For Teachers

Your Dashboard

Your Dashboard When you sign into Aprenta, you land on the Home page. As a teacher, you see the My Observations tab -- your central place to check on upcoming and past observations. Everything you need is right here. The teacher's Home dashboard showing upcoming and completed observations The My Observations Tab Your Home page shows the My Observations tab with two side-by-side sections: Upcoming Scheduled Observations (left side) This section lists observations that have been scheduled for you. Each entry shows: - Observer -- The person who will be observing you, or "Not Assigned" if an observer has not been set yet - Form -- The observation form that will be used, or "Not Assigned" if one has not been selected - Scheduled Date -- When the observation is planned for, or "Not Scheduled" if a date has not been set Upcoming observations are sorted by date, with the soonest observation at the top. This makes it easy to see what is coming next. My Observations (right side) This section lists observations that have already been conducted on you. Each entry shows: - Observer -- Who conducted the observation - Form -- The observation form that was used - Observed Date -- When the observation took place - Status -- Either Open (the observer is still working on it) or Closed (the observation is complete) Past observations are sorted with the most recent at the top. Navigating Your Dashboard The top of the page shows Home as the page title. Below it, you see the My Observations tab label. If you only have the teacher role, this is the only tab visible to you. You can scroll through both the upcoming schedules and past observations lists independently. If you have many entries, the lists load more as you scroll down. What You Can Do From Here From your dashboard, you can: - Check your schedule -- See when your next observation is coming up and who will be observing you - Review past observations -- See a history of all observations conducted on you - Track observation status -- Know whether an observation is still Open or has been Closed Your User Menu Click your profile icon or initials in the top-right corner to open the user menu. You will see: - My Profile -- Update your name, email, and password - Sign out -- Log out of Aprenta Pages You Will Not See Your view in Aprenta is focused on what matters most to you: your own observations. You will not see navigation links for pages like Observations, Results, Forms, People, or Scheduler. Those are for administrators, coaches, and other staff with additional roles. If you need access to any of these features, see Getting Additional Access.

What to Expect During an Observation

What to Expect During an Observation Classroom observations are a normal part of professional life in schools. They are designed to support your growth as an educator -- not to grade or evaluate you in a pass/fail sense. Here is what the process looks like from start to finish. The teacher home page showing upcoming observations and completed observations Before the Observation Your school may schedule observations in advance, and you may receive an email notification before your scheduled visit. The notification includes details like: - The date and time of the observation - Who will be observing you (your coach, principal, or another observer) - The observation form being used - Preparation tips from your school You can also check your Home page in Aprenta to see upcoming observations listed under Upcoming Scheduled Observations. If an observation appears there without a specific date, it means it has been planned but not yet scheduled for a particular day. Not all observations are announced ahead of time. Some schools conduct informal drop-in observations as part of their regular practice. Either way, the process is the same. During the Observation Here is what typically happens when an observer visits your classroom: 1. The observer arrives -- Your coach, principal, or another designated observer enters your classroom. They may sit in the back, stand to the side, or move around the room depending on the observation style. 2. They use a device -- The observer uses Aprenta on a laptop, tablet, or phone to fill out a structured observation form. You may see them typing notes, tapping responses, or looking between you and their screen. 3. They collect structured feedback -- The form guides the observer through specific areas to focus on. Depending on the form your school uses, they might be noting instructional strategies, student engagement levels, classroom environment, questioning techniques, or other teaching practices. 4. It is not a test -- Observations are a tool for professional development. The goal is to give you constructive, growth-oriented feedback that helps you refine your practice. Think of it as a coaching conversation that starts with a classroom visit. 5. Teach naturally -- The best thing you can do is proceed with your planned lesson as you normally would. Authentic teaching is exactly what observers want to see. Observations can vary in length. Some are brief 10-15 minute drop-ins, while others may last an entire class period. Your administrator or observer can let you know what to expect. What the Observer Records The observer fills out a structured form that may include different types of feedback: - Rating scales -- Scoring specific teaching practices on a defined scale - Multiple choice questions -- Selecting from options that describe what was observed - Written notes -- Detailed comments about your lesson, strategies, or classroom environment - Counters -- Tallies of specific behaviors or interactions, like the number of times students were called on or how many transitions occurred - Timers -- Duration tracking for activities like transitions, independent work time, or group discussions - Checklists -- Whether specific practices or elements were present during the lesson After the Observation Once the observer finishes: 1. The observation appears in your My Observations list on your Home page 2. While the observation status shows Open, the observer may still be adding notes or finalizing their responses 3. When the observer marks the observation as Closed, the feedback is complete 4. You can open the observation to review all the feedback, ratings, and notes 5. Your administrator or observer may schedule a follow-up conversation to discuss the results together Tips for a Successful Observation - Prepare your lesson -- Have a clear plan for what you are teaching and why - Set up your space -- Make sure your classroom is organized with materials and resources ready - Engage your students -- Focus on active participation and meaningful interactions - Be yourself -- Trying to put on a show is less helpful than teaching the way you normally do - Welcome feedback -- Approach the follow-up conversation as a chance to grow, and ask clarifying questions about anything in the feedback you want to better understand

Viewing Your Observation Feedback

Viewing Your Observation Feedback After a coach or principal observes your classroom, the feedback they recorded is available for you to review in Aprenta. This article walks you through how to find it and what you will see. The teacher's dashboard showing observation feedback and results Finding Your Observations 1. Sign into Aprenta 2. You land on the Home page with the My Observations tab 3. Look at the My Observations section on the right side of the page Each entry in the list shows: - Observer -- Who conducted the observation - Form -- The observation form that was used - Observed Date -- When the observation took place - Status -- Open (still in progress) or Closed (complete) Observations are listed with the most recent at the top. Opening an Observation Click on any observation in the list to open a detail panel that slides in from the right side of the screen. At the top you will see: - Form name -- The title of the observation form, displayed as the panel heading - Status -- A badge showing whether the observation is Open or Closed - ID -- The observation's unique identifier - Observed User -- Your name (the person who was observed) - Observed By -- The observer's name - Observed On -- The date and time the observation was conducted - School -- Which school the observation belongs to Click Show more to expand additional details, including any categories assigned to the observation. Categories are labels your school uses to classify observations -- for example, by subject area, grade level, or class period. Click Show less to collapse this section. Understanding the Form Feedback Below the observation header, you see the completed observation form. If the form has multiple sections, section tabs appear at the top so you can navigate between them. The feedback you see depends on the type of form your school uses. Common element types include: - Rating scales -- Your observer selected a value on a defined scale for specific teaching criteria. You will see which rating was given and what it represents. - Multiple choice -- The observer selected one option from a set of choices for each question. - Multiple selection -- Similar to multiple choice, but the observer could select more than one option. - Text responses -- Written comments and notes the observer added about your teaching, your lesson, or specific moments they noticed. - Counters -- Tallies of specific interactions or behaviors -- for example, how many times students were asked higher-order questions or how many positive reinforcements were given. - Timers -- Duration recordings for activities like transitions, direct instruction, or collaborative work time. - Sliders -- A value selected on a sliding scale. - Likert scales -- Agreement or frequency ratings (such as "Strongly Agree" to "Strongly Disagree"). - Yes/No toggles -- Whether a specific practice or element was present. - Static text -- Informational text included in the form for context (not a response from the observer). The form is displayed in read-only mode -- you can view everything the observer recorded, but you cannot modify it. Understanding Observation Status - Open -- The observer has started the observation but has not finalized it yet. You can still view what has been recorded so far, but additional notes or ratings may still be added. - Closed -- The observation is complete. All feedback is final. What to Do with Your Feedback Observation feedback is one of the most valuable tools for professional growth. Here are some ways to make the most of it: - Look for patterns -- If you have had multiple observations, compare feedback across them. Consistent themes point to real strengths or areas to develop. - Read the written comments -- Text responses often contain the most specific, actionable insights about your teaching practice. - Connect it to your goals -- Use the feedback to set or refine your professional development goals for the semester or year. - Follow up -- If anything in the feedback is unclear or you want to dig deeper, reach out to your observer or administrator to discuss it. A conversation about the observation is often where the most learning happens. Cannot Find an Observation? If you know an observation was conducted but do not see it on your Home page: - It may still be Open -- The observer might not have finished recording their notes yet. It should still appear in your list, but check back later if you do not see it right away. - Check your school -- If you belong to multiple schools in Aprenta, use the school switcher at the top of the page to make sure you are viewing the correct one. - Contact your administrator -- If you believe an observation is missing, reach out to your principal or administrator for help.

Getting Additional Access

Getting Additional Access As a teacher, your view in Aprenta is focused on your own observations. But there are situations where you may need access to additional features. Here is how that works. Teacher's home page showing the My Observations tab and limited navigation Why You See a Limited View Aprenta uses roles to control which pages and features each person can access. As a teacher, you have the Observee role, which gives you access to: - Your Home page with the My Observations tab - Your Profile page You do not see navigation links for Observations, Results, Forms, People, or Scheduler because those pages require different roles. This is not a limitation of your account -- it is by design. Most teachers only need to see their own observation feedback, and a simpler interface keeps things focused and easy to use. When You Might Need More Access There are several situations where a teacher might need additional roles: - Becoming a mentor teacher -- If you are asked to observe other teachers as part of a mentoring program, you would need the Observer role to conduct observations - Helping with scheduling -- If you are coordinating observation schedules for your team or department, the Scheduler role would let you access the scheduling calendar - Viewing school-wide results -- If you are leading a PLC or professional development initiative and need to see aggregated observation data, the Reporter role would give you access - Managing forms -- If you are helping your school develop observation rubrics or feedback forms, the Form Manager role would let you create and edit forms How to Get Additional Roles You cannot change your own roles in Aprenta. To request additional access: 1. Talk to your principal or administrator -- Let them know what you need access to and why 2. They can update your roles -- Your administrator can add roles to your account through the People page using Advanced Permissions 3. Changes take effect immediately -- Once your roles are updated, the new pages and features appear in your navigation the next time you load the page Your administrator can add roles without removing your existing Observee role. Roles are additive -- you can be both an Observee and an Observer at the same time, for example. Questions About Your Access If you are unsure who to contact about your Aprenta access, check with your school's principal or assistant principal. They can either adjust your roles directly or point you to the right person.