NEW TECHNIQUES IN SCHEDULING PERMIT MORE EFFICIENT USE OF TIME FOR SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS, GREATER FLEXIBILITY IN PROGRAMING, AND PROVIDES A SEEDBED FOR INNOVATION. THE STANFORD SCHOOL SCHEDULING SYSTEM (S-4) IS A SET OF PROGRAMS THAT AUTOMATES THE SCHEDULING PROCESS. THE FIRST OF THE FOUR PROGRAMS, CTTA, (CARD TO TAPE AND AUDIT), DIRECTS THE COMPUTER IN AUTOMATICALLY CHECKING FOR MORE THAN 100 TYPES OF OMISSIONS AND INCONSISTENCIES. WHEN ALL DETECTABLE ERRORS HAVE BEEN ELIMINATED THE PROGRAM DIRECTS THE PREPARATION OF COURSE DATA PACKETS WHICH INCLUDE DETAILED INFORMATION ON EACH COURSE. THE SECOND PROGRAM, SSP, (SCHOOL SCHEDULING PROGRAM), BUILDS THE COURSE DATA PACKETS INTO A PRELIMINARY MASTER SCHEDULE. IT SELECTS TIME PATTERNS, ASSIGNS TEACHERS AND ROOMS, AND UPDATES RECORDS AFFECTED BY SUCH ASSIGNMENTS. THE THIRD PROGRAM, PTWS, (PROGRAM TO WRITE SCHEDULES), DOES THE SORTING TO CONVERT THE CLASS LISTS TO TEACHER SCHEDULES, ROOM SCHEDULES, AND INDIVIDUAL STUDENT SCHEDULES. THE LAST OF THE FOUR PROGRAMS IS CALLED TRANSLATE. IT TRANSLATES THE NUMERIC CODES IN WHICH THE SCHEDULE EXISTS IN THE COMPUTER INTO NAMES AND NUMBERS THAT CAN BE READ BY AND ARE RELEVANT TO THE INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL. SUPPLEMENTARY PROGRAMS ALSO USED ARE-- UPDATING AFTER MANUAL CHANGE, SAP, (THE STUDENT ASSIGNMENT PROGRAM), RAP, (THE ROOM ASSIGNMENT PROGRAM), AND UDCL, (UPDATE CLASS LIST). NONE OF THESE PROGRAMS ACCOMPLISH CURRICULUM INNOVATION BUT THEY CAN PROVIDE THE TIME AND MEANS FOR ACHIEVING THAT GOAL. THIS DOCUMENT IS AVAILABLE FROM THE SCHOOL PLANNING LABORATORY, SCHOOL OF EDUCATION, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, STANFORD, CALIFORNIA 94305. (RH)