Understanding openSIS Navigation | Administrator Menu & Dashboard Guide

Understanding openSIS Navigation

Overview

openSIS uses a role-based navigation structure designed to help administrators quickly access academic, operational, communication, attendance, grading, billing, and reporting workflows.

The platform navigation is divided into:

  • Left Navigation Menu (main operational modules)
  • Top Navigation Bar (context selectors and quick actions)
  • Dashboard Shortcuts and Widgets

The available menus and features may vary depending on the logged-in user role and assigned permissions.


Main Navigation Layout

The left sidebar contains the primary operational modules used throughout openSIS. Administrators can expand modules to access additional workflows and configuration areas.

The top navigation bar allows users to switch operational contexts such as school, academic year, and marking period while also providing quick access to notifications, support, and shortcut actions.


Main Navigation Modules

Dashboard

The Dashboard provides a centralized overview of institutional activities, alerts, analytics, attendance summaries, communication updates, and quick actions.


Communication

The Communication module helps institutions manage internal and external communication workflows.

Available areas may include:

  • Messaging
  • AI-assisted communication features

School

The School module contains institution-level academic and operational settings.

Available areas include:

  • School Information
  • Marking Periods
  • Calendars
  • Notices
  • Mental Health Information

Admissions

The Admissions module helps institutions manage student applications and applicant workflows.

Available areas include:

  • Dashboard
  • Application Forms
  • Applicants
  • Email Templates

Students

The Students module manages student records and enrollment-related workflows.

Available areas include:

  • Student Information
  • Group Assign Student Info
  • Re-enroll Student

Parents

The Parents module provides parent-related information and access management features.


Staff

The Staff module manages teacher and staff-related operations.

Available areas include:

  • Staff Info
  • Teacher Functions

Courses

The Courses module helps institutions manage course structures and academic offerings.

Available areas include:

  • Course Manager
  • Course Catalog
  • Course Request
  • Student Course Requests

Lesson Plan Library

The Lesson Plan Library stores academic lesson planning resources and instructional materials.


Scheduling

The Scheduling module helps institutions assign teachers and students to course sections.

Available areas include:

  • Schedule Students
  • Group Drop Students
  • Schedule Teacher
  • Reassign Teacher
  • Reassign Student
  • Group Delete

Grades

The Grades module manages grading workflows and academic reporting.

Available areas include:

  • Administration
  • Progress Reports
  • Report Cards
  • Certificates
  • Transcripts

Attendance

The Attendance module helps institutions track and manage student attendance.

Available areas include:

  • Administration
  • Add Absences
  • Recalculate Daily Attendance
  • Missing Attendance

Behavior & Discipline

The Behavior & Discipline module helps institutions manage referrals, incidents, and student behavior tracking.


Billing and Fees

The Billing and Fees module manages fee assignment and subscription workflows.

Available areas include:

  • Dashboard
  • Assign Fees and Request Money
  • Assign Subscriptions

LMS

The LMS module supports Learning Management System integrations.

Available areas include:

  • Get LMS Data
  • LMS Settings

Reports

The Reports module provides institutional reporting and analytics tools.


Settings

The Settings module contains institution-wide configuration options for academic, operational, and administrative workflows.

Administrators can configure:

  • Calendars
  • Grade Levels
  • Marking Periods
  • Dashboard Dashlets
  • Attendance Codes
  • Grading Preferences
  • Profiles & Permissions
  • Communication Defaults

Tools

The Tools module provides utility and maintenance-related operations.


Help & Support

The Help & Support section provides access to documentation, support resources, and assistance tools.


Top Navigation Controls

The top navigation bar provides quick operational controls that affect the current working context throughout openSIS.

Administrators may see:

  • School Selector
  • Academic Year Selector
  • Marking Period Selector
  • Notifications
  • User Profile
  • Piloo AI Assistant
  • Help & Support
  • Quick Add Button

Changes made using the academic year or marking period selectors affect data visibility throughout the system.


Quick Add Menu

The Quick Add button allows administrators to quickly perform common actions without navigating through multiple modules.

Available quick actions may include:

  • School
  • Student
  • Staff
  • Event
  • Notice
  • Course
  • Student Bulk Data Import
  • Staff Bulk Data Import

This helps administrator complete operational tasks more efficiently.


Dashboard Shortcuts and Widgets

Many dashboard widgets include direct shortcuts to related modules and workflows.

Examples include:

  • Attendance alerts
  • Billing insights
  • Messages
  • Calendar events
  • Student performance analytics
  • Behavior referrals

Dashboard widgets can be enabled or disabled from:

Settings → School → Dashboard Dashlets


Search and Filters

Many openSIS screens include search and filtering options to help users quickly locate records.

Common search features include:

  • Global search fields
  • Advanced search filters
  • Student and staff filters
  • Saved filters
  • Export options

Role-Based Navigation

Navigation visibility depends on assigned user permissions and role access.

For example:

  • Teachers may not see Billing modules
  • Parents may only access student-related information
  • Students may have limited academic visibility

Administrators can manage permissions from:

Settings → Administration → Profiles & Permissions


Navigation Tips

  • Use breadcrumbs at the top of the page to track your current location.
  • Use the Dashboard for quick operational monitoring.
  • Use Settings to configure institution-wide options.
  • Frequently used modules remain visible in the left sidebar.
  • Dashboard widgets can help administrators monitor operational issues quickly.

Important Notes

  1. Menu visibility changes based on user role permissions.
  2. Some modules may not appear if the feature is disabled for the institution.
  3. Navigation layouts may vary slightly between desktop and mobile views.
    • Related Articles

    • Understanding the Administrator Dashboard

      Overview The Administrator Dashboard provides a centralized overview of your institution’s daily operations. From the dashboard, administrators can monitor attendance, student performance, communication alerts, billing insights, referrals, ...
    • Understanding User Roles and Permissions in openSIS

      Overview openSIS uses a role-based permission system to control what users can view and manage inside the platform. Each user is assigned a Profile Type, which determines: accessible modules available actions view/edit permissions menu visibility ...
    • openSIS Initial School Configuration – Complete Step-by-Step Admin Setup Guide

      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: ...
    • Importing and Exporting Data in openSIS

      Overview openSIS provides a centralized Data Interchange area where administrators can bulk import, update, and export institutional data using Excel or CSV files. This helps schools: onboard large amounts of data quickly reduce manual entry migrate ...