At USD 358 our course numbers are organized in logical groups.  This article should aid you in finding an available course number to use for creating new courses in PowerSchool.


PowerSchool Rules


Here are a few important reminders about course numbers inside PowerSchool:

  • Each course number in PowerSchool must be unique and cannot repeat.  
  • Course numbers can only contain letters and numbers.
  • Special characters and spaces cannot be used in course numbers.  


USD 358 Rules


Please, follow the format we've already organized in PowerSchool.  Other integrated systems rely on these course numbers.  Your careful attention to the details is necessary to prevent problems*.


Below is an example breakout of course number 30901a.  It is a first semester ninth grade English course taught at the Jr/Sr High School building.


BREAKOUT OF COURSE NUMBER 30901a
3
09
01
a
1 = Elementary
2 = Virtual
3 = Jr/Sr High School
4 = College
8 = Orion
Two digits typically representing the earliest the course is made available by grade level
Any two digit number from 01 - 99
a = Sequence 1 of 2
b = Sequence 2 of 2

No letter means the course is sequence 1 of 1. (Semester 1/Semester 2)
A sequence usually denotes if a course requires two semesters to complete or just one.  Sequence 1 of 2 is typically a semester 1 course.  Sequence 2 of 2 is typically a semester 2 course.  sequence 1 of 1 is a single semester long but can be taught in either semester 1 or semester 2 it does not matter.



Finding an Available Number


Basically, you'll want to check the course catalog in PowerSchool and look for an available number.  To accomplish this follow these detailed steps:

  1. Login to your PowerSchool Admin portal.
  2. Select the appropriate School from the top.
  3. From the sidebar go to 'School' Setup -> 'Courses'.
  4. Click 'Manage Courses for this School'.
  5. Browse the table for a number not in use under the 'Available' tab
  6. Finally check that the number in not in use under the 'Unavailable' tab.

You can sort the tables by clicking on any of the table headers.  If a number is not found under either the 'available' or 'unavailable' tab it can be used for a new course in the district.



Conclusion

Building administrators should approve any courses that need created.  


We've also created a digital form for people to use to request the creation of a course.  We encourage the use of this form so that complete course details are available while creating the course inside PowerSchool. 


Link: Course Creation Request Form


* Problems that could happen are data loss, loss of student grades, loss of student transcript information, student college/career planning errors, student's loss of potential scholarships, state reporting errors, state audit warnings or penalties, fines from the state, damage to defined CTE Pathways, loss of CTE funds, crashing of PowerScheduler, and other issues.