Class Composer

The class creation process at the elementary school level is a very manual and time consuming task that results in the creation of inequitable classes.  Elementary schools still use sticky notes or blue and pink paper cards to determine student placement into classes.  

Class Composer improves this process. Teachers enter data on a virtual Student Card. Then our program runs an algorithm to instantly auto-sort students into balanced classes for next year.  Students can then be moved into other classes to fine-tune student placement on the Compose view of the Digital Data Wall.  

Where elementary students are placed and the composition of classes is the foundation of the overall classroom environment which has a direct impact on teaching and learning.  When classes are equitable, kids have a much better chance of getting their needs met so they can grow academically and socially.

The problem we are solving is the unintentional creation of inequitable classes at the elementary school level.  

The class list creation process at the elementary school level is antiquated. Most schools work on building class lists each spring in preparation for the next academic school year.  Student information like gender, academic level, behavior ratings, identified labels (ELL, GT, etc.) and placement requests (keep with a teacher, keep with a friend, and separate from another student) are handwritten on a sticky note or a blue and pink paper card for each student.  Then these cards are manually sorted in an attempt to create equitable (heterogeneous) classes in a grade level.  As teachers move cards (students) into other classes to fine-tune placement the totals among the classes in the grade level need to be adjusted each time.  There is simply too much data to account for manually which results in the creation of classes that are unbalanced.      

Our cloud based software program makes it simple for teachers to create equitable classes in less time. The process begins with classroom teachers assessing their students on the Student Card. Once all the teachers in a grade level have finished assessing their students our program runs an algorithm to instantly auto-sort students into balanced classes for next year.  Students, who are represented in a Student Cell, can then be clicked and dragged into other classes to fine-tune student placement on the Compose view of the Digital Data Wall.  The data table on the Compose screen instantly updates the totals when a student is moved.  Any inequity that arises can quickly be seen and resolved by moving a student into another class.

Our solution ultimately serves elementary aged children.  Our tool empowers teachers and administrators to create positive learning environments where students can grow academically and socially. 

The decision making process on where to place students into classes for the next school year is critical to get right.  Elementary students are rarely switched from classes once the school year begins and receive the majority of their instruction from their homeroom classroom teacher.  Any inequity will impact the teaching and learning in that classroom for the entire school year.  

Inequities range from classes being created that have: too many challenging behavior students, too many struggling readers, a shy girl being separated from the one friend she relies on, two boys who should have been separated ending up in the same class again, or a student ending up in a class where the personality of the teacher isn’t a good fit.  

When classes are equitable kids have a much better chance of getting their needs met so they can grow academically and socially.  If teachers are overloaded with students in a certain criteria (struggling readers, challenging behavior students, etc.) it makes it hard for them to meet the needs of all the students in the classroom.  

Every child is unique with specific needs and characteristics. Our program ensures what is unique about each student is honored during the placement process.  This is how we empower teachers to create equitable classrooms.

Class Composer launched in the spring of 2017.  We currently have over 275 paying elementary schools all across the United States and four internationally.  

What makes us unique is our Student Card, Student Cell, and Digital Data Wall features.  The Student Card allows all the important data for individual students to be entered, and viewed, in one place.  The Student Cell allows a quick, at a glance summary view of the important information for a student and the ability to drag and drop.  Our Digital Data Wall makes it easy to visualize student data across an entire grade level to help in making better informed decisions.  In total, these features make our solution simple and intuitive for our users.

Currently:

Students: 220,495
Teachers + Administrators : 14,239

Five years:

Students: 1,500,000
Teachers + Administrators : 95,000

We are measuring our progress through the number of: 

• Elementary school customers.
• Teachers and administrators using our solution.
• Students placed into classes through our program.

We’re also considering using qualitative measures of impact collected through surveys.

Six people in total work for Class Composer.  Four full-time.  Two part-time.

I taught 3rd grade for 12 years near the Denver, Colorado area.  Here is an article published about my journey from being a classroom teacher to being an entrepreneur: How the Challenge of Creating Balanced Classrooms Completely Changed My Career.

Ed Khoukaz, COO and Cofounder.  Ed has been a noteworthy leader in the product development and strategy space. His time spent in New York City at AIG and Citigroup gave him unprecedented experience in managing complex digital transformation programs with a keen appreciation for both clients' and markets' needs.  https://www.linkedin.com/in/edouardk/

My cofounder, Ed, was born and raised in Lebanon.  Our technical team is based in New Delhi, India.  As we grow and are able to hire more people we are committed to upholding the principles of DEI.

To be accepted as a Solver team would be a great honor.  The following benefits would be very beneficial for us: 

• Access mentorship, coaching, and strategic advice from experts, as well as the Solve and MIT networks. 
• Gain exposure in the media and at conferences.
• Receive monitoring and evaluation support to build an impact measurement practice. 

What we currently need the most help with is marketing.  It is difficult to scale without being able to tell our story to a larger audience in an effective way.  We feel we have worked hard to achieve product market fit. Now, we need to improve our marketing and sales operations.

We believe the way we collect and visually display student information is innovative and can have an impact in schools beyond the class list creation process. 

Teachers and principals regularly meet to look at student data to decide which students will receive extra intervention. During these meetings they face the same challenges when creating classes: siloed data, relying on manual processes, and a lack of up-to-date information.  Students who are at-risk often fall through the cracks and don’t get the extra help they need due to these challenges.  Our program can help teachers and principals make more informed data-based decisions which will ultimately make a difference in the lives of at-risk students.

We would love to partner with MIT faculty to help improve how our users can see and understand student data better.

Our solution uses an algorithm built by Ben Peterson to create equitable classes.  

Our solution uses an algorithm built by Ben Peterson to create equitable classes.