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  • How to use the Specialitization and needs tab to manage needs groups in middle school?

The features used to generate groups and specialization courses can also be used to generate groups and courses based on needs if you do not have enough teachers for standard alignments and want to create hybrid alignments combining French and mathematics.

1. Designate the subjects to be taken into account for the needs groups

  1. Go to the display Timetables > Subjects > List.
  2. If it is not visible, display the column Needs groups using the button .



  3. In the lines for the subjects to be taken into account, presumably French and mathematics, double-click in the column Needs Gr. (Needs groups). If you don't see this column, click on the button at the top right of the list to display it.



2. Automatically generate needs groups for mixed alignments

Generate the programs

  1. Go to the display Timetables > Specializations and needs > Program offer.
  2. Click on Create an offer for the concerned ETM and choose the 5th-grade ETM from the selection window.



  3. Below, click on Define the studies proposed by the offer and tick the two subjects previously selected.

  4. On the right, click on Create a program and choose Generate all the possible programs: EDT displays all possible combinations, taking into account the two subjects and the three possible needs.

  5. If, at this stage, you do not yet know the students' actual needs, enter the estimated numbers for each combination. If you plan to divide the students into only two needs, ignore all combinations that include need C.
  6. If you have the students' actual needs, enter them or import them before generating the programs, and select the command Generate the necessary programs.

Enter the constraints for the public and alignments

  1. Go to the display Timetables > Specializations and needs > Generate the program groups.
  2. Enter the maximum population for each study: the number of necessary groups is
    updated automatically. If necessary, click the button to enter different populations depending on
    the groups.



  3. Below, in the frame Generation of the groups, leave the option By distributing the groups in two alignments. If you want specific alignments, click on Predefine the alignments and drag and drop the concerned groups onto one of the alignments.



  4. At the bottom, click on the button Generate the necessary groups.



Generate the groups

  1. In the pop-up window, tick the option to generate variable-population groups. This option allows you to delegate the creation of groups to teachers or other authorized users. Otherwise, you can make changes using drag-and-drop. You can return to this parameter and modify it at any time.



  2. EDT creates the groups (and all necessary class parts).
  3. If EDT has found an optimal solution, you will see in the column Alignment only 1 or 2: this
    means that all French and math classes can be scheduled without any gaps in the
    timetables. 



    Note
    If the group remains in an alignment Undefined, the course will not be able to be aligned with the others. You can try modifying the maximum population and relaunching a generation.

Generate the courses for the needs groups

  1. Double-click on the column Teachers to assign a teacher to each group.

  2. Select all the groups at the bottom and click on the button Create the courses of the selected groups.



  3. In the course creation window, create as many copies as needed.



  4. Validate: in the pop-up window leave the option Align courses while complying to the planned alignments.



  5. The complex courses are created, with as subject, the designation of the offer; all the specifications have been added.
  6. At the bottom, click on the button Assign the students to the groups.

  7. Validate in the window that appears.
If the assignment of students does not suit you perfectly, you can easily make adjustments.

3. Enter the students' needs in the concerned subjects

  1. Go to the display Timetables > Students > List.
  2. For each student in 5th grade, indicate their needs in each subject. Double-click in the columns Needs > FRENCHS and Needs > MATH, then in the window that appears, specify the level A, B, or C. If these columns are not visible, click on the button at the top right of the list to display them.

  3. To work with student multi-selection, first select all the students concerned by a level. You can then proceed in two ways:
    • by a right-click, then by choosing Modify > Needs per subject > FRENCH or MATHEMATICS;
    • BY clicking on the button in column title.

    In the pop-up window, click on the level to assign them and validate.



    You can also import your students' levels from a spreadsheet.

4. Fill in the courses of the needs groups

Define the needs covered by the groups

  1. Go to the display Timetable > Groups > List.
  2. If it is not visible, display the column Needs in the list using the button .
  3. Double-click in each cell to indicate the needs (A, B, or C) of the group.

Fill in the groups

Option 1: manually fill in the groups
  1. Go to the display Timetable > Groups > Students.
  2. Select the first group and right-click on Add a student.



  3. In the selection window, tick the option Only the needs students....



  4. Tick the students to put in the group.



  5. Start again with the other groups.
Option 2: automatically fill in the groups
  1. Select all the groups.
  2. Right-click and choose the command Automatically assign the students.

Note
If the assignment of students does not suit you perfectly, you can easily make adjustments.
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