Curriculum & Roles
AdminFollow each step in the order shown below to transition your ManageBac to the next academic year for all academic programmes.
Transitioning Webinar
View our Transitioning to the Next Academic Year webinar or register for upcoming webinars on related topics.
Steps to Transition your Account
Step 1. Generate ManageBac Reports
Skip Step 1 if your school is not subscribed to ManageBac for the Reports add-on.
If you are using ManageBac for Reports, first ensure that report cards were generated for the previous year. If you did not generate, it is recommended to do so now so that you have record of your students classes and results, prior to changing their grade levels and class rosters.
Full Guides: Generating Reports
Step 2. Export Attendance
Skip Step 2 if your school is not subscribed to ManageBac for the Attendance add-on.
If you are using ManageBac for Attendance, first export attendance data via the Attendance Manager > Percentage. 
- Select the Year
- Select the Academic Year
- Select the Academic Term: All
- Click Export to Excel
- Save the Export outside of ManageBac
Repeat steps 1-5 for each year level.
Navigate to the Reporting tab to export attendance categories:
- Select the type: Homeroom or Classes
- Select the Year
- Select the Academic Year
- Select the Academic Term: All
- Click Export to Excel
- Save the Export outside of ManageBac
Repeat steps 1-6 for each year level.
Step 3. Transition iSAMS
Skip Step 3 if your school is not subscribed to iSAMS or does not have iSAMS-ManageBac integration.
If your ManageBac account is integrated with iSAMS then you must transition iSAMS before moving onto the next step. Please contact iSAMS support for further details.
Step 4. Transition OpenApply
Skip Step 4 if your school is not subscribed to OpenApply or does not have ManageBac-OpenApply integration.
If your ManageBac account is integrated with OpenApply then you must transition OpenApply before moving onto the next step.
Step 5. Bulk Generate Unit Planners to PDF
Skip Step 5 if you have recently bulk generated PDF planners and have a stored a local copy.
Units automatically carry over from one year to the next and populate to classes by subject & year level (e.g. MYP 5 Design units from last year will appear in next year's MYP 5 Design classes), transitioning or archiving classes will not result in a loss of units.
We recommend exporting all unit plans to PDF at the end of each year so that you have a carbon copy of what was taught each year. This is especially helpful to provide your curriculum organisation (e.g. the IBO) upon 5-year evaluation.
PDF Planners can be generated in bulk by subject, and can include reflections from previous years. We recommend to generate for every subject and save the Zip file outside of ManageBac.
Step 6. Set Next Year's Academic Term Dates for each Programme
Video
Next, set up your new Academic Years for each programme at the school. Navigate to Settings > Academic Terms > Select your Programme > click Add Academic Year.
Set your term start & end dates, ensuring that dates do not overlap. Terms dates are used to group deadlines and grades within each class. It's recommended that these dates are set to be continuous (i.e. they should be inclusive of your school holidays in order to avoid gaps between terms).
Be sure to set up your academic term dates for each academic programme used at the school (e.g. Diploma, High School, IGCSEs, Primary School, etc.)
Step 7. Lock Access to ManageBac from Students and Parents
Skip Step 6 if you do not wish to prevent Student & Parent access while class rosters are being finalised.
Video
You may wish to lock ManageBac for students and parents to be able to complete the remaining transition steps.
This is possible via Settings > Security & Permissions. Here, tick the box "Prevent access to ManageBac for students and parents till" and set the unlock date. Be sure to click Save Changes at the bottom of the page.
Here, tick the box "Prevent access to ManageBac for students and parents till" and set the unlock date. Be sure to click Save Changes at the bottom of the page.
If access has been prevented, students and parents will see a message indicating that their account has been temporarily locked in preparation for the next academic year. The unlock date will be indicated as to when they will be able to log back in (see above).
Step 8. Transition Students up a Year Level
The next step is to manage your students for next year. This includes archiving graduated year groups, moving year groups up a grade level, archiving individual students who are not returning & importing any new students.
Transitioning Students video
Complete this in the following order:
I. Transition IB DP & MYP Year Groups
Transition the year groups for each programme, starting with the highest programme (e.g. IB Diploma). Archive the graduating year groups who are leaving the school and move lower year groups up a year level.
- Select the programme
- Archive the graduating year group
- Move lower year groups up a grade level
- Customise the Year Group name (optional)
- Click Save Changes to transition.
Note: only archive graduating year groups who are not returning. MYP year groups moving into Diploma (e.g. MYP5 to DP1) should be moved up a year level via the Middle Years tab (see below):
Important Note:
The above steps to transition year groups will move the entire year group up a grade level, along with students & year group resources (i.e. messages, files, events & deadlines posted to the year group calendar). If you wish to only move students up a grade level, while keeping resources in the same grade level as they were in the previous year, please see guidance in III. Transition IB CP, IGCSE, A-levels, PS, MS & HS classes below.
Archived year groups can be found via Year Groups > Archived Year Groups and these contain all Service Learning & Project-based Learning data of archived students:
II. Transition IB PYP Year Groups
Create the new Year Group in the academic programme above PYP (e.g. IB MYP) via Year Groups > See all Year Groups > Add New Year Group:
Next, move the graduating PYP students into the newly created MYP year group via Settings > School Directory > Memberships. On this page you can also move the remaining PYP students up a year level (see below).
To do this, select students by grade level from the 'Available Students' column on the left, move students to the correct year group on the right. You can move students into multiple year groups at once, click Confirm Assignments to confirm.
Note:
It's important to move students, starting from the highest year level first. For example, if your PYP includes Grades 1-5, move students in the following order:
- PYP Grade 5 > MYP Grade 6
- PYP Grade 4 > PYP Grade 5
- PYP Grade 3 > PYP Grade 4
- PYP Grade 2 > PYP Grade 3
- PYP Grade 1 > PYP Grade 2
III. Transition IB CP, IGCSE, A-levels, PS, MS & HS classes
Students in all other academic programmes can be moved up a grade level via Settings > School Directory > Memberships.
This page shows two columns: 'Available Students' (on the left) is where you can select students by grade level or Homeroom advisor. 'Manage your Students' (on the right) is where you can add or remove students from Year Groups, Classes or Groups.
To move students up a year level here, first In the screenshot below, for example, here students are being moved up from IGCSE Year 10 into Diploma Year 1.
IV. Add New Students & Archive Individual Students not Returning
If your school has OpenApply-ManageBac Sync enabled, skip this step as new students will sync from OpenApply to ManageBac, while students marked as withdrawn will be archived on ManageBac.
Finally, create student accounts for incoming new students. See our tutorials on how to add students via Bulk Import or Individually:
Archive Individual Students not Returning
Archive any remaining students who are not returning via Settings > School Directory. Search for the student and click the arrow down icon to archive.
Step 9. Transition Classes
The next step is to transition your classes for each programme & subject. ManageBac is designed so that all classes have a set duration as they are linked to academic terms and archived once completed. ManageBac supports the following 4 transition types:
- Archive & recreate classes from scratch
- Archive & duplicate into the next grade
- Archive & duplicate into the existing grade
- Transition class to the next year (for 2-year IBDP, IBCP, IGCSE & A-levels classes)
It is possible to use certain transition types for some classes but not for others. Please watch our video tutorial & review the steps below to better understand which type is best to transition the classes at your school.
Class Transition Overview video
Archive & recreate classes from scratch
This option can be used to bulk archive classes and recreate classes from scratch.
Scenarios where you may wish to bulk archive all classes and start from fresh:
- If you want to have a clean slate every year.
- If you dont want messages, files or student rosters to be the same next year, and you already have a list of new classes you wish to add from another student information system.
- If you wish to change the subjects or number of classes offered.
Navigate to Classes > See all classes > Manage Classes:
- Select the academic programme
- Archive individual classes or select the Archive checkbox at the top to archive all.
- Click Save Changes at the bottom of the page to process.
Repeat steps 1-3 with the next academic programme.
After archiving classes, new classes will need to be created via Classes > Show all Classes > Import Classes. See our tutorial here on creating classes via Bulk Import:
Archive and duplicate into next grade
This option archives existing classes to preserve historical data, and creates a new version of each class one grade level higher. This option is best used for Non-DP and Non-IGCSE classes that will continue with the same students next year.
Example: A two-year High School Biology class may choose to duplicate messages, files, and class settings from Year 1 to Year 2. Archiving and duplicating into the next grade will archive all Year 1 class data and create a new class of the same subject a grade level higher, with the option to carry over messages, files & students from the Year 1 to Year 2 class.
First archive the highest level classes of the programme via Classes > See all Classes > Manage Classes.
- Select your programme
- Filter for the highest year level
- Archive all
- Save Changes
Next, transition lower level classes by navigating to Classes > See all Classes > Transition Classes:
- Select the programme
- Select Archive & duplicate into next grade
- Confirm the Start and End Academic Terms for the newly created classes. DP classes can span up to two years, while all other classes can only span up to one.
- Add a unique Class ID for each class (this is strongly recommended as it will allow you to later bulk assign students to classes)
- Tick the Messages checkboxes if you would like to re-use the messages from the current class in the newly created class.
- Tick the Files checkboxes if you would like to re-use the files from the current class in the newly created class.
- Tick the Students checkboxes to use the same student roster from the current classes.
- If the teacher assigned will be different in the new class, select a new teacher from the Teacher dropdown.
Repeat these steps for each subject within the programme.
Archive and duplicate into existing grade
This option archives your existing classes to preserve historical data, and creates a new version of each class in the same grade level. This is the quickest way to copy this year's classes into next year and is best used for programmes where the classes offered in each year level are roughly the same every year.
Example: If last year's MYP Design Grade 9 classes are offered again in Grade 9 next year, archiving and duplicating the class will allow you to archive the old class & create a copy keeping the messages, files and class settings the same.
In this option, you do not have to create any new classes if you are happy with your current class structure, since all selected classes will be duplicated into their existing grade levels.
Navigate to Classes > See all Classes > Transition Classes.
- Select the programme
- Select Archive and duplicate into existing grade
- Select the subject
- Select the classes you wish to transition
- Confirm the Start and End Academic Terms for the newly created classes.
- Add a unique Class ID for each class (this is strongly recommended as it will allow you to later bulk assign students to classes)
- Tick the Messages checkboxe if you wish to copy the messages into next year's class.
- Tick the Files checkboxes if you wish to copy the files into next year's class.
Repeat these steps for each subject via the Subject dropdown
Transition classes to the next year (For 2-year IBDP, IBCP, IGSCE & A-Levels classes
This option is for two-year classes, where class rosters remain the same from year 1 to year 2, which is often the case for Diploma & IGCSE Year 1 classes transitioning into Year 2.
Example: If DP English Language & Literature is a two-year course, the class should not be archived after the first year. Use 'Transition Classes to the Next Year' to move classes up a year level, ensuring all student work & class data stays with the class as it moves.
Instructions:
- Archive previous Year-2 classes
- Export previous Year-1 classes to CSV template & Save
- Transition Year-1 classes to Year-2
- Create new Year 1 classes using the Excel export
First, archive the IBDP, IBCP or IGCSE Year-2 classes from last year as these classes have finished - via Classes > See all Classes > Manage Classes.
- Select the programme (IB Diploma, IB Career-related, or IGCSEs)
- Select the highest year level (DP-2 or IGCSE-2)
- Tick the Archive button at the top to select all & Save Changes
How to resolve error messages:
Class ID has already been taken: Appears if another class (active or archived) has the same class ID. Remove or update the class ID so it is unique and try again.
Class Terms must be in the same or following Year: Edit the class terms to start & end within the previous or next academic year.
2. Export previous Year-1 classes to Excel
Navigate to Classes > See all Classes
- Filter for Diploma or IGCSE
- Filter for Year-1
- Click Export and select Export to CSV Template
- Save the Export file to your computer for now and move onto the next step.
3. Transition Year-1 classes to Year-2
Navigate to Classes > See all Classes > Transition Classes to transition the lower level classes up a year level.
- Select the programme
- Select Transition classes to the next year (for 2-year courses)
- Select the subject
- Select the DP1 classes you wish to transition up to DP2
- Ensure the ending term is the final term of 2020
- Add/remove teachers as needed
- Click Save Changes
Repeat these steps for each subject.
4. Import New Year-1 classes
The last step to transition 2-year programmes is to create new Year-1 classes.
- Navigate to Classes > See all Classes > Bulk Import Classes
- Select your programme (Diploma or IGCSEs)
- To re-import the year-1 classes from the previous year, open the Excel export from Step 2 (see below).
4. Add or remove classes as needed to match the set up for the incoming Year-1 classes. Be sure that all required fields are added: Year, Subject Group, Subject, Level. Class ID is not required but is strongly recommended.
5. Once all class data has been added, save the file as CSV format and upload via the Import Classes page.
If you prefer not to re-import the previous year's Year-1 classes, you can also create new classes from scratch by following our guide on importing classes:
Step 10. Add Students to Classes
Once all classes across all programmes have been transitioned, the next step is to add students to new classes. Students can be added to classes manually or in bulk.
Add Students to Classes video
Add Students Manually
Navigate to each class individually and add students via the Members tab (see below)
Students are organised by the year level & programme of their year group (see below). It's possible to add students from multiple year levels & programmes to the class if needed.
Add Students in Bulk
Navigate to Classes > See all Classes > click Bulk Assign Students
Download our CSV template, completing the CSV with the required fields to assign students to classes:
- Student ID or Email
- Class ID
Save the file as CSV format and upload. Then choose to either Bulk assign, adding students to existing rosters, or Bulk assign and remove, replacing any existing class rosters.
When transitioning to the next year, the most common option is to Bulk assign as you are adding students to newly created classes for the new year.
Step 11. Setup Class & Homeroom Attendance
Skip Step 11 if your school is not subscribed to the ManageBac Attendance add-on
The final step is to set up class & homeroom attendance - this step is only necessary for schools using ManageBac for Attendance.
Set up Homeroom Attendance
Assign Homeroom Advisors to students via Year Groups > See all Year Groups > Bulk Assign Students.
This step is necessary if Homeroom advisors for students have changed from last year to this year, or if there are students who are not yet assigned to a Homeroom Advisor.
Download our CSV template and complete with the required fields to assign students to Homeroom Advisors:
- Student ID or E-mail
- Homeroom Advisor E-mail
Save the file as CSV format and upload by clicking Bulk assign. This will bulk assign Homeroom Advisors to students, allowing them to easily keep track of their students via the Homeroom tab. See here for further guidance.
Set up Class Timetables
Note that class timetables do not need to be set up for programmes where you are only tracking Homeroom Attendance. For example, if you are taking class attendance in your secondary school, but homeroom attendance only in primary school, you can skip this step for primary school.
Manually
To set up class attendance timetables manually, navigate to each class Attendance tab. Select the Days, Periods & enter a class location. Click Save Changes and repeat for all classes.
Bulk import
Bulk import is the fastest method to set up class timetables and can be done via Classes > See all Classes > Import Timetable.
- Download our CSV template
- Add required fields to the template: Class ID, Rotation Day Number & Period Number (Room location is optional).
- ManageBac does not support direct integration with any third party timetabling systems. If your school uses another timetabling system with an export to XLS or CSV function, it's best to match the class IDs on ManageBac with your timetabling system. This will make it easier to export data from your timetabling system and add it to our CSV timetable template, using class ID as the common unique identifier across both systems.
- Rotation days & periods for each programme are set via your Settings > Attendance.
- If your programme runs on a 5-day (weekday) cycle, then Monday is rotation day 1, Tuesday is rotation day 2, and so on.
- Save the file as CSV format, upload and click Next.
If you need any assistance with any of the above imports or have any questions about the best transition options for your school, please email us at support@managebac.com and we will be happy to help
Step 12. Import Unit Stream & Resources into New Classes (Optional)
Teachers may also want to have the streams and lesson plans from previous year's unit planners available in their new classes. This can be done by the teachers/authors of each unit.
Note: Resources added to each unit under the Unit Planner's 'Stream & Resource' tab will stay with the unit when it's carried over into the next academic year. However, the stream (i.e. the order in which those resources appear) and any lesson plans are set on a class-by-class basis.
In your new class, click into the unit's Stream & Resource tab and click Import from ResourceBank.
Next, via the My School tab, select which unit you wish to import resources from:
Next, select the Lesson Experiences (i.e. lesson plans) that you wish to import resources from. Note that while unit plans may share across multiple classes, the lesson plans are different from class to class - this means you can choose which class you wish to import Lesson Experiences from (see below):
And finally, choose which resources you wish to import from the selected lesson experience. You can select All or select resources individually. Click 
or 
.
Transitioning QuickStart Guide