Multiple Period Courses
When you are creating a Master Schedule record for a course-section that meets in multiple periods, you can set up the course with a single session or multiple sessions. You can only define a course-section as a single session if the same periods meet on all days of the course. If there is a variation in the meeting pattern, you must set up multiple sessions.
The following conditions determine whether to set up single or multiple sessions for Master Schedule course-sections that meet in multiple periods. Since sessions also affect how marks and attendance are entered, conditions are included to address these additional possibilities.
If a course's periods change on some days that the course meets: | Multiple Sessions |
If a course meets for the same periods on the same days: | Single Session Note You can also define this course as multiple sessions. |
If a student can be resolved out of one of the course's periods: | Multiple Sessions You cannot resolve a student out of one of a course's periods if you schedule a single session that spans periods. |
If the teacher should take attendance once and save it for all of the course's periods: | Single Session For example, if you set up a course to meet for a single session for periods 1 and 2, attendance is stored for the attendance periods for period 1 and period 2. Note There is no option available for multiple sessions that allows you to set up a course where teachers can take attendance once and save it for all periods. |
If the teacher should take attendance once and only save attendance for a single period: | Multiple Sessions Enter a check in the Take Attendance box for the session of the period that you want to save attendance for. Set the Take Attendance box to unchecked for all other sessions. |
If the teacher should take attendance for each of the course's periods: | Multiple Sessions Enter a check in the Take Attendance box for all session. |
If the teacher should enter progress reports and/or report cards for each period of the course every marking period: | Multiple Sessions Select T- Retained for Transcripts or R - For Report Cards Only for the Marks Are field for every session of the course. Note The course will print multiple times on the report cards – once for each session. |
If the teacher should enter progress reports and/or report cards one time for the course every marking period: | Single Session Note You also can set up a multiple session course so that mark reporting data is only entered and reported once. Select T- Retained for Transcripts or R - For Report Cards Only for the Marks Are field for the appropriate session. For information on how this affects how teachers can enter assignments in Gradebook, refer to the Multiple Sessions and Gradebook section. For information on how course absence totals are calculated for single sessions versus multiple sessions, refer to How Mark Reporting Absence Totals are Calculated for Courses that Meet in Multiple Periods. |
Multiple Sessions and Gradebook
- If you define a multiple session course that has different periods meeting on different days and only one session is designated for mark reporting, then you must consider whether teachers need to enter assignments for the cycle days when the other sessions meet. For example, if a course-section has session 1 defined for M, W, F and session 2 for T, R, but a teacher wants to have an assignment due on a Tuesday, you must set up Gradebook to accept all valid membership dates in the marking period as assignment dates. This option is available in the Assessment Date Validation field on the Mark Reporting Configuration page's Gradebook tab.
- If you define a course with sessions that meet in different marking periods, you must set up at least one session in all marking periods that should be graded. You cannot enter Gradebook assignments for a marking period that is not set up to be graded.