PowerScheduler Course Requests Priority

[aorton]

When adding a new course requests into PowerScheduler, what priority number should core classes and electives have? 

With other SIS we've used in the past, we chose "0" for cores (Eng/Ma/Sci/Hist) and then  "1,2,3,4," for top electives to fill the rest of the school day. Alternate/back up electives were then listed in numeric value after the top elective choices.

Also, I am unsure of how to EDIT priorities... If I've added group of requests for English I with the priority of "0", and it needs to be something else, how to do I edit that number to change it?

[nicolebond · Accepted solution]

I attached a PS document that I found helpful when trying to determine the load priority. 

[JeffG9]

You should use the Load Priority on the Course (Preferences tb) itself as opposed to requests. The lower the number the higher the priority. You can use a Load Priority of 1 for courses students must get into, 3 for Honors or AP courses, 6 for Core classes, etc.

[aorton]

Thank you! How do I edit priority numbers to change them to what others on here have suggested?

[JeffG9]

@aorton

You should use the Load Priority on the Course (Preferences tab) itself as opposed to requests. The lower the number the higher the priority. You can use a Load Priority of 1 for courses students must get into, 3 for Honors or AP courses, 6 for Core classes, etc.

See the screenshot attached to the post you replied to for an image of the area.

[aorton]

When I edit and try to save via the attached screenshot, I'm brought to an error page that shows the following "Alert: Course Number 000000123 already assigned as the lunch course."

("Use this course for Lunch" check box is "checked" under Scheduling Preferences.  Someone else must have selected this? Should I remove the check in this category?)

[JeffG9]

I do not get that error when adjusting the Load Priority on a course with "Use this course for Lunch" checked.

Regardless, "Use this course for lunch" is only used if you schedule teachers for lunch, so you can likely uncheck it.

[aorton]

Thank you so much! I've gone and updated all priorities to be 1,3,6, etc via the Course/Preferences tabs... Now that I'm going through each student to add course requests, priorities are all populating as zero, instead of the 1,3,6's I've assigned for cores/electives/alternates. Does that matter? Do I need to then manually change each class under requests tab to equal the proper priority? 

[JeffG9]

There is no need to adjust the priority on requests.

[aorton]

Thank you! I appreciate all of your help! It's been invaluable this week.

[nicolebond · Accepted solution]

I attached a PS document that I found helpful when trying to determine the load priority. 

[aorton]

Thanks! Now that I know how to prioritize, how can I edit the original priority numbers I've put into PowerScheduler?

[DanM3 · Accepted solution]

We generally do our course priority numbers 10, 20, 30, 40 (AP/Honors, Required Classes, electives, etc.) Sometimes for a singleton that isn't getting the kids in, we can then bump those to like 9, 19, 29, etc.  

[ItsOnlyDoug]

We were told early on that tt's not a simple 10, 20, 30 scheme...It's a doubled +1 scheme. 

1, 3, 7, 15, 31, 63....

So for us all of our honors, AP, and singletons are 1 and 3s...Core classes are 7 and our electives start at 15 depending on demand.

[psutulovich]

Is there a way to prioritize the student request?  We gave students four elective choices.  They will only be assigned to two electives.  We had them enter their request in the order of choice priority.  Their first choice was the elective they wanted most and their fourth choice was the elective they wanted least.  When we look at the request in PowerScheduler they are not in the order of the student screen.  How can we honor the student elective request priorities?