As we approach the upcoming academic year, we want to ensure that you are well-prepared for the essential tasks of Online Course Requests and Master Schedule Building. Many LBL secondary schools have expressed interest in training opportunities, and we are pleased to announce that training sessions will commence in early January. 

Additionally, in an effort to provide valuable insights and assistance, LBL will be hosting a short course in early December. This session will offer tips and guidance on preparing your District Courses for Online Course Requests. 

However, it is crucial to note that, before schools can initiate the forecasting (course requests) or master scheduling processes, your district must conduct a Synergy process known as the New Year Rollover (NYR) to create the 2024-2025 school year. We kindly ask you to collaborate with your district's Synergy Specialist, who will be working closely with LBL to gather necessary information for this process. This includes details such as term dates, changes to term types, grading period adjustments, school openings/closings, and any grade level changes. 

To ensure a smooth transition and timely execution of these processes, we strongly recommend that you work proactively with your Synergy Specialist. Planning ahead and providing the required information promptly will be instrumental in meeting your master scheduling needs. 

We appreciate your attention to these critical details and look forward to supporting you in the upcoming training sessions. If you have any questions or require further clarification, feel free to reach out to our team. 

Next Year Master Scheduling Timeline for Secondary Schools 

Step 1: New Year Roll Over 

Who: LBL and District Synergy Specialists 

When: Schedule planning meeting December-February

Synergy requires that districts build the next school year before they can begin course requests or master scheduling. The process of creating the next school year in Synergy is called “New Year Roll Over” and is commonly completed between January and March. 

While creating the new year can be done at any time, school office staff must be educated and informed about New Year Roll Over, because this process changes their daily work flow. After new year roll-over, student enrollments must be maintained accurately in both current and future years. 

LBL will provide a New Year Rollover Worksheet to help districts collect required information about the new year (e.g, district and school start/end dates, changes to school grade levels, closing/opening schools, etc). 

Step 2: Update School/District Courses 

Who: Registrars and School Administrators 

When: Fall/Winter 

Updating courses is the first step in next year scheduling and can be started prior to the New Year Roll Over. This process should be completed before opening online course requests. LBL video training and a quick reference guide for course preparation will be offered in December. 

Step 3: Entering Course Requests 

Who: Registrars/Counselors 

When: LBL training available starting January 2024 

Most schools enter/collect course requests in February, March, or April. 

● Office mass assigns course requests by grade, course, or group 

● Pay extra attention to special needs courses (often singletons) such as ELL, SPED, and auditioned/selective classes. To best serve all students, requests for these courses must be entered prior to master scheduling. 

● Teachers recommend student course placement 

● Students and/or parents request courses online through PVUE/SVUE. ● Alternatively, schools can use an outside online request system, such as Google Forms, and upload requests via Synery’s SIS data import tool. 

● Schools verify that all students have complete and accurate course requests prior to starting master schedule building 

● Parents can view student requests in PVUE 

Step 4: Administrative Planning 

Who: Administrators/Master Schedulers 

When: Before Master Scheduling 

Plan ahead to have this information when you need it. A quality master schedule requires complete and accurate information about student needs and school resources.

● Teacher FTE and class assignments 

● Courses to be offered 

● Number of sections offered for each course 

● Room constraints, such as teachers sharing a classroom 

● Part time teacher restrictions 

Step 5: Master Schedule Building 

Who: Scheduling Team 

When: Early to Late Spring. 

LBL training available starting February 2024 

Step 6: Individual Student Scheduling 

Who: Registrars, Counselors 

When: Late Spring and Summer 

LBL training August 2024 or by request 

Step 7: Finalizing Master Schedule (“update schedules”) 

Who: Registrars/Master Schedulers 

When: Most schools will finalize in August. 

The Update Schedule process moves the finalized sections and student schedules from Mass Scheduling to the active Section and Student screens. LBL will assist schools in running this process successfully and in training counselors and other staff who manage student schedules. After finalizing the master schedule, changing student schedules is the same as during the school year.