Enter attendance data for a roster of kids, not one at a time

[Guest]

I have a little attendance/participation database (now exists in both A2002
and A2007) in which teachers log minutes spent in remediation for individual
kids. Tables are split, all records go to the same participation/service
Table on the server. Teacher forms (front ends) allow them only to add
records for his/her own ID and see/edit past records for his/her own ID.
There are three tables: kids (ID is key, contains grade level and demographic
info), teachers (staff ID is key, contains only names and ID now), and
participation (includes date, subject area, kid ID, teacher ID, type of
instruction or service administered, and comment). Jukebox only allows data
entry (one kid at a time), edit previously entered data, and exit.

I want to create/add a second data entry method whereby a teacher can call
up his/her entire class roster and enter the date, subject, and minutes spent
by the entire class and then click radio buttons to indicate which students
were present. Even better, a choice that defaults the form to “all studentsâ€
and then the teacher can click buttons to remove students (i.e., show them as
absent, or "not present"). When Teacher hits the “Enter Data for Rosterâ€
button, records are entered in the table for only the kids whose buttons were
clicked “on†and contain the same number of minutes, date, and subject area
for each kid. From reading several other posts here, I am guessing I need a
fourth table to hold kidID-teacherID-roster records and then create a form in
that table with a subform? That is as far as can see it yet – any additional
[and specific] advice to get me through this 4th table and the form/subform
would be greatly appreciated. I never tried VB but did program in Basic back
when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. I am willing to give it a try if absolutely
necessary. Thanx in advance – Datagnome

 

[Michael Gramelspacher]

Here is a first try at a database design:
http://www.psci.net/gramelsp/temp/Kids_Classes_Diagram.jpg

Absence code ise just a column in the Participation table.

Perhaps in a form header have a combo box to select the class and then
a command button to insert a row for each kid in the class.

Then change the absence code from Present to Absent for those kids not
there. Then run an update query to change the other fileds from null
to whatever based on other text and combo boxes in the form header for
those kids actually there. This is the instruction data common to the
entire class. Those kids who were not there will have a row for that
day, but columns other than identifying information and the absence
code will be blank.

Certainly what you want to do is doable.

 

[Guest]

Thanks so much for your reply - I will check out this URL and then reply here
as to how it works.

You folks are Terrific!!

DG