When you build an observation form, each question or field you add is an element. Aprenta provides 18 element types (plus 4 Matrix variants), and choosing the right one determines how observers record what they see in the classroom and how that data shows up in your reports.

This article explains what each element type is, when to use it, and how to configure it. If you're looking for how to add elements to a form, see Building a Form.

Every element has three common fields:

Elements that have configurable settings show a Settings link (with a gear icon) below the element in the form builder. Clicking it opens a popover with that element's settings. Elements without a Settings link have no additional configuration beyond the common fields.

Choice elements present the observer with a set of predefined options. Use these when you want structured, consistent data across observations.

The observer picks exactly one option from a list. Use this when the answers are mutually exclusive — only one can be true at a time.

Add choices by clicking the add button below the existing choices. Each choice has a name and an optional description.

No additional settings.

When to use it: Questions where the observer must commit to a single answer. "What is the primary instructional strategy?" can only have one answer — the teacher is either doing direct instruction or collaborative learning, not both at once.

Example choices for "Primary Instructional Strategy":
- Direct Instruction
- Collaborative Learning
- Independent Practice
- Student-Led Discussion

The observer can select one or more options from a list. Use this when multiple answers can be true at the same time.

Add selections the same way you add choices to Multiple Choice. The difference is that observers check boxes instead of radio buttons, so they can select as many as apply.

No additional settings.

When to use it: Questions where you're looking for everything that's present, not just the dominant one. During a walkthrough you might see students doing several things at once — taking notes, asking questions, and collaborating with peers. Multiple Answer lets the observer check all of them.

Example selections for "Student Engagement Indicators":
- On Task
- Asking Questions
- Collaborating with Peers
- Taking Notes
- Using Technology

A simple two-option switch — the observer picks one or the other. This is the fastest element type for binary observations.

The two buttons appear side by side in the form builder. To customize the labels, click on either button and type a new label in the popover that appears. The defaults are "False" (left) and "True" (right), but you'll almost always want to change them to something meaningful like Yes/No, Present/Absent, or Observed/Not Observed.

No settings panel — labels are edited directly on the buttons.

When to use it: Quick checks during a walkthrough. "Is the learning objective posted?" "Are students in assigned seats?" "Is the teacher circulating?" These are things you can assess in a glance. Toggle is faster than a two-option Multiple Choice because it's a single click.

Scale elements let the observer rate something along a defined range. Aprenta has three scale types, and choosing the right one depends on what you're measuring and how precise you need to be.

A labeled point scale where each point has a defined meaning. This is the element type you'll use most often in observation rubrics because each level describes a specific standard of performance.

Think of it this way: a Likert scale doesn't just ask "how good is this on a scale of 1 to 4." It defines what each number means — a 1 is "Unsatisfactory" (specific criteria), a 2 is "Developing" (specific criteria), and so on. This makes ratings consistent across observers because everyone is working from the same definitions.

Settings (under the gear icon):

When you select Unipolar, two additional dropdowns appear: Scale (choose from 2–10 points) and Min Value (choose from 0–9). When you select Bipolar, only the Scale dropdown appears (choose from 3, 5, 7, or 9 points) — the min and max are calculated automatically around zero.

Labels are edited directly on the scale in the form builder, not in the settings panel. Each point shows a small box — click it to type a label. Points without labels show a "+ Label" placeholder. When you change the polarity, labels reset to defaults:

Unipolar vs. Bipolar — which one do I need?

Most forms use Unipolar with 3–5 points. If you're building a Danielson-style or Marzano-style rubric, choose Unipolar and set the scale to match your framework (typically 4 points).

Example: A 4-point unipolar scale for "Classroom Environment" with labels: Unsatisfactory (1), Developing (2), Proficient (3), Distinguished (4).

A star-based rating for quick, intuitive assessments. Unlike a Likert scale, the emphasis is on the overall impression rather than matching specific performance criteria at each level.

Settings (under the gear icon):

Shape and Color are currently fixed at Star and Yellow.

Likert Scale vs. Rating Scale — what's the difference?

Both collect a numeric rating, but they serve different purposes:

If you're building a formal observation rubric, use Likert Scale. If you want a quick quality rating alongside more detailed rubric items, use Rating Scale.

Example: Rate "Overall Lesson Effectiveness" on a 1–5 star scale.

A draggable slider for selecting a value within a numeric range. The observer drags a handle along a track to set the value.

Settings (under the gear icon):

The settings auto-adjust to stay consistent — if you set Min Value higher than the current Initial Value, the Initial Value moves up to match. If you set Max Value lower than the Initial Value, the Initial Value moves down.

When to use it: Continuous measurements where a specific number matters more than a labeled category. The slider is especially useful for estimating proportions during a walkthrough.

Example: "Percentage of students on task" — set Min to 0, Max to 100, and Step to 5. The observer drags the slider to their estimate (e.g., 75%) rather than picking from a predefined list.

These elements are built for real-time data collection during a walkthrough. Instead of answering a question after the fact, the observer taps buttons or starts/stops a timer as events happen in the classroom.

A tally counter with multiple categories. Each category has its own + and - buttons so the observer can count events as they happen.

Add named count items with optional descriptions. Each one becomes a separate tally. During the observation, the observer taps + each time they see the event and the count goes up by one.

No additional settings.

When to use it: Tracking the frequency of specific behaviors or interactions during a lesson. Counters capture objective data — instead of the observer guessing "there were a lot of higher-order questions," the counter shows exactly how many.

Example: "Question Types" with counts for:
- Recall (knowledge-level questions)
- Comprehension (explain/summarize questions)
- Analysis (compare/contrast questions)
- Evaluation (judgment/opinion questions)

At the end of the observation, you have an exact tally: 12 recall, 3 comprehension, 5 analysis, 1 evaluation — data that's much more actionable in a coaching conversation than a subjective rating.

A stopwatch for measuring how long something takes. The observer starts and stops the timer to record elapsed time.

No additional settings.

When to use it: Measuring duration of specific activities. Transition time is the most common use — how long does it take students to move between activities? Timers give coaches concrete data to discuss. "Your transitions averaged 4 minutes — let's talk about strategies to get that under 2."

Example: "Transition Time" to measure how long classroom transitions take, or "Wait Time" to measure how long the teacher pauses after asking a question before calling on a student.

These elements collect free-form responses. Use them for qualitative observations, notes, and data that doesn't fit into predefined categories.

A large, multi-line text area for extended written feedback. This is where observers write narrative observations, coaching notes, and detailed feedback.

No additional settings.

When to use it: Open-ended responses that need more than a sentence. Running notes during an observation ("At 9:15, the teacher transitions to small groups..."), post-observation feedback ("One area for growth is..."), or general comments that supplement the rubric ratings.

Example: "Observation Notes" for capturing a running narrative, or "Strengths & Areas for Growth" for post-observation coaching feedback.

A single-line text field for short responses.

Settings (under the gear icon):

When to use it: Brief, factual responses. Use Text Input for information-gathering fields, not for detailed feedback (use Free Text for that).

Example: "Lesson Topic" or "Standards Addressed" — short answers that identify what's being taught.

A numeric input for entering a single number.

No additional settings.

When to use it: Recording a specific count or measurement that doesn't need real-time tallying. Unlike a Counter (which you tap during the observation), Number is for values you know or can determine at a glance.

Example: "Number of students present" or "Number of collaborative groups" — things the observer can count once and enter.

A date picker for selecting a specific date from a calendar.

No additional settings.

When to use it: Recording dates related to the observation workflow.

Example: "Follow-up meeting date" to schedule a post-observation conference, or "Next observation date" for planning the follow-up visit.

A grid where multiple items share the same scale. Each row is a separate observation indicator, and each column is a response option. The observer rates every row using the same criteria.

This is the most powerful element type for building structured observation rubrics. Instead of creating individual Likert Scale or Multiple Choice elements for each indicator, you put them all in a matrix and they share the same column headers.

Four variants appear as separate options in the element picker:

The Matrix Scale - Likert variant shows Matrix Scale Settings with the same Polarity and Scale options as a standalone Likert Scale. Changing these settings applies to all rows in the matrix.

Rows are individual items you add to the matrix. Each row inherits the scale type from the matrix variant.

When to use it: Any time you have multiple indicators that share the same rating criteria. This is the standard structure for classroom observation rubrics — a domain like "Instructional Practices" with 4–6 indicators, each rated on the same scale.

Example: A Likert Matrix named "Instructional Practices" with rows:
- Uses formative assessment
- Differentiates instruction
- Provides clear directions
- Checks for understanding

Each row is rated on the same 4-point scale (Unsatisfactory, Developing, Proficient, Distinguished). In reporting, you can see both the individual indicator scores and the overall domain average.

A drag-and-drop list where the observer puts items in order. Each item has a name and optional description.

No additional settings.

When to use it: When the relative order matters more than individual ratings. Ranking forces the observer to make comparative judgments — which strategy was most effective, which area needs the most attention.

Example: "Rank the observed instructional strategies in order of effectiveness" with items: Questioning Techniques, Classroom Management, Student Engagement, Lesson Pacing. The observer drags them into order from most to least effective.

These elements let observers attach photos, videos, or files to document what they see. Media evidence adds context to ratings and notes — a photo of an anchor chart or a short video clip of a teaching strategy can make post-observation conversations more productive.

An image upload field for capturing photos during a walkthrough.

Settings (under the gear icon):

Example: "Classroom Environment Photo" to document room setup, anchor charts, word walls, or student work displays.

A video upload field for recording classroom footage.

Settings (under the gear icon):

Example: "Teaching Segment" to capture a 2–3 minute clip of a lesson transition or instructional technique for review during the post-observation conference.

A general file upload for attaching documents.

No additional settings.

Example: "Lesson Plan" to attach the teacher's plan for the observed lesson, or "Student Work Sample" to include an artifact alongside observation notes.

A read-only text block that doesn't collect any data. Use it to add structure and guidance to your form.

No additional settings.

When to use it: Section headers, instructions, or context that helps the observer understand what comes next in the form.

Example: Add a Static Text element with "Part 1: Classroom Environment" to visually separate sections, or "For each indicator below, select the level that best describes what you observed" to set expectations before a matrix rubric.