Effectively managing Years, Terms, Periods, and Bell Schedules is essential to ensure accurate scheduling, reporting, attendance, and state compliance. Each element plays a foundational role in how your school operates within PowerSchool.
Location: Start Page > School Setup > Years & Terms
Purpose:
Years and Terms define the school year structure and scheduling blocks. They determine how courses are offered and how grades are calculated.
School Level:
You will need to "Edit School Year" Periods and Days.
Location: Start Page > School > Scheduling > Periods
Purpose:
Periods define instructional time slots during the school day.
Setup Tips:
For elementary schools, schools must create a period or placeholder for each graded subject area, plus one for Homeroom. Do not create separate periods for each grade level of a subject—just one per subject is enough (e.g., Math = 1 period, even if taught in multiple grades). If a subject receives a recorded grade, it counts as a period. Common examples include: Math, Science, Social Studies, Spelling, Reading, Art, PE, and Music.
For middle/high schools, periods represent actual instructional blocks (e.g., 1st, 2nd, 3rd).
Create a naming and sort order system (e.g., “1A – Grade 6”, “2A – Grade 6”) for better organization.
Warning:
Changing the number of periods after scheduling will result in loss of data (e.g., attendance records).
Tips:
Start Page > School > scroll to Scheduling header and click Periods > Name the periods.
Recommendation: K-8 or K-12. Identify the periods easily and identify which grade range a period belongs to set up a naming convention.
Set up the Sort Order so periods are grouped together by grade-level range.
Location: Start Page > School Management > Scheduling > Cycle Days
Purpose:
Cycle Days define the pattern of days your schedule repeats (not tied to calendar days like Mon–Fri).
Common Structures:
1-Day Cycle: Same schedule daily: Students attend same classes every day
2-Day Cycle: Alternating days (e.g., A/B Days):
Students attend one set of classes on one day and another set of classes on any other day of that week.
Students with the same classes on M-W-F and then the class subject change on T-TH schedule
5-Day Cycle: Unique schedule for each day of the week: Students attend a different set of classes each day of the week
Recommendations:
Build out multiple cycle days if a student takes a different arts related class every day.
Example: A student has a different related arts class three days in row and then starts over again.
Ensure your cycle day setup supports your bell schedule and section planning.
Location: Start Page > School Management > Scheduling > (Under Schedule Heading) Bell Schedule
Purpose:
Bell schedules in PowerSchool define the start and end times for each period and are essential for all scheduled periods. Each calendar day must have one assigned Bell Schedule, which determines which periods are in session on that specific day. If the timing or length of a period changes on a given day—such as for early release, testing days, or special events—a separate Bell Schedule must be created to reflect that change. This ensures accurate scheduling and reporting within the system.
Setup Tips:
One bell schedule per calendar day.
Create separate bell schedules for:
Regular Days
Half Days
2-Hour Delays
Early Releases
For elementary, include only one period in the bell schedule (Homeroom).
Elementary Schools that will take daily attendance will only define one period (Homeroom) in the bell schedule.
The additional periods created for elementary grades will be used when setting up sections.
For Middle and High School, define each class period with accurate time ranges and mark periods as “Counts for ADA” if they impact attendance.
For middle school grades assign period lengths for each class a student has to attend daily.
Do not overlap within the same grade-level range or periods.
Note:
For Returning Schools - Bell schedule from previous year will roll over into the new year once Years and Terms are created. Returning schools can edit prior-year bell schedules once the new year and terms are set up.
Click Edit Schedule on the Bell Schedule and adjust the times if needed.
IMPORTANT: "Use For Daily Attendance" must be selected and Default Time In & Default Time Out must be completed to take daily attendance.
Returning schools will select: Edit Schedule > click Period Abbreviation > then make any need edits to Start & End Time and Default Time In & Default Time Out
To accommodate special scheduling scenarios such as half-days or delayed starts, you can create additional Bell Schedules in PowerSchool. Follow the steps below:
Navigate to Bell Schedules.
Click New to create a new Bell Schedule.
Enter the Name of the Bell Schedule (e.g., "Half Day," "2HR Delay").
Select the appropriate Attendance Conversion Method from the dropdown.
Click Edit Schedule to begin defining the periods for the day.
Click New to add a period to the schedule.
Select the designated Homeroom Period (e.g., P1, 1A, HR).
Enter the Start Time and End Time for this period.
Check the boxes for:
Counts for ADA
Use for Daily Attendance
Enter the Default Time In and Default Time Out — these should match the Start and End Times you entered above.
Click Submit to save your Bell Schedule.
💡 Repeat steps 6–11 for each period you wish to include in this Bell Schedule.
Setup Element Key Action
Years & Terms Build year-long → semester → quarter terms sequentially
Periods Define clearly, avoid changing after schedules are created
Cycle Days Match your school’s rotation logic (1, 2, or 5-day cycles)
Bell Schedule Assign proper times, ADA flags, and special day variations