Linking Courses for Scheduling

If the student must pass a prerequisite course before the student can take a course:

Define a course prerequisite for the course, using the Course Sequence option either for your building (Scheduling > Courses > Building Courses > Building Course Sequencing) or if you use the District Course Catalog, for your district (Scheduling > Student Schedules > Pre-Scheduler Reports > Simple Tally).

For example, define a prerequisite if a student must pass Algebra I before the student can request Algebra II.

Prerequisites can also be used to define a "before" relationship between courses taken in the same year, for example, if you schedule semester-length courses and Alg 1A (Part 1) should be scheduled before Alg 1B (Part 2).

You may also define course groups if multiple courses either fulfill a requirement or require the same prerequisite.

For more information about prerequisites, refer to About Course Sequences.

If two courses must be scheduled during the same semester:

Define a course sequence that indicates that the courses should be scheduled together. This option is typically used to balance courses; it does not prevent one of the courses from being scheduled without the other.

For example, students who take Introduction to Computers should take Keyboarding Skills at the same time.

For more information about course sequences, refer to About Course Sequences.

You may also define the course-sections that need to be scheduled together and then define a block course that indicates the course-section for each blockette and has each blockette as mandatory. Students would request the block course.

If two courses must be scheduled during different semesters:

Define a course sequence that indicates that the courses should not be scheduled together, for example, if students cannot take AP Physics at the same time that they are taking AP Calculus.

For more information about course sequences, refer to About Course Sequences.

If students are grouped into house/teams and typically only students in one house/team can take a course:

Assign a house/team to the appropriate course-sections in the Master Schedule. Only students in this house/team will be scheduled into the course-section by the Schedule Students option, if you run the option without selecting to override teams. With security, a user may override the house/teams for exceptions.

If the building uses Multiple Bell Schedules, you cannot override the house/team information. Students must be scheduled into courses that are assigned to the student's house/team or to courses with no house/team designation.

For more information about multiple bell schedules, refer to About Multiple Bell Schedules.

If most students have the same set of courses scheduled and you want users to be able to load one request:

Define a proxy block. A proxy block does not have a section specified for any of the blockettes and no blockettes are mandatory. The scheduler will try to schedule all blockettes, but may schedule the student for some of the blockettes without filling all blockettes.

For example, if students in grade 06 take the same core courses, you can create a block that includes the core courses. Student requests for the block are entered, but the scheduler will schedule the student into the core blockette course-sections.

For more information about proxy blocks, refer to How Blocks and Proxies Are Scheduled.

If students should be grouped so that the same students attend a set of course-sections:

Define a block that specifies the sections for the blockettes and indicates that all blockettes are mandatory.

For example, if Algebra I is offered in two parts (Algebra I A in semester 1 and Algebra 1 B in semester 2) and you want the same class of students to take both parts.

Or you may have a core group of courses for which students move as a class from one course to another. So you could use a block if the same class of students takes Reading, Math, Social Studies, and Science.

For more information about block courses, refer to Overview of Block Courses.

If students should have the same teacher for multiple courses:

Define a block that has at least one section specified or at least one section defined as mandatory.

Select Same Teacher preferred or required.

For more information about block courses, refer to Overview of Block Courses.