How to Make Typical Schedule Changes

This topic uses scenarios to illustrate why you would use specific procedures to make scheduling changes for a student.

Note: If a student has Attendance, Report Card, Progress, or Gradebook information for a course, you must have the appropriate security resource to delete the course.

Scenario 1: Student is dropping a course that the student never attended.

Second semester is fast approaching and students want to change their schedules for second semester. How do you drop a class the student never attended?

If the student never actually sat in the classroom, you can safely delete the course without affecting the student's Attendance records. If the student attended the course for even one day, you should drop the course instead.

For the procedure, refer to Dropping or Deleting Student Courses.

Scenario 2: Student attended the course, but is dropping the course before marks are issued.

A student attended a course for one week and then decided the course was not what the student was expecting. How do you drop a course that the student attended but will not receive grades?

If a student attended class for as little as one day, the student may not be eligible to receive a grade. But attendance and gradebook information needs to be retained, so you must drop the course rather than delete it. When you drop the course, set the Marks field on the Date Range Detail panel to N - No Marks.

For the procedure, refer to Dropping or Deleting Student Courses.

Scenario 3: Student received grades for a course, but is dropping the course before it is completed.

A student attended semester one of a year-long class and received a semester grade. The semester grades were not helpful to the student's GPA, and the student wants to drop the class before the second semester begins. How do you drop the class, but retain the first semester grade the student received?

In this scenario, the course should be dropped and set to receive marks up to and including the last marking period of the first semester. When you drop a course for which you want to retain marks, update the Last MP field on the Student Course page's Date Range Detail panel to equal last marking period student should receive a grade for.

For example, if you are dropping a full year course at the beginning of marking period 3 and the student should not receive a grade for marking period 3, enter marking period 2 as the Last MP.

For the procedure, refer to Dropping or Deleting Student Courses.

Scenario 4: Student received grades for a course, but is dropping the course and the marks earned for the course should be trailed to a new course.

A student has been attending English class period 1. She is transferring to a section of the same English class that meets in period 4 with the same teacher. The student has grades for marking periods 1 and 2 that should be transferred to the new course-section. When a report card or transcript is printed, these two course-sections should appear as one course. How do you drop the class, but transfer course information to another class?

In this scenario, the first course-section should be dropped and set to receive marks up to marking period 2. The second course-section should be added and set to receive marks in the first marking period for which a grade will be issued for this course. Thus, course 1 is dropped with the Last MP to Receive Marks value on the Mark Reporting tab of the Student Course Detail page set to marking period 2, and course 2 is added with the First MP to Receive Marks set to marking period 3. Then, for course 2, you will click the Trail History tab and select to trail from course 1.

There are rules that the courses must meet in order for you to trail marks from one course to another.

- Both courses must have the same grades issued. For example, both courses must receive MP (marking period) marks. You cannot trail marks if one course receives an EXM (exam) mark and the other does not.
- Both courses must meet in the same marking periods. For example, you cannot trail grades from a course that meets marking periods 1 and 2 to a course that meets marking periods 3 and 4.
  Do not resolve the student into the portions of the course that the student is taking based on when the student added and dropped the courses. When you trail marks, you are reporting grades for the course you trailed to as if the student was in the course for all the marking periods that the student was in the course you trailed from and the course you trailed to. For example, if you want to trail marks for a student who drops English I section 1 at the beginning of marking period 3 and adds English I section 2, you would not resolve the student for any marking periods for either course.
- The drop and add dates for the courses must not overlap. For example, if course 1 is dropped on 10/26/2015, it can be trailed to a course added on 10/27/2015 or later. You cannot trail grades to a course that started before the date you used to drop course 1.
- At least one mark must be entered for the course you are trailing from.

For the procedure, refer to Trailing Marks from One Course to Another.