Managing Multiple Years and Terms
=================================

Multiple Years
--------------

Certain types of data are "contained in" school years, as if they were a folder or file directory.  This tends to be data which is consistent within a school year but might be changed from one school year to another.  

Objects contained by or directly associated with one school year:

    * Groups and group memberships
    * Courses
    * Sections and section memberships
    * Gradebooks and other section-specific data
    * Timetables
    * Deployed Report Sheets

Objects "outside" school years:

    * People and demographic information
    * Contacts
    * Resources
    * Report Sheet Templates
    * Score Systems
    * Grade levels
    * Activity categories
    * Skills
    * School Info

Years are indicated by tabs on the **School** and other management pages.

   .. image:: images/multi-years-0.png

Note that some objects that are not "contained" by years, such as People, are still listed under each year tab.

To create a new year, select **Add: School Year**:

   .. image:: images/multi-years-1.png

Since in this case there is already an active school year, you are presented with the option of copying some data over to it.  You can copy the groups; the default groups are always created in a new year, and you can choose whether or not you would like to copy the members of the group.  In some cases, it will be easiest to copy the members and then edit the changes in the new year.  In other cases, it may be easier to start fresh.

In this case, we'll copy our old data over and create a new year:

   .. image:: images/multi-years-2.png

Now we have two years, with 2011-2012 being "active"

   .. image:: images/multi-years-3.png

And two tabs on the main **School** page:

   .. image:: images/multi-years-4.png

By default, the "active" year will be the selected tab.  Click **Actions: Activate New Year** to change this:

   .. image:: images/multi-years-5.png

And so, **2012-2013** is now selected.  

   .. image:: images/multi-years-6.png

Note that when you navigate away from the **School** page to another management page, SchoolTool should remember which year you were looking at, whether or not it is the "active" year.  The **School** tab will always take you to the "active" year.

   .. image:: images/multi-years-7.png

In future releases, "inactive" years will have different permissions than "active" ones.

Sections in Multiple Terms
--------------------------

In :ref:`sections`, we created a section spanning two terms.  This is actually implemented as two separate "linked" sections, one in each term.  For the purposes of reporting and the teacher and student interface, they are treated as one section.  When you make changes to a section, such as adding or removing students, the changes are propogated to *later* linked sections, but not to sections in terms preceeding the one edited.

You can also extend single term sections to additional terms, unlink linked sections, and link two unlinked sections.

To demonstrate, first we will create a single-term section:

   .. image:: images/multi-years-8.png

   .. image:: images/multi-years-9.png

To extend this section to an additional term, click the edit pencil icon next to **Terms**:

   .. image:: images/multi-years-10.png

Click **Extend to This Term** under **Spring 2012**:

   .. image:: images/multi-years-11.png

Click **Extend**:

   .. image:: images/multi-years-12.png

Now you have a linked section in the Spring 2012 term.

As an example of unlinking, we'll click **Unlink** in the Spring 2012 term:

   .. image:: images/multi-years-13.png

Click **Unlink**.  Now we can navigate via **Sections** to the unlinked Spring 2012 section of English 9 (3):

   .. image:: images/multi-years-14.png

To demonstrate linking the two now unlinked sections, click the pencil next to **Terms**:

   .. image:: images/multi-years-15.png

And then **Link an Existing Section** under **Fall 2011**.  Select the correct section and click **Link**:

   .. image:: images/multi-years-17.png

And so:

   .. image:: images/multi-years-18.png


