openSIS is used by different types of users, including administrators, staff, teachers, students, parents, and guardians. Each user type has access to specific areas of the system based on their assigned profile type, role, and permissions.
This article explains the key terms related to user access, profile types, roles, permissions, login credentials, portals, and account security in openSIS.
A User is any person who can log in to openSIS and access the system.
Users may include:
Each user’s access depends on the profile type, role, and permissions assigned to the account.
A Profile Type is the role assigned to a user in openSIS.
It controls which modules the user can access, what actions the user can perform, and which menu items are visible. Profile types help openSIS provide a role-based experience for administrators, teachers, students, and parents.
Examples:
Super Administrator, School Administrator, Admin Assistant, Teacher, Homeroom Teacher, Student, and Parent.
A User Role defines what a user can view, manage, or perform inside openSIS.
Roles help separate responsibilities between different users. For example, an administrator may manage school setup and student records, while a teacher may access assigned course sections, attendance, assignments, and grades.
A Super Administrator is the highest access-level user in openSIS.
A Super Administrator can access all modules across all schools, configure institution-wide settings, manage users and permissions, and oversee academic and operational workflows such as scheduling, grading, attendance, billing, communication, and reporting.
This role is usually assigned to district-level administrators, institutional owners, or system managers.
A School Administrator is an administrative user with control over the school or schools assigned to their account.
Unlike a Super Administrator, a School Administrator cannot access schools outside their assignment. School Administrators manage academic workflows, operational workflows, users, settings, reports, and school-level records within their assigned schools.
An Administrator is a general term for a user with access to admin-side features and system management functions.
Administrators may manage school setup, student records, staff records, academic settings, reports, communication, billing, and other institution-level workflows depending on their assigned profile type and permissions.
An Admin Assistant is a support role whose access is controlled by the permissions granted by a Super Administrator or School Administrator.
The role may be configured with full module access, limited access, or view-only access depending on the institution’s needs.
Admin Assistants are commonly used for registrars, office administrators, front desk staff, attendance coordinators, or other support users.
Staff refers to non-student users who work within the institution.
Staff users may include administrators, teachers, office staff, counselors, nurses, finance users, or other school employees. Their access depends on the profile type and permissions assigned to them.
A Teacher is a staff user assigned to one or more course sections.
Teachers commonly use openSIS to view assigned courses, take attendance, enter grades, manage assignments, and review student academic information through the Teacher Portal.
A Homeroom Teacher is a profile similar to the standard Teacher role but with additional homeroom-specific responsibilities.
Depending on the institution’s setup, Homeroom Teachers may have extended student oversight capabilities and may be able to enter effort grades. Core classroom permissions such as attendance, assignments, and grade entry are similar to the Teacher profile.
A Student is a learner enrolled in the institution.
Students may access the Student Portal to view their profile, schedule, attendance, grades, course requests, graduation progress, billing information if enabled, and other student-facing information.
A Parent is a user linked to one or more students.
Parents may access the Parent Portal to view student-related information such as academic progress, attendance, grades, schedules, billing if enabled, and communication records, depending on the institution’s configuration and privacy rules.
A Guardian is a parent or responsible contact associated with a student.
Guardian information may be used for communication, emergency contact, custody-related access, or student record management.
A Custom Profile is a user-defined role created by an administrator based on an existing default profile type.
When creating a custom profile, the selected base type provides the starting permission structure. Administrators can then modify the permissions to grant or restrict access to specific modules and actions.
Found under:
Settings → Administration → Profiles & Permissions
A Permission controls what a user is allowed to do in openSIS.
Permissions may define whether a user can view, add, edit, delete, approve, reject, send, export, configure, or manage certain records or modules.
Profiles & Permissions is the settings area where administrators manage user profiles and access rules.
This area is used to control what different users can see and do in openSIS.
Found under:
Settings → Administration → Profiles & Permissions
Access refers to the parts of openSIS a user is allowed to open or use.
Access is usually controlled by the user’s profile type, role, and assigned permissions.
Role-Based Access means users see only the features and data allowed for their assigned role or profile type.
This helps protect sensitive information and keeps the system organized for each type of user.
Example:
A teacher may view students assigned to their course sections, while a School Administrator may view all students within the assigned school.
Module Access refers to a user’s permission to open or use a specific module in openSIS.
Examples:
Students, Staff, Attendance, Grades, Scheduling, Billing & Fees, Admissions, Communication, Reports, or Settings.
View-Only Access allows a user to see information without changing it.
This is useful when a staff member needs to review records but should not add, edit, or delete data.
A Portal is a user-specific access area in openSIS.
openSIS includes different portal experiences for different user types, such as:
Each portal shows features and information relevant to that user type.
The Administrator Portal is the primary interface for Super Administrators and School Administrators.
It provides access to academic, operational, communication, attendance, grading, billing, reporting, and settings workflows based on the user’s role and permissions.
The Teacher Portal is the interface available to users with a Teacher or Homeroom Teacher profile.
Teachers use it to manage assigned course sections, attendance, grades, assignments, classroom activities, student records, reports, and other teacher-facing workflows.
The Parent Portal is the access area for parents or guardians.
It allows parents to view information related to their associated students, such as grades, attendance, schedules, progress, billing if enabled, and school communication. Access may differ based on institution type, privacy requirements, and school policy.
The Student Portal is the self-service access area for students.
Students use it to view their own academic information, including schedules, attendance, grades, course information, graduation progress, billing if enabled, requests, and profile details.
Login Credentials are the details a user enters to access openSIS.
These usually include a username or email address and a password.
A Username is a unique login identifier assigned to a user.
Depending on the institution’s setup, a user may log in using a username or an email address.
A Password is the secure key used with the username or email address to log in to openSIS.
Users should keep their passwords private and update them when required by the institution.
Two-Factor Authentication, also called 2FA, is an additional security step used during login.
When enabled, users may need to verify their identity using an extra code or authentication method after entering their password. This helps protect user accounts from unauthorized access.
Account Status indicates whether a user account is active, inactive, disabled, or otherwise restricted.
Only active users can usually log in and access the system.
An Active User is a user whose account is enabled and available for system access.
An Inactive User is a user whose account is no longer actively used or has been disabled from regular access.
Inactive users may remain in the system for historical records, but their login access may be limited or blocked.
An Associated Student is a student linked to a parent or guardian account.
This link allows the parent or guardian to view student-related information through the Parent Portal.
A Primary Contact is the main contact person associated with a student record.
For students, this may be a parent or guardian who should receive important communication from the institution.
A Department is an organizational group within the institution.
Departments may be used to organize staff, academic areas, support teams, or administrative responsibilities.
User roles and permissions help openSIS show the right information to the right people. They also protect sensitive student, staff, academic, billing, and institutional records.
Understanding these terms helps administrators manage accounts properly and helps users understand why their portal, menu options, and available actions may look different from another user’s portal.