Understanding Periods in openSIS

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 assigned to a specific period. Proper period configuration ensures that schedules are organized correctly and attendance calculations work accurately.

Administrators can configure:

  • Regular periods
  • Block or rotation days
  • Full-day and half-day attendance minutes

Accessing Period Settings

To access Period settings:

Notes
Settings > School Settings > Periods

The Periods screen displays:

  • Configured periods
  • Period timings
  • Attendance calculation settings
  • Block/Rotation day options
  • Full-day and half-day attendance minute configuration

Why Periods Are Important

Periods are used across multiple modules in openSIS, including:

  • Student scheduling
  • Teacher schedules
  • Attendance management
  • Timetable generation
  • Course section assignment
  • Daily attendance calculations
  • Academic reporting

Incorrect or incomplete period setup may impact attendance records and scheduling workflows.

Types of Period Configurations in openSIS

Regular Periods

Regular periods represent standard instructional sessions during the school day.

Examples:

  • Period 1
  • Period 2
  • Advisory
  • Lunch
  • Lab Session

Each period includes:

  • Title
  • Short name
  • Start time
  • End time
  • Attendance calculation preference

Block or Rotation Days

openSIS also supports Block/Rotation Day scheduling.

These are commonly used in:

  • Higher education institutions
  • Alternate-day schedules
  • A/B rotation models
  • Odd/Even day scheduling systems

Examples:

  • Day A
  • Day B
  • Rotation 1
  • Rotation 2

Different periods may be configured under different rotation days.

Attendance Calculation Through Periods

Each period can optionally contribute to attendance calculations.

When the Calculate Attendance option is enabled:

  • Attendance from that period contributes toward the student’s daily attendance total.
  • openSIS uses the total instructional minutes to determine:
    • Full-day attendance
    • Half-day attendance
    • Absence status

Full-Day and Half-Day Minutes

At the bottom of the Periods screen, administrators can define:

  • Full-day minutes
  • Half-day minutes

These values help openSIS determine attendance status automatically based on accumulated instructional minutes.

Example:

  • Full-day minutes: 120
  • Half-day minutes: 60

If a student attends periods totaling:

  • 120 minutes → Present for full day
  • 60 minutes → Half-day attendance

Period Management Features

Administrators can:

  • Add new periods
  • Edit existing periods
  • Delete periods
  • Reorder periods using drag-and-drop sorting
  • Create block or rotation days
  • Configure attendance calculation rules

Best Practices

  • Use clear and consistent period names.
  • Avoid overlapping time ranges.
  • Configure attendance-enabled periods carefully.
  • Verify full-day and half-day minute settings before attendance processing.
  • Use rotation days only when required by the institution’s scheduling structure.

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