Master Schedule Survey Data

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A few weeks ago I sent out a survey to learn more about the Master Schedule process at other schools. I was curious to see how everyone learns about the Master Schedule and how I’m doing compared to others. I think the most interesting thing I learned is that 68% of the people surveyed said they’ve never received any “formal” Master Schedule Training. So basically we’re all just figuring this out as we go!

I also enjoyed looking at people’s confidence levels compared to their “first time run” of their Master Schedule. Some people feel like “rockstars” but they’re getting less than 50% when they run their Master Schedule. I don’t know how to tell those people this…but I’m not sure they’re rockstars. I do, however, need their confidence level in my life!!

I’ve only had 75 people complete the survey so far….I’d love to gather more data!! Please take 2 minutes to fill out the survey linked here.

Here are the results I’ve collected so far….

What type of school do you work in?

93% Public School
4% Charter School
1.5% Private School
1.5% Military School

What grade levels does your school serve?

47% High School (Grades 9-12)
15% Middle School (Grades 6-8)
12% Elementary School (Grades K-5)
7% Upper Level (Grades 6-12)
19% Other

How many students attend your school?

46% 1-500 students
36% 500-1,000 students
13% 1,000-2,000 students
6% 2,000+ students

What is your role in the school?

61% School Counselor
19% Principal
16% Assistant Principal
4% Other

How many years experience do you have in building a Master Schedule?

28% 1-3 years experience
28% 3-5 years experience
18% 5-10 years experience
15% More than 10 years experience
12% This is my first year

Who all is involved in the Master Schedule Process (check all that apply)?

80% of schools surveyed involve their Principals
70% of schools surveyed involve their Counselors
50% of schools surveyed involve their Assistant Principals
26% of schools surveyed involve their Department Heads

When do you build your Master Schedule (select all that apply)?

47% of schools surveyed are working on their Master Schedule in March
53% of schools surveyed are working on their Master Schedule in April
43% of schools surveyed are working on their Master Schedule in May
31% of schools surveyed are working on their Master Schedule in June
15% of schools surveyed are working on their Master Schedule in July
7% of schools surveyed are working on their Master Schedule in August

What tools do you use to build your Master Schedule?

48% Google Sheet or Microsoft Excel File
15% Paper/Poster
12% Official Scheduling Board (typically with magnetic tiles)
5% Scheduling Software Program ONLY (no pre-planning needed)

I was interested in the schools using paper/poster: 63% of the schools using paper/poster had an enrollment between 1-500 and 36% had an enrollment between 500-1,000. The schools using paper/poster had varying grade levels, I was expecting to see all elementary but that wasn’t the case. Some K-12, some middle school, some high school…lots of variation in grade level for this group.

How did you learn to build a Master Schedule?

68% Never had any training, figured it out along the way
17% Someone at school taught them
5% Their school paid for formal training

How confident do you feel in building a Master Schedule?

1 = I’m so lost, it’s not even funny
5 = Super confident, I’m a rockstar

The confidence data was interesting. The people who scored their confidence level as a 1 or 2, I would agree they seem overwhelmed and lost (based on their comments, questions, and percentage of students who receive schedules). A few people who said their confidence level was a 3 or 4, actually have 90-100% of students who receive schedules on the first try (that’s impressive…give yourself props people!!). And then there were people who scored their confidence level as a 4 or 5, but less than 60% of students receive schedules on their first try.

When you “run” your Master Schedule in your computer software program, what percentage of students receive schedules on your first try?  

12% of people surveyed said their computer software program doesn’t provide this information. 8% said this question is not applicable to them (mostly elementary schools). And 12% had no idea what this question is asking about.

I’ll have to go through the tips and comment section in another post….it’s a lot to decipher but I wanted to share what I’ve gathered so far. Also if you haven’t completed the survey yourself, I’d appreciate the data. It takes 2 minutes to complete the survey linked here.

Last thing…if you’re one of the people who is brand new to building a Master Schedule (or maybe your confidence level was a 1 or 2), then check out my blog post on Building a Master Schedule.