If your school uses more than one rank system, such as color belts for kids and a separate black belt system, you can link them in order. When a student is promoted from the last rank of one system, they move to the first rank of the next system automatically.
This works with bulk promotion and with promotions from a testing, so you don't need to change ranks by hand when students move up to the next system.
Link two rank systems
Go to Settings › School Setup › Rank System to see your rank systems.
Click the edit icon next to the rank system that comes first, for example your color belt system.
In Next Rank System, choose the system students move to next, for example your black belt system.
Click Update.
You can also choose the next rank system when you create a new rank system. To remove a link, choose None.
Where you'll see the link
The rank system list has a Next Rank System column, also included in its export.
The rank system's details page shows "Promotion from the last rank continues to" the next system.
In a testing's participant list, students moving to the next system show that system's name under their next rank.
Links can't loop back. For example, if color belts link to black belts, you can't link black belts back to color belts. NextKick explains why and lets you choose another system.
What happens when you promote
Bulk promotions and testing promotions handle each student separately. If a student can't be promoted, for example because they already hold a rank in the next system, you see their name and the reason. Everyone else is still promoted.
How class enrollment changes
When a student's rank changes, through promotion or when you change it on their profile, their recurring classes are updated:
Always: The student is removed from recurring classes that don't allow their new rank. This applies to sessions from the next day on that haven't been paid for. Classes that accept both their old and new rank keep them.
Optional: Turn on Auto-Add to Matching Classes to also add the student to every recurring program class that allows their new rank. If you run several classes for the same level, for example on different days, they're added to all of them. Classes that are full or whose other requirements, like age, the student doesn't meet are skipped.
To turn on Auto-Add, go to Settings › Schedule › Rank Change › Auto-Add to Matching Classes. It's off by default.
On the day of the promotion, the student stays on that day's sessions of both their old and new classes.
FAQ
Can I stop students from being removed from classes after a promotion? No. Removing students from classes that don't allow their rank keeps attendance records accurate, so it always happens. Classes that accept both ranks aren't affected.
What if I delete a promotion record? NextKick moves the student back to their earlier rank when it can. If they already hold a rank in that system, only the record is deleted and their current rank stays the same. A message tells you when this happens.
Do I have to link rank systems? No. If you don't set a next rank system, students stay in their current rank system when they reach its last rank.