Overview

When you log in to openSIS for the first time, you’ll see a First-Time Setup screen with a quick checklist. Completing these steps unlocks the core menus and prepares your school for scheduling, attendance, grading, and reporting.

Step 1: Set Up the School Calendar

Menu Path: School Setup → Calendar

1. Open the Calendar. (Our system automatically creates a calendar for you with the dates you provided at the time of registration)

2. Click on any date to create an Event or mark it as a Holiday.

3. Save your changes.

Why this matters: Holidays must be marked correctly, otherwise openSIS can generate missing attendance for days that should be non-instructional.

Step 2: Create Marking Periods (Full Year → Semesters → Quarters)

Menu Path: School Setup → Marking Period

A) Create Full Year

1. Click Add New (or “+”) to create a Full Year.

2. Enter:

   • Title (example: “Full Year 2026–2027”)

   • Short Name (example: “FY”)

   • Start Date and End Date

3. Save.

B) Add Semesters / Quarters (Child Marking Periods)

1. Under the Full Year, click + Add Child Marking Period.

2. Create Semesters, then create Quarters under each semester (as per your school structure).

3. For each marking period, enter:

   • Title and Short Name

   • Marking Period Begin & End Dates

   • Grade Posting Begins & Ends dates

Tip (important): Grade Posting dates control when staff can enter final grades. Best practice is:

• Grade posting begins near the end of the marking period

• Grade posting ends a few days after the marking period ends
  

Step 3: Create Periods (School Day Time Blocks)

Menu Path: School Setup → Periods

1. Click Add New Period.

2. Enter:

   • Title (example: “Period 1”)

   • Short Name (example: “P1”)

   • Start Time and End Time

   • Calculate Attendance = Yes/No

3. Save.

Critical note: If Calculate Attendance is NOT set to “Yes”, attendance cannot be taken for course sections scheduled in that period.

Step 4: Add Rooms (Classrooms)

Menu Path: School Setup → Rooms

1. Click Add New Room.

2. Enter:

   • Room Title (example: “Room 101”)

   • Capacity

   • Description (optional)

3. Save.

Note: Rooms used in active scheduling/attendance cannot be deleted; they can be deactivated instead.

Step 5: Add Grade Levels

Menu Path: School Setup → Grade Levels

1. Click Add New Grade Level.

2. Fill in:

   • Title (example: “Grade 9”)

   • Short Name (example: “09”)

   • Grade Level Equivalent (if applicable)

   • Age Range / Educational Stage (optional)

   • Next Grade (important)

3. Save.

Why “Next Grade” matters: During end-of-year rollover, student promotions follow the Next Grade mapping you set here.

Step 6: Create Report Card Grade Scale (and Grade Table)

Menu Path: School Setup → Report Card Grade Scale

A) Create Grade Scale

1. Click Add Grade Scale.

2. Enter:

   • Grade Scale Name (example: “Main”)

   • Scale Value (example: “4.0”)

   • Comment (optional)

   • Enable Calculate GPA if your school uses GPA

3. Save.

B) Add Grades Under the Scale

1. On the right side of the grade scale, click Add New Grade.

2. Add your grading rows (example: A, B, C…) and set:

   • Breakoff (or range)

   • Unweighted GP Value

   • Weighted GP Value (optional)

Tip: If your school doesn’t use weighted classes (AP/Honors), you can keep Weighted GP Value empty.

Step 7: Add Staff (Teachers & Admins)

Menu Path: Setup Checklist → Add Staff
(Also available from Staff module after setup)

1. Click Add Staff.

2. Enter the minimum required fields (example: First Name, Last Name, Staff ID).

3. Click Save & Next to continue and complete required fields.

4. Repeat for more staff, or use Excel Import if available.

Result: You now have staff accounts that can be assigned to course sections and schedules.

Step 8: Add Students (Basic Student + Enrollment Info)

Menu Path: Setup Checklist → Add Student
(Also available from Students module after setup)

1. Click Add Student.

2. Enter the mandatory fields (basic profile).

3. Click Save & Next.

4. On the Enrollment screen:

   • Select Grade Level

   • Set Enrollment Date

   • Choose Enrollment Code

5. Click Update.

Note: Student record is created first, then enrollment details finalize the student’s placement.

Step 9: Add Courses (Program + Subject + Course)

Menu Path: Setup Checklist → Add Course
(Also available at Scheduling → Courses)

1. Click Add Course.

2. If no courses exist, click Add New Course.

3. Fill the course form:

   • Title / Short Name

   • Grade Level (if required)

   • Credit Hours (if required)

   • Select or create Program

   • Select or create Subject

4. Click Submit.

Note: The first time, Program/Subject may not exist. Create them once and they will appear in dropdowns next time.

Step 10: Add Course Sections (Class Instances of a Course)

Menu Path: Setup Checklist → Add Course Section
(Also available at Scheduling → Course Sections)

1. Open a Course.

2. Click Add New Course Section.

3. Confirm Active toggle:

   • ON = visible and ready for scheduling

   • OFF = draft (not published in catalog)

4. Choose the Duration:

   • Marking Period (recommended for standard schools)

   • Custom Date Range (useful for trade schools / flexible terms)

5. Choose a Schedule Type:

   • For first-time setup, choose Fixed Schedule

6. Under Fixed Schedule, select:

   • Room

   • Period

   • Meeting Days

   • Enable Take Attendance if attendance is required

7. Click Submit.

Step 11: Schedule Teachers

Menu Path: Scheduling → Schedule Teacher

1. Search and select a Teacher (blank search can list all).

2. Select the Course Section(s).

3. Click Check Availability to detect conflicts.

4. If no conflicts, click Start Scheduling.

Note: You can assign multiple teachers to one course section, and one teacher to multiple sections.

Step 12: Schedule Students

Menu Path: Scheduling → Schedule Student

1. Search and select student(s).

2. Select course section(s).

3. Set the Schedule Date.

4. Click to schedule.

Important: Schedule Date controls when students are enrolled into the course section.

If the course already started, backdate Schedule Date to the course start date.

Completion Check

Once these steps are done, you should be able to navigate the full left menu and use openSIS normally (attendance, grades, reports, scheduling)