What are Historical Marking Periods in openSIS?

Historical Marking Periods allow schools to preserve academic records from previous academic years. These marking periods provide a structured way to store and reference grading information, transcripts, course completions, and academic achievements that occurred before the current academic year.

Many institutions maintain student records for multiple years. Historical Marking Periods help ensure that past academic information remains accessible for reporting, transcript generation, graduation verification, and long-term record keeping.

By maintaining historical academic data, schools can accurately track student progress throughout their educational journey.

Why Historical Marking Periods Are Important

Student records often extend across multiple academic years.

Historical Marking Periods help institutions:

• Preserve academic history.
• Maintain transcript accuracy.
• Support graduation verification.
• Retain historical GPA information.
• Access past report card data.
• Meet institutional record retention requirements.
• Provide long-term academic reporting.

Without historical records, schools may struggle to verify previous academic achievements and course completions.

What Information Can Be Associated with Historical Marking Periods?

Historical Marking Periods may be linked to:

• Student grades
• Report cards
• GPA records
• Academic transcripts
• Course completions
• Credit accumulation
• Honor Roll recognition
• Graduation requirements

This information remains available for reference even after the academic year has ended.

Examples of Historical Marking Periods

A school may maintain records such as:

These records allow administrators to review academic performance from previous years.

Historical vs Current Marking Periods

Current Marking Periods

Current marking periods are actively used for:

• Attendance
• Grading
• Scheduling
• Academic reporting

Historical Marking Periods

Historical marking periods are primarily used for:

• Record retention
• Transcript generation
• Academic verification
• Historical reporting

They preserve information from completed academic years.

Common Use Cases

Transcript Generation

Historical marking periods help ensure transcripts include previous academic records.

Graduation Audits

Schools may review historical coursework and credits when verifying graduation eligibility.

Academic Record Requests

Former students often request historical transcripts or academic records.

Compliance and Record Retention

Educational institutions frequently maintain academic records for many years to satisfy policy requirements.

Benefits of Historical Marking Periods

Long-Term Academic Tracking

Schools can review a student's academic journey over multiple years.

Accurate Reporting

Historical grades remain available for transcript generation and academic audits.

Record Preservation

Important academic information remains accessible after marking periods have ended.

Institutional Compliance

Historical records support educational record retention policies.

Best Practices

• Maintain historical records accurately.
• Preserve completed academic years.
• Review historical data before making major academic changes.
• Ensure transcript information remains available.
• Follow institutional retention policies.
• Regularly verify archived academic records.

Proper management of historical marking periods helps preserve the integrity of student academic history.

Common Questions

Are Historical Marking Periods used for active grading?

No. Historical Marking Periods are generally used for record keeping and reporting rather than active grading activities.

Can historical records appear on transcripts?

Yes. Historical Marking Periods help support transcript generation and academic record verification.

Why should schools maintain historical marking periods?

Historical records help preserve academic history, support compliance requirements, and provide accurate reporting.

Can historical records be reviewed years later?

Yes. Historical Marking Periods are designed to preserve academic information for long-term access.