Advancement · School Operations

Which electives run next year?
Ask, then count.

Elective decisions are usually made from last year’s numbers and a hunch. List the electives, print the student survey, and enter first and second choices as they come in. The builder projects first choices to the whole grade, works out sections from each course’s minimum and cap, and shows which electives fall short and whether second choices could save them.

Plan a surveyWhat you get
$12one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $12

Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the School operations toolkit, $49 for 52 items.

Survey rounds

The worked example is made up: a ninth and tenth grade survey with Mandarin under the minimum, a grade 8 round with only 55 percent responding and an eleventh grade round. Saved on this device only.

Loading the survey form. If nothing appears, turn on JavaScript.

What you get

Advancement · School Operations$12 · included with Classroom and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A record per survey round: the year planned, grades, enrollment, responses, close date, every elective with first and second choices, minimum to run and section cap, and four design checks. Prints the student survey; works out the response rate, projected first choices, sections per elective and in total, electives under the minimum and electives needing several sections; flags low response and shortfalls.
Who it is for
School leaders, counselors and schedulers who build the master schedule.
Format
Browser builder with a saved record per survey round. Prints the student survey, one round with its electives, every round in a table or a blank form; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
$12 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Also in the School operations toolkit ($49) and the Advancement Suite pass ($99), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The School Operations space in Caveat Advancement.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. List the electives with minimum and cap.
  2. Print the student survey.
  3. Enter first and second choices.
  4. Read sections and shortfalls.
  5. Chase low-response groups before cutting.

Plan a survey

From choices to sections

From survey to master schedule1Describe each electiveA line on what it is,prerequisites and fees.2Survey every studentFirst and second choice, inclass time if you can.3Project to the whole gradeFirst choices scaled fromrespondents to enrollment.4Set sectionsMinimum to run, then the capdecides how many.5Use second choicesFill electives near the linebefore cutting them.From survey to master schedule1Describe each electiveA line on what it is, prerequisites andfees.2Survey every studentFirst and second choice, in class timeif you can.3Project to the whole gradeFirst choices scaled from respondents toenrollment.4Set sectionsMinimum to run, then the cap decides howmany.5Use second choicesFill electives near the line beforecutting them.
A survey with a low response rate projects the choices of the students who answered. Chase the missing groups before cutting a course.

Projecting to the grade

If 336 of 420 students answered, each first choice stands for about 1.25 students. The projection assumes students who did not answer would choose like those who did; that holds only if response was even across groups. Check who is missing before relying on it.

Minimums and caps

The minimum to run is usually set by staffing cost; the cap by room size, safety or a contract. Sections are the projected first choices divided by the cap, rounded up. An elective a few students short can often run if some second choices are placed there.

Sources

  1. Dillman, D. A., Smyth, J. D. and Christian, L. M. (2014). Internet, Phone, Mail, and Mixed-Mode Surveys: The Tailored Design Method, 4th ed. Wiley: response rates and nonresponse.
  2. Groves, R. M. (2006). Nonresponse rates and nonresponse bias in household surveys. Public Opinion Quarterly, 70(5).
  3. National Association of Secondary School Principals. Master schedule building practices (nassp.org).
  4. Regional Educational Laboratory program. Course-taking and scheduling resources (ies.ed.gov/ncee/rel).

The worked example is made up. Projections are estimates from your own survey; staffing, room and budget limits decide the final schedule. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.