How to Configure Full-Day and Half-Day Minutes in openSIS

How to Configure Full-Day and Half-Day Minutes in openSIS

Overview

The Full-Day and Half-Day Minutes settings in openSIS help determine how student attendance is calculated based on instructional minutes attended throughout the school day.

These settings work together with attendance-enabled periods to automatically identify whether a student is:

  • Present for a full day
  • Present for a half day
  • Absent

This configuration is important for accurate attendance processing and reporting.

Accessing Full-Day and Half-Day Minute Settings

To access these settings:

Notes
Settings > School Settings > Periods

The Full-Day and Half-Day Minutes section is available at the bottom of the Periods screen.

Understanding Attendance Minutes

openSIS calculates attendance using the total instructional minutes attended across periods where:

  • Calculate Attendance is enabled

The system compares the accumulated attendance minutes against:

  • Full-day minute value
  • Half-day minute value

Full-Day Minutes

The Full-Day Minutes value defines the minimum instructional minutes required for a student to be marked present for the entire day.

Example

If:

  • Full-Day Minutes = 120

Then students attending attendance-enabled periods totaling 120 minutes or more are marked present for the full day.

Half-Day Minutes

The Half-Day Minutes value defines the minimum instructional minutes required for half-day attendance.

Example

If:

  • Half-Day Minutes = 60

Then students attending at least 60 instructional minutes may qualify for half-day attendance.

How to Configure Full-Day and Half-Day Minutes

  1. Navigate to:
    Info
    Settings > School Settings > Periods
  2. Locate the:
    Set full-day and half-day minutes section
  3. Click the edit icon
  4. Enter:
    • Full-Day Minutes
    • Half-Day Minutes
  5. Save the configuration

The updated values will now be used during attendance calculation.

How Attendance Calculation Works

Attendance calculations depend on:

  • Period duration
  • Attendance-enabled periods
  • Student attendance records
  • Full-day and half-day minute thresholds

Only periods with the Calculate Attendance option enabled contribute toward attendance minute totals.

Example Attendance Scenario

Configured Values

  • Full-Day Minutes = 120
  • Half-Day Minutes = 60

Student Attendance

PeriodMinutesAttendance Enabled
Period 130Yes
Period 230Yes
Period 330Yes
Period 430Yes

Total Attended Minutes

120 minutes

Result

Student is marked present for the full day.

Best Practices

  • Configure attendance-enabled periods carefully.
  • Ensure full-day minutes are greater than half-day minutes.
  • Review institutional attendance policies before configuration.
  • Keep period durations accurate for reliable attendance reporting.
  • Verify attendance calculations after updating period settings.

    • Related Articles

    • Understanding Periods in openSIS

      Overview Periods in openSIS define the instructional time slots used throughout the school day. These periods form the foundation of scheduling, attendance tracking, student timetables, and teacher schedules. Each course section in openSIS is ...

    • Understanding Attendance Code Settings in openSIS

      Overview When creating or editing an Attendance Code in openSIS, administrators can configure several settings that determine how the code behaves during attendance entry and reporting. These settings help control: Who can assign the attendance code ...

    • Understanding Attendance Codes in openSIS

      Overview Attendance Codes in openSIS define the attendance statuses that can be assigned to students during attendance entry. These codes are used by teachers and administrative staff when recording attendance and help institutions track student ...

    • How to Add and Manage Periods in openSIS

      Overview The Periods section in openSIS allows administrators to create and manage the instructional time slots used throughout the school day. Periods are used in: Student scheduling Teacher schedules Attendance tracking Timetables Course section ...

    • How to Mark a Holiday as a School Day in openSIS

      Introduction openSIS allows institutions to convert holidays or non-instructional days into active school days directly from the Calendar screen. This feature helps institutions adjust academic schedules when additional instructional days are ...