-up menu to determine how you want the text to

print. Watermark prints the text behind objects on the report,

while Overlay prints the text over objects on the report.

When to print

To run this report, select a time to start it:

•

ASAP: Execute immediately.

•

At Night: Execute during the next evening.

•

On Weekend: Execute during the next weekend.

•

On Specific Date/Time: Execute on the date and time

specified in the following fields.

5. Click Submit. PowerSchool runs the report, and the report queue appears. Depending on

your specifications, this could take several minutes.

6. Click Completed to display the report.

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Commit the Master Schedule

Proceed by printing the report from your web browser or saving it to another application.