Managing Students

Managing Students

Students are the core data in Shibutz. Each student has a name, gender, behavioral scales, optional flags, free-text notes, and friend requests. The more accurate your student data, the better the algorithm can balance your classes.

Adding Students Manually

To add a student, open your yearly class from the dashboard and click the "Add Student" button. You'll need to provide:

• Name— The student's full name.
• Gender — Male or female. This is used for gender balance calculations across classes.

After creating the student, you can fill in the remaining attributes described below.

Student Attributes

Each student can be rated on four scales. These scales use a red/yellow/green system:

• 🟢 Green — No concerns. The student is performing well in this area.
• 🟡 Yellow — Some concerns. The student may need moderate support.
• 🔴 Red — Significant concerns. The student needs substantial support.

The Four Scales

• Social — How the student interacts with peers. Consider cooperation, conflict resolution, and social skills.
• Emotional — Emotional regulation and wellbeing. Consider anxiety levels, resilience, and self-confidence.
• Behavioral — Classroom behavior. Consider attentiveness, rule-following, and impulse control.
• Learning — Academic performance. Consider reading level, math skills, and overall academic engagement.

The algorithm distributes red, yellow, and green students evenly so each class has a comparable support profile. See How the Algorithm Works for details on scale balancing.

Special Requirements

You can flag a student as having special requirements (such as ADHD or other special needs). This flag is factored into the balancing algorithm so that classes receive a fair distribution of students who may require additional attention or accommodations.

Notes

Each student has an optional free-text Notes field where you can record any additional context — for example, medical considerations, family circumstances, or teacher observations. Notes are for your reference only and are not used by the placement algorithm. They appear as a sticky-note icon in the student list and in assignment results so the information stays visible throughout the workflow.

Friend Requests

Each student can request up to three friends. A friend request means the student would like to be placed in the same class as the selected peer.

• Friend requests are one-directional — if Student A requests Student B, it does not automatically mean Student B requested Student A.
• The algorithm tries to honor as many friend requests as possible, but hard constraints (restrictions, gender balance, scale balance) take priority.
• Friend requests are different from teacher-set preferences. Friend requests are typically gathered from student surveys, while preferences are set by teachers or administrators.

Importing Students from Excel

If you already have a student roster in a spreadsheet, you can import it directly instead of entering each student manually.

Template Format

Download the import template from the student list page. The Excel file expects the following columns:

• Name— Student's full name (required).
• Gender— "M" or "F" (required).
• Social— "green", "yellow", or "red" (optional).
• Emotional— "green", "yellow", or "red" (optional).
• Behavioral— "green", "yellow", or "red" (optional).
• Learning— "green", "yellow", or "red" (optional).
• Special requirements— "yes" or "no" (optional, defaults to no).
• Notes — Free text for any additional context about the student (optional).

Columns for friend requests are not included in the import file. Add friend requests after import through the student detail view.

Import Tips

• Make sure names are spelled consistently — duplicates will be created if names don't match exactly.
• The file must be in .xlsx format.
• Existing students will not be overwritten. The import only adds new entries.

Editing and Deleting Students

Click on any student in the list to open their detail view. From there you can:

• Update their name, gender, or scales.
• Add or remove friend requests.
• Toggle the special requirements flag.
• Add or edit notes for the student.
• Delete the student entirely. This also removes them from any friend requests, preferences, or restrictions they were part of.

Tips for Accurate Data

• Involve the teaching team — Teachers who know the students best should rate the four scales. Counselors and specialists can help with special requirements flags.
• Gather friend requests early— Run a simple survey asking each student to name up to three friends they'd like to be with next year.
• Review before generating— Double-check that all students are accounted for and scales look reasonable. It's much easier to fix data before generating than after.
• Keep it honest — The algorithm only works as well as the data it receives. Inflating or deflating scales undermines the balancing process.