By Sagui Itay5 min read
How to use Shibutz: from roster import to reviewed class lists
Use Shibutz to turn a reviewed roster and placement rules into a draft your staff can assess. This walkthrough covers the product, from workspace setup to an approved Excel export. For the tool-independent process and a worked example, read the class lists guide.
Before starting, confirm that your school authorizes this use of its student data. Have the roster, room capacities, approved together/apart decisions, and relevant provision information ready. Time needed depends on data preparation, review, and revisions; this is not a promise of a fixed completion time.
1. Create a workspace and prepare student data
Sign in, create a placement workspace for your cohort, and open Students. Enter students or import a CSV or Excel roster. Review the column mapping, invalid values, and possible duplicate decisions before saving.
Use current staff observations for the social, emotional, behavioral, and learning scales. Review unknown values rather than treating them as low need. Keep the roster version and approved source outside the app for reconciliation.
Read the documentation: create a workspace and prepare student data
2. Review friend requests and together/apart rules
Review the listed friend requests, then enter approved keep-together preferences and keep-apart restrictions. Staff identify siblings and decide how to place them; Shibutz does not identify siblings automatically.
Each student can list up to three friends. Do not convert every request into a required rule. Keep a documented separation when it conflicts with a preference, and resolve contradictory rules with their owners.
Read the documentation: review friend requests and together/apart rules
3. Define destination classrooms and capacities
Open Classes and add destination classrooms with names and teacher labels. Set per-class capacity limits where needed and check the global default in Settings for rooms without a custom limit.
A workspace is the whole placement project; classrooms are its destinations. Class notes can record context, but notes do not enforce a capacity or a staffing requirement. Total capacity must fit the cohort.
Read the documentation: define destination classrooms and capacities
4. Add approved required placements
Use Required Placements for students who must be assigned to a specific classroom. Confirm that each decision is approved, the classroom can provide the required support, and the placement does not conflict with a restriction.
A teacher preference from a family is not automatically a required placement. Keep the decision rationale in the school record. Too many fixed placements can limit the remaining options.
5. Check settings and constraint health
Review Settings, including the global class-size limit and allowed boy/girl difference. Check Constraint Health on the overview and resolve blocking problems before generating.
Warnings need review even when they do not block generation. Local checks cover specific contradictions and capacity problems; a clear panel does not prove that every combination of rules is feasible.
Read the documentation: check settings and constraint health
6. Generate a draft placement
Click Generate Placement when the roster and rules are ready. Generation requires available plan access and usage. If a check or generation fails, review the message and correct the setup before trying again.
The output is a proposed assignment, not an approved class list. Keep enough time for staff review and possible revisions rather than treating generation duration as the whole task.
7. Review, approve, and export
Review the saved result, per-class statistics, friend outcomes, and detailed student rows with staff. If changes are needed, update the workspace and generate a new result. Approve a specific result before exporting to Excel.
The results view is for review, not drag-and-drop reassignment. Check roster completeness, capacity, provision, and documented rules. Editing the workspace does not rewrite a previously saved result. Reconcile the exported file with the approved version before sharing.
Before a repeat import
Reuse a saved mapping preset only after checking the current export headers. Review duplicate choices and planned updates before saving, then use roster review to inspect the saved rows. Import is not a live SIS connection.
For the final handoff, follow the Excel export guide and signoff checklist. New to the app? Create a free account or open your dashboard to begin.
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