The New Student Schedule screen allows administrators to view and manage a student’s class schedule and schedule requests in Focus.
To use the New Student Schedule, the system preference "Do not use legacy schedule" needs to be enabled in Setup > System Preferences > Default School Preferences or School Preferences > Scheduling tab.
If any of the following system preferences are enabled for a school, the system will revert to using the legacy Student Schedule screen:
- Sections can have multiple non-consecutive periods
- Allow students to enroll themselves in classes
- Sections can have different periods on different days in the rotation
- School is Post Secondary
The Class Schedule section allows administrators to review course details, add or remove sections, make adjustments to a student’s schedule, and ensure the schedule aligns with the student’s needs and requests.
Administrators can access the new student schedule from the Scheduling menu or from a student's record.
Option 1: From the Scheduling Menu
1. Click the Scheduling menu, and then select Student Schedule.
2. Search for the student whose schedule you want to view.
a. Enter the student’s name or ID in the search field.
b. Click Search.
3. Click the student’s name in the search results.
4. The new Student Schedule screen displays the student’s schedule.
Option 2: From a Student's Record
1. Use the Select Student/Staff pull-down to find a student, and then click on their name to view the student's record.
2. In the student's record, select Schedule to view the student's schedule.
View the New Student Schedule to review periods, teachers, and course details for a selected student.
1. To get started, access a student schedule.
2. By default, the student schedule displays the Course List view. Additionally, The Effective Date defaults to today's date when viewing the schedule in the current school year, or the first day of school when viewing the schedule in a future school year.
3. Use the Options pull-down to change the schedule view.
When selected, the Blank Rows for Schedule Holes option displays periods where the student does not have a scheduled course.
When selected, the Only Gradelevel Courses option displays only sections where the Grade Level(s) field is blank or contains the student's grade level.
When selected, the Display Requests option displays student's course requests from the Student Requests screen beneath the schedule and includes all the functionality available on the Student Requests screen. Note: View and edit access is determined by profile permissions for the Student Requests screen.
When selected, the Inactive Schedule Records option displays inactive (dropped) courses on the schedule.
When selected, the Display (State) Fields option displays state-specific fields on the schedule.
When selected, the Display Vocational/WDIS Fields option displays vocational/WDIS fields on the student schedule.
4. By default, the student’s schedule displays the Full Year, but you can select a specific marking period to view a different timeframe.
If the student only has full year courses, the marking period tabs will not display.
A student schedule can be exported as a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.
1. Access a student schedule.
2. Click the Excel icon located above the table.
To save a hard copy of a student's schedule, you have two options to print the schedule.
Option 1: Using the Printer Icon
1. Access a student schedule.
2. Click the Printer icon next to the Excel icon.
3. Click print to start printing a hard copy of the schedule.
Option 2: Using the Print Schedule Button
1. Access a student schedule.
2. Click the Print Schedule button in the top right.
3. Click Print to start printing a hard copy of the schedule.
Once a student's schedule is set, sections on the schedule can be locked so that subsequent Scheduler runs will not affect the student's schedule. The lock option is not available after the first day of school.
Option 1: Locking Individual Sections
1. To lock individual sections, select the Lock check box next to each section.
2. Click Save.
Option 2: Locking All Sections
1. To lock all sections at once, click the Lock All button.
2. In the confirmation message, click Yes.
3. Click Save.
Sections can be manually added to a student's schedule using the blank row at the bottom of the schedule.
1. In the blank row at the bottom of the schedule, select the Period, Term, Subject, and/or Course. In the Section - Teacher pull-down, select the desired section.
2. Update any other schedule fields as needed, such as the meeting Days, Enrolled date, or state reporting fields.
3. Click Save.
An inclusion section can be manually added to a student's schedule by selecting the Inclusion check box next to the primary section. For example, if a student needs an inclusion section for English 2, select the Inclusion check box next to the English 2 section on the student's schedule. If there is no inclusion section attached to that primary section, then the Inclusion check box will not be available on the student's schedule.
For Florida districts, ensure the Display Florida Fields option is selected in the Options pull-down.
1. Next to the primary section on the schedule, select the Inclusion check box.
When a Florida district checks the Inclusion box on a students schedule, Focus will attach the inclusion section and (if that inclusion section has minutes defined) subtract those inclusion minutes from the primary (S) section so the students total minutes for that course stay correct.
2. Click Save.
3. Edit the Class Weekly Minutes for the inclusion section on the student's schedule if needed.
4. Click Save.
5. To remove an inclusion section from a student's schedule, clear the Inclusion check box next to the parent section, and click Save.
An inclusion section should only be removed in this manner if it was incorrectly added. Otherwise, the inclusion section should be dropped from the student's schedule by adding a Dropped date so that a record is kept.
When the "Display Requests" option is selected on the Student Schedule, the "Auto-Schedule this Student" button is available. Focus will attempt to schedule the student based on the student's requests and available sections. The Auto-Schedule feature won't overfill sections, so not all classes may get scheduled.
A student can also be auto-scheduled based on requests in Scheduling > Student Requests.
1. In the Options pull-down, select Display Requests.
2. Above the table of requests, click Auto-Schedule this Student.
3. In the pop-up window, select the Ignore Alternates check box to indicate whether alternate requests should be ignored when running the auto-scheduler, then click Confirm.
When the Ignore Alternates check box is selected, the Scheduler will only attempt to schedule the student into their primary requests.
When the check box is cleared, the Scheduler will include alternate requests if primary requests cannot be scheduled.
Click Cancel to close the pop-up without running the scheduler.
Focus will attempt to schedule the student based on the course requests and available seats in sections, and the resulting schedule will display.
To automatically delete a student's schedule and auto-schedule the student when changes are made to a student's course requests, select Display Requests in the Options pull-down, and select Delete & Auto-Schedule Automatically above the requests table. See Using the "Delete & Auto-Schedule Automatically" Option for more information.
Before the term begins through the first day of the term, sections can be deleted from a student's schedule without needing to be dropped, since attendance and grade records do not exist yet for the section. Only users with the profile permission "Allow User to Delete Sections" enabled for the Student Schedule screen have the ability to delete sections from a student's schedule.
Option 1: Deleting an Individual Section
1. To delete an individual section, click the Delete button (red minus sign) next to the section.
2. In the confirmation message, click OK.
3. Click Save.
Option 2: Deleting All Sections
1. To delete all sections from the schedule that are eligible for deletion, click Delete All.
2. In the confirmation message, click Yes.
3. Click Save.
The Delete button and Delete All button will only be available for sections where the term has not yet begun. The ability to delete is also available on the first day of the term, as long as no attendance and grades have been entered for the section.
After the term has begun, sections that have already started cannot be deleted because attendance and grade records have already been recorded. The section must be dropped.
Option 1: Dropping an Individual Section From a Student's Schedule
1. Click the Dropped field next to the section, and select or enter the date of the last day the student sat in the section using the pull-downs or calendar icon.
2. Click Save.
Option 2: Dropping All Sections From a Student's Schedule
1. To drop all sections from a student's schedule, click Mass Update.
2. In the pop-up window, select Dropped in the Column pull-down.
3. In the Value field, select the date of the last day the student sat in the sections.
4. Click Update.
5. Click Save.
When the "Delete & Auto-Schedule Automatically" option is enabled in the Student Requests table, any changes made to the student's requests will automatically trigger the existing student schedule to be deleted, and the auto-schedule function to run to reschedule the student.
1. Select the Display Requests Option at the top of the screen to enable the requests table.
2. Select Delete & Auto-Schedule Automatically at the top of the requests table.
2. Make a change to the student's requests and click Save.
The Auto-Schedule process will run. Focus will attempt to schedule the student based on the course requests and available seats in sections, and the resulting schedule will display.
3. When desired, deselect Delete & Auto-Schedule Automatically to disable this functionality.
Before the term has begun, the schedule is editable on sections that have not yet started, including moving the student to a different section of the same course. Other fields such as the Meeting Days, Term, and state reporting fields can also be edited if needed.
1. To move a student to a different section of the same course, click the Period field on the schedule record and select Select One. This clears out the period that was selected.
2. In the Section - Teacher pull-down, select the desired section of the course.
3. Edit any other section fields as needed, and click Save.
Users can edit some schedule fields, such as the Meeting Days, Term, and state reporting fields after the term has already begun. The Section-Teacher field cannot be edited.
If you need to make edits like dropping and adding sections to a student's schedule after a term begins, see "Dropping Sections from a Student Schedule After the Term Begins" for more information.
Only fields with a pull-down, check boxes, or dotted underline can be edited. Some fields, like Room and Last Modified, are not editable because they auto-populate.
1. Click a field and make any edits as needed.
2. Click Save when finished.
Some fields on the schedule can be mass updated, including the Days, Enrolled date, Dropped date, state reporting fields, and Vocational/WDIS fields.
1. Click Mass Update.
2. In the pop-up window, select the Column to update.
3. Enter or select the Value to populate.
4. Click Update.
5. Click Save.
The Adjust screen displays a grid view of the student schedule, providing a color-coded visualization of the student's current schedule and other available sections of scheduled courses. Adjustments can quickly and easily be made, with one or multiple sections being added and dropped in one step.
The Adjust screen cannot be used when any of the following System Preferences are enabled for the school:
- Sections can have multiple non-consecutive periods
- Sections can have different periods on different days in the rotation
- School is Post Secondary
1. Click the Adjust icon.
2. To adjust a student's schedule, click Select on the sections you would like to add to the student's schedule. One or multiple sections can be selected.
3. Click Save to save the selections.
4. In the pop-up window, use the Effective Date provided or select a different Effective Date for the change, and click Update.
5. Click Confirm to complete the change.
6. Depending on your profile permissions to the Student Requests screen, you can scroll down and view/edit student request information beneath the grid. This includes all the functionality available on the Student Requests screen.
7. To view the sections that were dropped and added in the Course List view of the schedule, click the Course List icon.
8. In the Options pull-down, select Inactive Schedule Records.
When a parent section is changed using the Adjust screen, associated child sections are automatically added, removed, or updated to match.
In the New Student Schedule, administrators can use the Display Requests option to view and manage schedule requests.
Course requests can be entered directly in the table. You can also designate alternate requests, set the Inclusion option, designate with or without a specific teacher or period, and other options.
1. In the blank row at the top of the table, select the Course.
To quickly locate a course in the list, begin typing the course name or number in the Filter field at the top of the pull-down. Matching courses will display in the list for selection.
If a course is requested that a student is currently taking or has already taken, or has already been requested, a warning message will display stating that there is a conflict with the chosen course. This includes alternate course requests. You can continue to add the request if the student has to repeat the course or if it is a course the student can take for multiple periods/credits (e.g. OJT or study hall), or you can cancel the request.
If you have requested a course in any of the core subject groups (Math, Science, Social Studies, or English) on the behalf of a student, the student cannot request a course in the same subject group. If the student tries to request a course in the same subject group via the Student Portal, he/she will receive an error message.
2. Enter the rest of the fields as needed:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Course # | This is a read-only field that displays the course number. Click the info button to open the course in Courses & Sections. |
| Scheduled | This is a read-only field that displays a green check mark if this course is scheduled for the student. |
| Sections | This is a read-only field that displays the number of sections for the course. |
| Available Seats | This is a read-only field that displays the number of available seats for the course. |
| Credits | This is a read-only field. The credits for the course will auto-populate after adding the request if defined in the Course Catalog. Florida: If there is a value in the Total Credit column in the Course Catalog for that school year, that value will display. If there is no value in the Total Credit column, then the value in the Credits per Course column will display (which pulls from the Course Code Directory for that school year). If there is no value in either the Total Credit column or the Credits per Course column, and there are no records for that school year in the Course Code Directory, then it will look to the Course Code Directory of the previous school year for a value. If there is no value found anywhere listed, then the request will display as 0 credits. Texas: If there is a value in the Total Credit column in the Course Catalog for that school year, that value will display. If there is no value in the Total Credit column, then the value in the C022 for that school year will display. If there is no value in either the Total Credit column or the C022 for that course, and there are no records in the C022 for that school year, then it will look to the C022 of the previous year for a value. If there are no values found anywhere listed above, then that request will display as 0 credits. Other states: It will only refer to the column Total Credit in the Course Catalog. If there is a value for that course in that school year, it will display that value next to the student request record. If there is no value, then the request will display as 0 credits. |
| Schedule First | Select the check box if the Scheduler should attempt to schedule this request first before all other requests not marked as “Schedule First." |
| Don’t Schedule | Select the check box if the Scheduler should not schedule this course request. |
| Move to Alternate | Click the Move button to move the course request to the Elective Alternate Course Requests table. See Moving a Core Request to an Elective Alternate Request for more information. |
| Allow Elective Alternates | Select the check box to allow this course to be replaced by an elective alternate request from the Elective Alternate Course Requests table if it cannot be scheduled. If no courses have this option selected, the Elective Alternate Course Requests table will not be considered when scheduling the student. |
| Term | If a student will not be enrolled for the full length of the course, select the Term. For example, this may be used if the student only needs one semester of a full year course. |
| Inclusion | Select the Inclusion check box if the student needs to be scheduled into an inclusion section as well as the primary section. When the student is scheduled, the system will look for sections that were set up with an inclusion section in Courses & Sections, and will only schedule the student into the section with an inclusion section attached. If there are no inclusion sections attached to the primary section, the student will not be scheduled into the course. |
| Alternate Course 1, Alternate Course 2, Alternate Course 3 | For each course request, up to three alternate course requests can be designated. If the primary course request cannot be scheduled, the system will try to schedule the Alternate Course 1. If the Alternate Course 1 cannot be scheduled, the system will try to schedule the Alternate Course 2, and so on. Note: When using the Alternate Course 1, Alternate Course 2, and Alternate Course 3 fields to specify alternates for a specifc course request, do not select the “Allow Elective Alternates” check box on the course. |
| With Teacher, Without Teacher | If the student should be scheduled with or without a certain teacher, make the appropriate selections. One or multiple teachers can be selected. Selections can only be made if sections have been created. |
| With Period, Without Period | If the student prefers to take the course during or not during a specific period of the day, make the appropriate selections. One or multiple periods can be selected. Selections can only be made if sections have been created. Note: Invalid period options will display with an asterisk. For example, if a request was entered for a student with Period 3 selected in the With Period column, and later on the period 3 section was moved to a different period making period 3 no longer a valid option, *Period 3 will display in the With Period column for that request. |
| Section Number | If desired, select the specific section to request for the student. This pull-down only populates after the Course has been selected, and displays the section numbers associated with the course. |
| Approved by Teacher | This is a read-only field. When using the “Teachers approve course requests” functionality, enabled by the system preference, this check box will be selected to indicate that the teacher approved the course request. If the “Teachers approve course requests” functionality is not enabled in System Preferences, this column will not display. |
| Last Modified | This is a read-only field that displays who last modified the course request, and the date and time. |
| ACR | This is a read-only field that indicates if the course request was added by the Automatic Course Requests function. |
Teacher, period, and section restrictions can only be set on a request after sections for these courses have been built. It is advised to place as few restrictions as possible on requests.
3. Press Enter to add the row.
The request is added to the list.
4. Continue adding course requests. Click Save when finished.
The Elective Alternate Course Requests table allows global alternate course requests to be designated for the student instead of designating alternates for each individual course. The courses entered in the Elective Alternate Course Requests table can act as alternates to any course with "Allow Elective Alternates" selected at the top of the Student Requests screen that was not able to be scheduled. Global alternates are used in the order of their priority. Students may make edits to entries in the Elective Alternate Course Requests table made by administrators, however if the entry is for a course students are not allowed to request, the entry will not be editable by the student.
1. In the Elective Alternate Course Requests table, select the first alternate Course.
The Priority field defaults to 1 for the first alternate request.
2. Press Enter to add the row.
The Priority field defaults to 2 for the next course request entry. Continue to add alternate course requests as needed. The Priority field can be adjusted, as needed.
3. Click Save.
In the Elective Alternate Course Requests table, the Move button can be used to change the elective request to a core request and move the request to the table at the top of the screen. The Scheduled column will display a green check mark if this course is scheduled for the student. The Sections column will display the number of sections of the course. The Available Seats column will display the number of available seats for the course.
4. Ensure that the applicable courses that can be replaced by the global alternates have Allow Elective Alternates selected.
If no courses have "Allow Elective Alternates" selected at the top of the screen, then the Elective Alternate Course Requests table will not be considered when scheduling students.
5. Click Save.
1. In the Core Request table, click Move next to a core request.
2. In the confirmation message, click OK.
The request is moved to the Elective Alternate Course Requests table, and is given the next available priority number. Adjust the priorities, if desired.
1. In the Elective Alternate Course Requests table, click Move next to the request.
2. In the confirmation message, click OK.
The request is moved to the table with the other core requests. Adjust any of the request options, as needed.
Edit any of the course request or alternate course request fields as needed and click Save.
1. Click the delete button (red minus sign) to the left of the request or elective alternate course request.
2. In the confirmation message, click OK.
The row will be grayed out.
3. Click Save to complete deletion.
1. Select the check box next to each request to delete, or select the check box in the column header to select all the requests in the table.
2. Click Delete Selected Requests at the top of the screen.
3. In the confirmation message, click OK.
The selected rows will be grayed out.
4. Click Save to complete deletion.
If students are allowed to enter their own course requests, students will do so from the Class Requests screen in the Student Portal. This procedure documents the student point of view when entering course requests.
Focus will review a student's grade history, schedule, and pending course requests to determine prerequisite requirements.
1. If a student is entering a course request for the next year and is currently scheduled into the prerequisite course this year, Focus will assume the student will pass the course and meet the requirement. The student will not need a grade history record present.
2. For a grade record to meet the prerequisite, the student must have earned credit (i.e., the Credits Earned field cannot be 0), and the grade record must be flagged for Course History.
3. The system will also evaluate pending course requests, allowing students to request a prerequisite course and its dependent course without triggering an error. For example, a student can add a request for Spanish 1, and then add a request for Spanish 2.
If the district leverages extra characters on course numbers, the system will match the course numbers exactly. For example, if the prerequisite is entered with an 8-digit course number, Focus will match the full 8-digit course number when comparing schedule and grade records. However, if the district enters a prerequisite with a 7-digit course number, Focus will only match the first 7 digits.
1. Click Class Requests.
2. If not already working in the next school year, click Switch to 202X-202X to switch to the next school year.
Any requests already entered by administrative staff, teachers, or the student will be displayed in the table at the top of the screen. Requests entered by administrative staff or teachers will be locked from editing by the student. Students may edit entries in the Elective Alternate Course Requests table that were made by staff, if students are allowed to request that course.
Students can enter requests in the table at the top of the screen or by using the Quick List at the bottom of the screen. The Quick List is organized by graduation subject. If any requests have already been entered for a graduation subject, a green check mark will display next to the subject.
3. To enter requests using the Quick List, select a course from the pull-down next to the graduation requirement.
4. After entering the requests in the Quick List, click Save.
If an error is encountered, such as the prerequisites for a requested course have not been taken, a pop-up window will display with the error.
5. Click Cancel to close the message, and then change the request that caused the error. Click Save.
Once there are no errors, the requests are added to the table at the top of the screen.
6. To add alternate requests for a specific course, select a course in the Alternate Course 1, Alternate Course 2, and Alternate Course 3 fields.
If a primary course request cannot be scheduled, the system will attempt to schedule the Alternate Course 1. If the Alternate Course 1 cannot be scheduled, the system will attempt to schedule the Alternate Course 2, and so on.
7. Click Save to add the course requests.
8. To enter elective alternate course requests for the student instead of having to designate alternates for each individual course, navigate to the Elective Alternate Course Requests table.
9. In the blank row, select the alternate Course.
The Priority field defaults to 1 for the first alternate course request entery, 2 for the next alternate course request entry, etc.
10. Press Enter to add the row.
11. If needed, adjust the Priority numbers for the alternates.
Students may edit entries made in the Elective Alternate Course Requests table entered by staff. The entry will not be editable by students if students are not allowed to request that course.
12. At the top of the screen, select Allow Elective Alternates next to the courses that can be replaced by the Elective Alternate Course Requests.
13. Click Save.
14. To add new course requests to the table at the top of the screen, select the Course to request in the blank row.
15. Select an Alternate Request 1, Alternate Request 2, and Alternate Request 3, if desired.
16. Press Enter to add the row.
17. Continue adding additional course requests as needed. Click Save to save the course requests.
18. To modify a request entered by the student, select a different Course, or change the Allow Elective Alternates, Alternate Course 1, Alternate Course 2, or Alternate Course 3. The rest of the fields cannot be edited by the student.
19. Click Save.
20. To delete a request entered by the student, or an alternate request in the Elective Alternate Course Requests table, click the red minus sign next to the course.
21. In the confirmation message, click OK.
The row will be grayed out.
22. Click Save to complete deletion.
23. To delete multiple requests, select the check box next to each request to delete.
24. Click Delete Selected Requests at the top-right corner of the screen.
25. In the confirmation message, click OK.
The selected rows will be grayed out.
26. Click Save to complete deletion.
Students cannot modify or delete requests entered by administrative staff or teachers, except for the Elective Alternate Course Requests table.
The Approved by Counselor check box is used to indicate that the counselor has reviewed and approved the student's course requests.
At the top of the screen, select the Approved by Counselor check box.
A green check mark flashes on the screen to the right of the Locked for Students field, indicating the selection was saved.
Requests can be locked for students so that students can no longer make changes to their course requests.
At the top of the screen, select the Locked for Students check box.
A green check mark flashes on the screen to the right of the Locked for Students check box, indicating the selection was saved.
In some cases, a student may be enrolled in more than one school. The New Student Schedule displays courses from all enrolled schools in a single view, allowing you to review and manage the student’s full schedule across locations.
1. Find a student with dual enrollment, and then access their student schedule.
2. The student's schedule displays for both schools.
3. The school selected in the school pull-down determines which schedule is editable. In the example, Volusia Online Learning is selected, so that schedule can be edited.
To edit the Mainland High School schedule, select it from the school pull-down.
4. The school selected in the school pull-down also determines which schedule requests are applied. Any requests entered will update the schedule for the selected school.