Help → Grouping Students

How do I enter student preferences?

Use this when your students have already completed a Google Form and you want to import their responses into ClassSeats.

Open the Student Preferences Wizard

  1. Click the Students tab.
  2. Select the correct class period at the top of the page.
  3. Click Student Preferences Wizard.
  4. Select My students already responded on a Google Form.
Students tab with class period selector
Start on the Students tab and confirm the class period.
Student Preferences Wizard button
Launch the Student Preferences Wizard.
Wizard option for students who already responded
Select the option for existing Google Form responses.

Send Google Form responses to Google Sheets

  1. In another browser tab, open your Google Form.
  2. Click the Responses tab.
  3. Click Link to Sheets, then click Create to open the response spreadsheet.

Review responses in Google Sheets

  1. Review the responses for obvious issues.
  2. Pay special attention to the “select your name” question.
  3. If a student selected the wrong name, correct it directly in the Sheet.

Copy responses from Google Sheets

  1. Click anywhere in the response table (for example, cell A1 or A2).
  2. Press Ctrl/Cmd + A to select all response data (including headers).
  3. Press Ctrl/Cmd + C to copy.
Send responses to Sheets, then copy the response table for ClassSeats.

Paste, preview, and apply in ClassSeats

  1. Return to ClassSeats.
  2. Click inside the box labeled Paste Google Sheets responses.
  3. Press Ctrl/Cmd + V to paste the data.
  4. Click Preview.
  5. Review the preview to confirm:
    • Student names are matched correctly
    • Strong Picks and Good Fit Picks are detected
    • Partner requests are identified
  6. If any names do not match your roster, ClassSeats will flag them for review before applying.
  7. Click Apply to import the preferences.
Preview button in the wizard
Use Preview to validate the pasted responses.
Preview screen with parsed preferences
The preview summarizes detected preferences and partner requests.
Preview screen with name mismatch warning
ClassSeats flags any name mismatches before applying.
Apply button in the wizard
Apply imports the preferences into your class roster.

Verify preferences on student cards

  1. In the Students tab, switch to Seating Criteria.
  2. Spot-check student cards to confirm preferences are now visible.
Seating Criteria tab selected in Students
Switch to Seating Criteria to review imported preferences.

Recommended teacher review

  1. Review the Google Sheet for students who indicated they prefer to work alone.
  2. In ClassSeats, manually check Can work solo for students you agree with.
  3. Review responses to “Is there anything else you need me to know?”
  4. Add relevant information as constraints (for example, students who should not be seated together), or take other action as needed.
Can work solo checkbox on a student card
Use the Can work solo checkbox to confirm student requests.
Tip: If you used your own Google Form instead of the ClassSeats template, use the Import a CSV instead link in the wizard. This process is covered in a separate, advanced article.