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SIS 2000+ Attendance

Section 2, Rapid Entry

This interface is specially designed to allow rapid entry of attendance data by attendance clerks. Most procedures can be accomplished using only the ten-key pad (see General Data Entry Guidelines). Whereas the Class Entry program (Sec. 4) is centered around a specific teacher and his/her classes and is normally used by a teacher, this Rapid Entry program starts from a specific student, group, or class belonging to the logged on school site. Typically, this application is used by attendance clerks to enter data from hard copy attendance rosters turned in by teachers.

Fig. 1 - Opening screen, entry mode

To use Rapid Entry, complete the following steps (described in detail below):

1. Log into SIS 2000+.
2. Launch Rapid Entry.
3. Find a student, group, or class.
4. Enter attendance data.
5. Save.
6. Review.
7. Post.

Detailed Description of Rapid Entry Steps

Step 1. Log into District Office or to a specific school site

• If the user will be entering attendance data for several school sites within the district, it is advisable to log on to the District Office. From the District Office session, all the school sites can be accessed (without having to log off and log on) by using Switch School in the File menu of the SIS 2000+ Main Menu. After executing the Switch School command, select the target school/track/year in the list that appears before launching any Attendance procedures
  
• If the user will be entering data for a single school site only, then logging on to that site directly is appropriate. Keep in mind that to switch schools in this mode requires the user to log off completely and log on again.

Step 2. Launch Rapid Entry program

From the SIS 2000+ Main Menu, click on the Attendance icon button to open the Attendance Menu. From the Attendance menu, click on the Rapid Entry icon button (shown to the right).

Step 3a. Find a student.

Method #1: Enter Student Identifier
Enter a student ID number in the Student Identifier field (Fig. 2) and press ENTER. If the Student ID number is valid, the last name and first name of the student will be retrieved and displayed in the other fields (Fig. 5).

Fig. 2

Method #2: Enter Student Last Name
If the ID number is not known, use the DOWN arrow key or the TAB key to move the focus to the Last Name field (do not press ENTER to advance the focus in this case). Search for the target student by entering any portion of the last name or first name (Fig. 3) and pressing ENTER (or ALT+I for the Find command).

Fig. 3

If there is a match for any portion of the name, a selection list will appear with candidate student names followed by Student ID numbers and track codes (Fig. 4). Select the correct name from the list using the DOWN or UP arrow keys on the keyboard and then press ENTER (or ALT+S to execute the Select command) to retrieve the name. One student may be enrolled in more than one track. In theses cases there will be a duplicate listing for that student. Be sure to select the correct listing according to the target track. After the Select command is executed, the selection list will close and the student's full name, plus their Student Identifier number, will be displayed in the upper portion of the main screen (Fig. 5).

Fig. 4   Selection List (Matching a portion of the name)

 

Exact Match search method Put a check in the Exact Match for Search field to bypass the partial string feature and retrieve only student records with an exact match of the full search string. This field can be set to default to On or Off whenever the application is opened by using the Preferences dialog.

Fig. 5

Verify identity
If the name retrieved is correct, press ENTER to shift the focus forward to the Date field and continue with Step 4. If the name is incorrect, click the button or press ALT+C to Clear the fields and start over.

Optional photo verification -
A photo of the selected student is sometimes helpful for verification of identity, especially in cases where two students have the same first and last names. Photos are imported into the SIS 2000+ database via the Student Editor program. Click on the Student Picture command button. If a photo of the student is available, it will be displayed in a pop up screen (Fig. 6).

Fig. 6

Step 3b. Find a group.

Rapid attendance data can be entered for a group of students as well as for individuals. For example, all the members of a certain school club may be excused for three periods on a given day. The Group command facilitates entering identical attendance data for all the members of the group at one time. Move the focus to the Group command button ( ) and press Enter. A list of groups from the Group Editor database will open (Fig. 7). Student Groups are predefined in the Group Editor application in the System program module. The group accessed must be composed of students enrolled in the school site that attendance is being entered. Through the following procedure, all students in the group will receive the same attendance code for the date range selected.

Select a group from the list, shift the focus to the Select command button, and press Enter. The Group Editor list will close and the view will revert to the 'Attendance Rapid Entry' screen. Proceed to step 4.

Fig. 7

Step 3c. Find a class.

Rapid attendance data can be entered for an entire class at one time. The Class command will facilitate entering identical attendance codes for all students enrolled in a course section for a specified day. Move the focus to the Class command button ( ) and press Enter. The 'Class Selection' screen will open displaying a list of course sections scheduled on the default date (Fig. 8).

Fig. 8

The list of course sections is sorted in ascending order using the Track field as the primary sort field, the Period field as the secondary sort field, the Course Code field as the tertiary sort field, and so on. The Course Description field is followed by the Sec# (section number) and Teacher name for that section. The list may be conveniently sorted on any of the fields by clicking on the column header of the target field. The target field will then become the primary sort field. The sorting direction of the primary sort field will be indicated by a small gray arrow in the column header; an up arrow for ascending (Fig. 9), a down arrow for descending. This sorting direction may be toggled back and forth between ascending and descending by clicking on the column header.

Fig. 9

Scroll down the list until a target course section is located. Click on the target line until it is highlighted in green. To select or deselect more than one course section, hold the Ctrl key down while clicking (Fig.10).

Fig. 10

Step 4. Enter Attendance data

4.1 Enter Date

The Date field will default to today's date. If today's date is applicable, press ENTER twice in succession: once to confirm the default date and exit the Date field, and a second time to skip the calendar field button and go to the Code field. Continue with Step 4.2. However, if the attendance data is to be applied to a different day than today, change the date by one of three methods:

• Method 1 - Manual date entry

  When the focus is on the Date field, simply enter a new date with the numeric keypad in the format of MM/DD/YYYY. Then press Enter twice in succession. The new date will overwrite the old date and the focus skip the Calendar field button and advance to the Start Period field.

• Method 2 - Using the drop-down calendar

  Use the drop-down calendar to locate and select the date.

• Method 3 - Change System Date

  
  Fig. 11

  The system date of SIS 2000+ can be changed to reflect the applicable date of the attendance data to be entered. Once this is accomplished, that date will be the new default in the Date field. Select the Set System Date command from the Date menu (see Fig. 11). A drop-down calendar will appear. Note that you should change the system date before entering Rapid Entry.

Attendance data can be recorded for a single period or a contiguous range of periods, as follows: Use the DOWN or UP arrow keys to select a Start Period. Press ENTER. The focus will move forward to the End Period field. (Periods available have been predefined for the current track by the Track Editor program.) The End Period will automatically display the Start Period entered. If the data entry is for this single period, press Enter again to continue to the Code field. If the attendance data to be entered spans a range of periods, specify the End Period accordingly and press Enter to move to the Code field.

Use the DOWN or UP arrow keys to select the attendance code. Press Enter. This will be the tentative attendance mark for the selected student on the date and period specified. Attendance codes are user-defined in the Table Editor program during the configuration of SIS 2000+. The description of each code can be viewed in the read-only field to the immediate right.

Step 5. Save attendance record

After entering data in the Code field and pressing Enter, the focus will move forward to the Save command button. Verify that all data is correct. Make corrections, if necessary. Press Enter or ALT+S to save the record, or Cancel (ALT+C) to abort.

Repeat Steps 3 through 5 for subsequent students. Continue recording attendance data for all students, groups, and classes -- then proceed to Step 6 (Review).

Error Correction for saved records
If an error was made on a record that was saved, another record for the same student can be created and saved to correct the error. The new record will overwrite the older duplicate records (for the same student, same date, and same period) during the posting procedure in the steps that follow.

Step 6. Review

The attendance entries saved in the previous steps are pending, that is, they are held in a temporary file and are not yet recorded permanently in the database. These entries can be reviewed before they are posted or they can be posted without reviewing. It is recommended to review the pending attendance records and edit the data, if necessary, before executing the Post procedure. The 'Review Pending Attendance' screen lists all pending attendance entries (records) in a table format. Pending entries will remain in the 'Review' list until posted, even if the Rapid Entry program is closed and reopened at a later time.

Fig. 12

Activate the Review mode by pressing ALT+R.

Some of the data fields that were used in the entry mode are now displayed as columns, along with some additional classroom-related data. Use the vertical scroll bars to view the entire list. Use the horizontal scroll bars or resize the screen to view all the columns to the right.

6.1 Sort pending records

The pending records are initially listed in the order that they were entered. The 'Review' list can be sorted by the Student Name field or the Date field, in ascending or descending order. Click once on the column header of either field to designate it as the primary sort field. The primary sort field will be marked by a triangular gray arrow in the column header, pointing up for ascending order or down for descending order. The sort order of a primary sort field can then be changed from ascending to descending or descending to ascending by clicking once on its column header.

6.2 Set options

Open the Option menu (Fig. 13) by pressing ALT+O. Select (turn On) or deselect (turn Off) a combination of the two options. The default selection for both options is "On", indicated by the check marks. The default selections may be altered by the Preference dialog (see explanation). These Delete options are only enabled in the 'Review Pending attendance' screen.

Fig. 13

• Delete Duplicate Records - Duplicate records are created when there is more than one entry for the same student, same date, and same period. This scenario may arise if an additional attendance record(s) was created in the entry mode to correct a previous erroneous record for the same student, same date, same period. For example, if a record was saved in the entry mode with the wrong Period or Code, the user may have decided to create another record for that student with the correct data (Step 2.7). The Rapid Entry program detects the sequence of each record saved - only the latest record for the same student/date/period will be posted when the Post command is executed. Checking this option will automatically delete the earlier duplicate records from the 'Review' table after posting is completed. Deselecting this option will cause the duplicate records to remain in the 'Review' table after posting, for auditing purposes.

• Delete Error Records - Errors in records are caused when an attendance mark is saved for a period in which the selected student is not scheduled for any class on the specified date. Errors will be indicated by the phrase "NO SCHEDULE RECORDS." Erroneous records will not be posted to the database, but they will appear in the 'Review' list. Checking this option will automatically delete the errors from the 'Review' list as the posting procedure is executed. Deselecting this option will cause the erroneous records to remain in the list after posting, for auditing purposes.

6.3 Edit a record

Only the Code field can be changed in the 'Review' list. Use the ENTER key or the TAB key to shift the focus to the target Code field. Change the attendance code by using the DOWN or UP arrow keys to scroll up or down through the available choices. After the desired selection is made, press the TAB key to save the code and move out of the field.

6.4 Delete a record

Any record may be deleted before posting. Click anywhere in the target record until the whole line is highlighted in green (Fig. 14).

Fig. 14

Press ALT+D to execute the Delete command. In the dialog screen that appears (Fig. 15) answer "Yes" to confirm deletion, or "No" to cancel.

Fig. 15

Step 7. Post data, decide print & preview options

Press ALT+P to initiate the posting procedure. A dialog box will appear prompting for the option "Send Log Report to Printer?" (Fig. 16). A Log Report will print a list of all pending attendance records, including duplicates and errors, in ascending numerical order by period. Answer "Yes" to initiate printing, or answer "No" to skip printing and proceed with posting.

Fig. 16

If "Yes" was selected for printing a Log Report, the next dialog (Fig. 17) will prompt for a print preview . Answer "Yes" to see the preview, or "No" to continue sending report to the printer. If "Yes" is selected for the print preview option, the report (Fig. 18) may be printed or canceled as the preview is closed. Close the print preview by clicking on the exit door icon (). The "Send Log to Printer?" option will appear again (Fig. 16). Choose "Yes" to print or "No" to skip printing and proceed with the posting process.

Fig. 17

Fig. 18

After all printing options in the previous steps are completed; the posting process will automatically continue. As records are posted, they will be removed from the 'Review' list, with the exception of duplicate records and erroneous records that have been designated to not be deleted via the Option menu (see Step 2.8.3).

Print a Batch Report (optional)
A Batch Report prints only those attendance records that were posted in the last Post procedure. The Batch Report can only be run only once per posting. Press ALT+P to initiate the printing procedure, or shift the focus to the Print command button and press ENTER. A dialog box will appear prompting for the option of a print preview (Fig. 19) Answer "Yes" to see the preview or "No" to proceed with printing. If "No" is selected, a print dialog screen generated from the operating system of the host computer will open, allowing the user to choose a printer, page range, and number of copies.

Fig. 19

Fig. 20

If "Yes" was selected for the print preview option in the previous step, the report may be printed or canceled as the preview is closed. Close the print preview by clicking on the exit door icon. In the dialog that appears (Fig. 20), choose "Yes" to send the Batch Report to the printer, or "No" to skip printing and return to the Review screen.

Exit review mode using the Done command
After printing or previewing the view will return to the 'Review Pending attendance' screen (Fig. 12). Press ALT+D to exit the review mode and return to the rapid entry screen, or shift the focus to the Done command button and press ENTER.

Post data without reviewing - If the user is sure of the accuracy of pending attendance entries, the data may be posted without reviewing. Skip Step 6 above - do not execute the Review command. Instead, execute the Post command from the main screen by pressing ALT+S. In the confirmation message that appears (Fig. 21) answer "Yes" to proceed or "No" to abort. Fig. 21 If "Yes", the user will be prompted for print and preview. Continue as in Step 7.