Understanding Results

Understanding Results

After generating a placement, Shibutz presents a detailed statistics page so you can evaluate how well the algorithm balanced your classrooms. This page is your go-to resource for reviewing each placement result before sharing classroom lists with staff.

Placement Summary

Results now start with a concise placement summary and clear page actions. Export to Excel is available from the page header, while the summary cards show the high-level signals staff usually asks about first: total students, friend placement rates, and capacity usage when classroom limits are configured.

If a saved result has no placements, Shibutz points you back to the placement workspace so you can review the setup and generate again.

Overall Placement Statistics

The top of the results page shows a high-level summary of the entire placement result. This gives you a quick sense of how balanced the outcome is across all classrooms:

• Total students placed — confirms every student has a classroom placement.
• Number of classrooms — the classrooms that received students.
• Friend placement percentages — how many students have at least one or at least two listed friends in the same generated classroom, when that data is available.

Per-Classroom Breakdown

Below the overall summary, each classroom has its own statistics card. These cards let you drill into the specifics of every classroom:

• Student count — the number of students placed in this classroom. Compare across classrooms to spot any imbalances. When a per-classroom capacity is configured, the card also shows capacity utilization.
• Capacity limit badge — classrooms with custom capacity limits display a Capacity limit badge, so you can quickly identify resource rooms or inclusion classrooms in the results.
• Boy/girl balance — the percentage of boys and girls in this classroom relative to the target balance.
• Scale averages — the mean score for each scale (social, emotional, behavioral, learning) in this classroom compared to the overall average.
• Origin school distribution — how students from different feeder schools or groups are spread across this classroom.

Friend Placement Rates

One of the most important outcomes for students and parents is whether friend requests were honored. The results page shows:

• Total friend requests — how many preferences were submitted.
• Requests honored — the number (and percentage) of friend pairs that ended up in the same classroom.
• Unmet requests — pairs that could not be placed together, often due to conflicting restrictions or classroom size limits.
• Detailed friend labels — the student table marks each listed friend as Same classroom, Different classroom, or Placement unknown when the saved result references a student or placement that can no longer be matched.

A friend placement rate above 70–80% is typical for a well-configured placement. If the rate is significantly lower, consider whether too many restrictions are limiting the algorithm's flexibility.

Detailed Review Table

The detailed placement table is designed for the final human pass. Each row shows the student's generated classroom, profile scales, support needs, listed friend outcomes, and notes. Rows that need attention are marked with review badges such as Split friend, Support need, or Notes.

On smaller screens, open a student row to see the full review details. On wider screens, the table scrolls horizontally so the full placement record stays available without compressing sensitive information into unreadable columns.

Scale Distribution

The scale distribution section visualizes how the four student scales are spread across classrooms:

• Social — measures social interaction tendencies.
• Emotional — reflects emotional regulation and wellbeing indicators.
• Behavioral — captures behavioral patterns in classroom settings.
• Learning — represents academic engagement and learning readiness.

Ideally, every classroom should have a similar average for each scale. Large deviations between classrooms suggest that one classroom may be carrying a disproportionate load in a particular dimension.

Interpreting Your Results

A good result typically means:

• Classroom sizes are within one or two students of each other.
• Boy/girl ratios are close to the overall school ratio in every classroom.
• Scale averages per classroom are close to the global average.
• The majority of friend requests were honored.

A result that needs improvement might show:

• One classroom with notably more students than others.
• A large gap in scale averages between classrooms.
• A low friend placement rate (below 50%).

What To Do If Results Aren't Satisfactory

If the placement doesn't meet your expectations, you have several options:

• Generate a new placement — run the algorithm again. Each run explores different configurations and may produce a better balance.
• Adjust constraints — review your restrictions and preferences. Deleting or loosening conflicting rules gives the algorithm more room to optimize.
• Review required placements — if you have many required placements, they reduce the algorithm's flexibility. Consider whether all required placements are necessary.
• Check settings — verify your placement settings (classroom capacity and boy/girl balance limits) are realistic for your cohort.

Once you're happy with the results, head to the Exporting to Excel guide to download and share your classroom lists.