School Options

The School Options form is used to maintain data about each school and is stored in the LOC table. It contains the school’s name and address, grade range, etc. Various options are displayed for the user’s school only. The information on this form should be verified at the beginning of each school year. The school options can be changed prior to the start of school by clicking the mouse on the dot next to the option selected, for example Elementary or Secondary. But once school has started these options MUST not be changed.

 

Note: School code 0 and the school code of the current database cannot be deleted. For example, if SCH09001.MDB is being accessed then school code 001 cannot be deleted.

 

Standard Function Codes

    Locate Functions

    Update Functions

    Other Functions

When using Function Codes the Enter key is not pressed after typing the code

Options

The following options are displayed on the School Options form and can be changed by clicking the mouse on the drop down for selection, for example, Elementary or Secondary. But once school has started these options MUST not be changed.

School Type

A school should be designated as a secondary school if it maintains a master schedule, courses, and teachers, and assigns sections to each student. Normally an elementary school does not use a master schedule, course table, or assign sections to students. Teacher and room data is kept in the teacher table. The student’s teacher assignments are kept in the student record in the area used for counselor number by elementary schools.

Some elementary schools have students in grades 5, 6, or higher and use a master schedule to assign classes to all students. The lower grade students will have only one class. By selecting the option, Elem w/MST (elementary with master schedule) the school can be treated as a secondary school for everything except attendance.

Attendance Type

A school keeping attendance for one or more periods of the day uses Period Attendance reporting. Schools keeping attendance by day use Daily Attendance reporting.

Schedule Basis

The default for this option is Semester basis, which means the school’s classes are semester, year, or quarter classes. If there is a trimester class schedule, then select the trimester option. The options selected do affect scheduling and grade reporting.

Grade Reporting

This option can be set as Mult Marks for "Multiple Marks" if a school wants to keep grades for students in the grade table all year or all semester. At the beginning of a new grade reporting cycle all previous grades will be stored and new classes will be added. If One Mark has been selected the grade table will be erased at the start of every grade cycle and new grade records will be created for each student and their current class schedule.

Attendance Reporting

Attendance Reporting is normally performed as exception or negative attendance. This means only absences are reported and if students are not reported as absent they are assumed to be present. However continuation schools normally use positive attendance reporting.

Summer School

The default for this option is No. If this is a summer school, select Yes. A summer school has attendance computed on an hourly basis and reported positive.

Gender Codes

To flag students as "boys" and "girls" select the B and G option or select the M and F option for "males" and "females."

BELL Schedule

A starting and ending time can be maintained in this option for each period of the school day. This information is used on the student ID cards and on some special attendance reports. A number can be entered from zero (0) through nine (9) under period. The starting and ending times may be entered as military time; e.g.: 13:00 or with AM/PM after the time; e.g.: 1:00 PM. This information is stored in the BEL tables.

TERMS

The starting and ending date of each term is entered in this option and is required for grade and attendance reporting. Each term code used in the master schedule should be entered here; e.g.: "F" for fall semester, "1" for first quarter, etc. This information is stored in the TRM table and MUST be correct.