Terms

In this guide, you will learn

• What a term is
• How to create terms
• How to manage terms
• How to use terms in your Spark platform

What is a Term?

Terms in Spark are defined date ranges (like school years or semesters) that structure courses, assignments, and attendance records. While not required for creating assignments, terms offer valuable organization, improve reporting, and support attendance tracking.

Creating Terms

To create a term:

1. Navigate to the School Calendar in the left navigation (found in the Admin side of the Microschool version).
2. Click + Add New Term at the top right and name it.
3. Set start and end dates or choose unlimited dates.
4. Add grading periods (semesters, trimesters, or quarters).
5. Toggle whether the term is open to students.
6. Click Create.

Your term will appear on the calendar with green school days.

To add, remove, or edit days, click the Edit Term Calendar toggle at the top of the page.

Managing Terms

You can add, remove, or change term days when editing the term calendar. To begin, click the Edit Term Calendar toggle at the top of the page.

Term Day Types

Term day types define the nature of each day in the school year. The system includes two built-in types:

• School Days
• Irregular School Days

You can also create custom types like:

• Workdays
• Testing Days
• Field Trip Days

Custom day types can be edited and tailored to your school's needs.

Managing Day Types

When editing a term calendar:

• Day types are listed in the right-hand column.
• From this list, you can add, edit, or remove any type.

To apply a day type to the calendar:

1. Select a day type from the right-hand column or the quick-select menu at the bottom of the calendar.
2. Click a date on the calendar to assign that day type.
3. To apply it to multiple days, click and drag across dates.

Day Type Settings

Each day type includes settings that affect how the day is counted:

• In Session
  Marks the day as a school day, even if it’s not a regular instructional day (e.g., testing or field trip days).
• Onsite Instructional Hours
  The number of instructional hours taking place in person.
• Virtual Instructional Hours
  The number of instructional hours taking place online.
• Standard School Day
  Indicates a typical instructional day (e.g., regular classes). Teachers will know they can assign work and create class events for these days.

Note: A day can be "In Session" without being a "Standard School Day"—for example, a field trip or testing day.

Term Day Totals

At the bottom of the right-hand column, you’ll find a roll-up summary that tracks:

• Total school days
• Total instructional hours

This helps you stay on track with attendance and compliance goals.

Using Terms

Terms can be used in various places to organize or filter information. Almost all entities with Spark can be assigned a term (eg: assignments, activities, gradebooks, attendance schedules, enrollment programs).

Many pages in Spark can be filtered by term using the Term dropdown at the top of the page.

With these flexible term management tools, Spark helps keep your school’s academic structure clear and customizable.