Understanding the RulesSCH04

Mary Anne Raymond

Define Scheduling Rules• Use scheduling rules to alert the system of

any constraints that are tied to the building of your master schedule.

• Keep in mind that although you can create an unlimited number of scheduling rules, these rules constrict the options that Aspen has to schedule the courses, as well as place the students in the courses that they request.

Ways to Define Rules

• Via the Rules tab• Define a specific type of rule on:

• The Course tab• The Staff tab• The Room tab• The Students tab

Course blocking blocks certain courses the following ways…

• Consecutive: One course meets after another.The sequence number defines course order.

• You can use the same teacher.• You can limit the section count.• You can use teams to team teachers.• This rule allows different shaped courses to be

blocked via terms and patterns.• You can use platoons, and the system will

assign a Platoon code.

Course Blocking Rules

• Block Days (Dovetail): Course meets one day, and the other meets another. Usually needed for partial cycle courses.

- Use classes to create one roster.

PD

• Free Form: User is allowed to define the pattern.

S1

S2

- Use classes to create one roster.

• Wheel: Groups courses that all students take but start at different courses.

- Sections are scheduled across terms, days, or periods in a wheel.

Jacobs Smith Adams- Usually used in middle schools.

• Course Term Link: Student must be scheduled in certain courses during the same period across the terms you are specifying.Q1: Health Q2: PE

With no Term Link, PE could be scheduled in Q3, leaving two quarters free.

Q1:Health

Q2: OpenQ1 Health

Q2:PE

Q3:PE

Q4: OpenQ3: Open

Q4: Open

• Course Sequence Concurrent: This is a load rule. Instructs the system to schedule a student in two courses that must be taken in the same term.

Example:John is requesting Physics. He must also be enrolled in Pre-Calculus in the same term. As long as John requests both courses, with this rule, the system will schedule him in both courses in the same semester.

• Course Sequencing: This is a load rule. Instructs the system to schedule a student in one course the first term and the second course in the following term.

Example:Jane is requesting Drawing 1 and Drawing 2. She must be scheduled in Drawing 1 in a term that is before Drawing 2. As long as Jane requests both courses, with this rule, the system will schedule her in Drawing 1 the semester before Drawing 2.

Room Rules• Room Course Restriction: This rule instructs

the system to schedule a course in a specific room only. This rule identifies those rooms.

Example:The Typing course must be scheduled in two of the four computer labs. Specifically, the ones with a typing program installed on the computers. As long as there is availability, this restriction does not preclude other courses from being scheduled in those rooms/labs.

• Room Teacher Restriction: This rule instructs the system to schedule a teacher in a specific room only. This rule identifies those rooms.Example:Room 100 has been Mrs. Smith’s room for 20 years, and she wishes to teach all her classes there. This rule would prevent her assignments from being scheduled in any other class room. As long as there is availability, this restriction does not preclude other teachers from being scheduled in her room.

• Room Reservations: This rule directs the system to schedule only the courses that must be taught in specific room(s) only. This rule identifies those rooms.Example: AP Biology, Biology, AP Chemistry, and Chemistry should only be held in the science labs.

Note: Using the Open Room When Satisfied option, the system can then schedule other courses in the room once the rule has been satisfied for the courses listed in the rule.

• Room Unavailable: This rule directs the system to not schedule a room(s) and keep it free for the identified period(s).

Example: Room 127 should be free Period 3 every day, as it is the room and period that different department heads have their meetings.

Staff Rules• Teacher Common Planning: This rule directs

the system to schedule a group of teachers in a free period at the same time.

Example:Teachers that are also department heads must have one period in the day to have their department head meetings.

• Teacher Reserve Time Block: This rule reserves a specific number of free periods during a span of periods.

Example: Lunch spans over periods 3-5 during the day. Ms. Ellis has lunch duty during a period within that span of periods. She needs one of these periods free, but it doesn’t matter which period.

• Teacher Concurrent: The teacher selected can be scheduled for more than one section at the same time. This essentially can overbook a teacher for a period. This is also not a hard and fast rule.

Example: Sister Mary teaches Latin 1, 2, and 3. She would like all levels of Latin to be taught at the same time, since the course work for all three levels is similar. This rule could schedule the courses at the same time, creating separate rosters.

• Teacher Avoid Student: This rule prevents a teacher from having certain students in any of their classes. This is a hard and fast rule with no exceptions.

Example: Mrs. Jackson is an English teacher and doesn’t wish to have her son, Michael Jackson, in her class. Both of them wish for Michael to attend someone else’s English class.

• Teacher Dovetail: Takes partial-cycle courses that should be scheduled together to minimize the number of empty periods in the teacher’s schedule.

Student Rules• Student Avoid Student: Students cannot be

scheduled in the same section with another student. There is an exclusion allowed to this rule wherein user can create a list of courses that can ignore the rule.

Example: Jerry cannot be scheduled in any classes with Jacob and Jesse due to their fighting. However, if there is an exclusion allowed for PE, Jacob and/or Jesse may end up in the same PE class as Jerry.

• Student Avoid Teacher: Students cannot be scheduled in a section of a certain teacher.

Example: Kevin cannot be scheduled in any of Mrs. Adamson’s classes due to a past issue. However, if Mrs. Adamson is the only teacher who instructs a course that Kevin has requested and is required to take, the rule will be ignored.

Thank you.

mraymond@x2dev.com