Users Guide

Table of Contents

Navigating Teacher Compass

Observations

Scheduling an Observation

Performing an Observation

Adding Narrative Feedback

Recommending Professional Development Content

Selecting Pre-Populated Comments

Selecting Evidence Statements

Uploading, Reviewing and Commenting on Artifacts

Including Video or Artifacts with Observations

Sending an Observation for Review and Response

Finalizing and Submitting an Observation

Performing Observations Offline Using the Teacher Compass iPad or Android Apps

Installing the App for iPads

Installing the App for Android Tablets

Logging in and Synchronizing your Offline App

Moving in and Out of WIFI or Cellular Connections

Professional Development

Professional Development Goals

Creating a Professional Development Goal

Browsing Professional Development

Adding your own Professional Development Content

Searching Professional Development

Filtering Search Results

Viewing Professional Development

Adding Professional Development to your Favorites

Commenting on Professional Development

Commenting on the View Content Page

Commenting on the Home Page

Schools & Teachers

Viewing Longitudinal Reports for Teachers

Reports

Observation Reports

Creating an Observation Report

Viewing a Summary Report

Drilling Down on Observation Summary Reports

Professional Development Reports

Report Filters

District Level Report

School Level Report

Teacher Level Report

Rubrics

Rubric Types

Scoring Systems

Rubrics

Creating a New Rubric

Explicitly Linking Professional Development Content to a Rubric

Copying a Rubric

Suggested Comments

Evidence

Administration

Users and Roles

How Roles Work

Creating a New Role and Granting Feature-Level-Access

Setting Focus Content Collections

Adding Users to a Role

Categories

Navigating Teacher Compass

Teacher Compass is organized into six major categories:

  • Observations
  • Professional Development
  • Schools & Teachers
  • Reports
  • Rubrics
  • Settings

This user’s guide provides a description of each and provides instructions on how to use and manage your Teacher Compass account.

Observations

The Observations screen is a place where users can manage all of the observations to which they have access. It contains a table listing pertinent information regarding observations. This table is sorted by observation status – observations that have not yet started will appear at the top of the table; observations that are in-development will appear next; and observations that have been completed will appear last. Any of the columns in the observations table may be clicked to sort the observation data by that column.

To the right of the Observations table are a series of buttons representing actions that can be taken relative to observations. As you select observations in the grid, these “action buttons” will become enabled based on the context. For instance, the Perform Online and Perform Offline buttons will become enabled if you select an observation that has not started or is in-development. However, if you choose an observation that is completed, only the Print button will be enabled.

Scheduling an Observation

The first step in performing an observation is scheduling. To schedule an observation:

  1. Navigate to the Observations tab and click Schedule New Observation.
  2. Indicate which type of observation you would like to perform in the Observation Type field. If you are simply performing a classroom-based observation, select that option. If you would like to base your observation on artifacts or videos that the subject uploads, select that option.
  3. In the Who is being Evaluated field, type the first few characters of the person whom you wish to evaluate. Teacher Compass will automatically search the database of subjects and present you with options. Select the correct subject.
  4. The evaluator field will have your name pre-filled. If you are scheduling this observation on behalf of someone else, type the first few characters of the person’s name. Teacher Compass will automatically search the database of possible evaluators and present you with options. Select the correct evaluator.
  5. If you selected classroom observation as your observation type, enter a day and time for the observation. If you selected Observation which requires the Subject to upload videos or artifacts as your observation type, enter a deadline for the subject to submit their artifacts.
  6. Under Rubric Type, select the type of rubric you would like to use. The available rubrics will populate based on this field.
  7. Select the rubric you would like to use for the observation.
  8. If you would like to send a calendar invitation for the observation to the subject and evaluator, leave the Send notification field checked. If you would like to perform a surprise observation or do not wish to send calendar invites, uncheck these fields.
  9. Click Save. You will be taken back to the Observations screen where the observation you scheduled should be listed.

Performing an Observation

To perform an observation using Teacher Compass:

  1. Click the Observations tab and select the appropriate observation.
  2. Click Perform. You will be taken to the observation process.
  3. At the top of the screen you will see a legend and graph representing the scale on which teachers can be scored.
  4. To the left you will see a menu representing each of the domains in the rubric. Each domain can be clicked on to view and score the indicators or “look-fors”
  5. To score items, click a domain or category and then choose the appropriate score for each indicator. Note that Teacher Compass will track the distribution of scores for each domain in the graph at the top of the page.
Adding Narrative Feedback
  1. If you would like to add comments to an indicator, you can click the Show Comments link in the upper-right of your screen.
Recommending Professional Development Content
  1. If you would like to recommend professional development content to the teacher, select the Suggest Professional Development link below each indicator. Teacher Compass will automatically search the library of professional development content and make suggestions for each indicator.
  2. If the content that Teacher Compass automatically suggests does not meet your needs, you can choose to perform a custom search. Enter a search term or phrase in the top of the Suggest Professional Development screen and click the Search icon. Teacher Compass will search the entire professional development library and return results matching your search criteria.
  3. You can preview the content by clicking the title of each content item.
  4. If you want to recommend that item to a teacher, check the box to the left of the item. The content will be included in the teacher’s report.
  5. Note: if you are performing observations offline using the Teacher Compass iPad or Android apps, suggesting professional development is disabled. Once you are back online, you can suggest professional development.
Selecting Pre-Populated Comments
  1. At the bottom of each domain or category, you may notice a series of Suggested Comments. These are comment prompts which you can include in your feedback to the teacher. To do this, simply check the box next to the appropriate prompt. The comment will automatically be loaded into your overall comments for that section. You can then edit them to make personalize the comments for each teacher.
Selecting Evidence Statements
  1. At the bottom of each domain or category, you may notice a series of Evidence statements. These provide a means of tracking actual observed practices or evidence. Select the checkbox next to the items that you observe.
Uploading, Reviewing and Commenting on Artifacts
  1. To review and comment on the artifacts provided by the teacher, click the Artifacts menu item on the left. This will list each of the artifacts provided by the teacher. Select the artifact you wish to review and click View. You will be taken to a screen which allows you to download the artifact and then provide comments for the teacher.
  2. If you’d like to upload your own artifacts or evidence, click the Add New Artifacts button and complete the form.
  3. Note: if you are performing observations offline using the Teacher Compass iPad or Android apps, the use of artifacts is disabled. Once you are back online, you can add artifacts.
  4. As you move through the categories, click Save to ensure that your work is saved. Note that you do not need to complete all items on the rubric. Teacher Compass will save your work and you can log in later to return where you left off.

It’s important to note that you must score every indicator in the rubric before you can submit the observation. Once a rubric has been submitted, it is made available to the teacher and to other for reporting. For this reason, you make sure that all parts of the rubric are finalized and checked before submitting. If you are need to meet with the teacher further or gather more information before scoring additional items, just save your work and return to the rubric later when you have all of your information.

Including Video or Artifacts with Observations

To upload documents and videos to anobservation:

  1. If you are the subject of the observation, select this observation and then select the Upload button. If you are the evaluator, select the observation and click Perform Online. Then select the Artifacts tab on the left. You will be taken to the Add Artifacts screen.
  2. Under the Artifact Title field, provide a descriptive title for your artifact.
  3. Under type, select the appropriate format for your artifact.
  4. Click the Attach File button.
  5. Browse to the location on your computer where your artifacts are stored.
  6. Select the document or video that you wish to upload. The upload process will automatically begin. A status will display when your artifact has been completely uploaded. Note that if you are uploading large files, this may take some time.
  7. If appropriate, provide a comment or reflection for the observer regarding the artifact you’ve uploaded.
  8. If the artifact is closely related to certain aspects of the rubric, select those sections. This will ensure that the evaluator can view the artifact easily while marking those sections of the rubric.
  9. Select Save. You will be taken to the Artifacts screen where you can edit or add other artifacts.
  10. Continue to add artifacts and comments as necessary. Note that you don’t have to do this all at one time. You can log out of Teacher Compass and come back later to upload or edit additional artifacts.
  11. When all artifacts are ready for review, click the Submit for Observation button.
  12. Note: if you are performing observations offline using the Teacher Compass iPad or Android apps, the use of artifacts is disabled. Once you are back online, you can add artifacts.

Sharinga Draft of an Observation

Once an observationis officially submitted, it can no longer be edited by the Primary Evaluator or teacher. An observationcan be sent to teachers or others for review and response before it is officially submitted however. This allows the reviewer to review all final scores and to provide feedback or upload other artifacts or pieces of evidence for the observer to review before finalizing. To share a draft of an observation:

  1. First, provide a score for at least one indicator in the rubric and click Save. The Send Draft button should enable.
  2. Click Share Draft. A window will appear which allows you to enter in the name of the subject of the observation or, in the case of a self-evaluation, any user who has permission to observe the observer (e.g. a Principal)
  3. If desired, provide a message to the reviewer. This message will appear in an email that is sent to them.
  4. Click the Send Draft button. An email will be sent to the reviewer which contains your message and a link to review the full report of the observation. Beneath each indicator, the reviewer can add their own comments and send back to your for review.

Once the subject provides their response, the observation will be sent back to you for final submission.

Finalizing and Submitting an Observation

Once an observation has been submitted in Teacher Compass, it is made part of the official record. The subject receives a copy of the report in their account, the data is made available for broader reporting and the observationis no longer editable. For these reasons, evaluators should take care when submitting observations. To finalize and submit an observation:

  1. Select the Summary tab in the left hand menu of the rubric.
  2. Here you will see a graph representing the teacher’s overall scores across all categories or domains.
  3. If appropriate, provide feedback in the Overall Comments section.
  4. Check the Shared observation with teacher box. This simply indicates that the observation has been shared with the teacher.
  5. Check the Email observation box. The Upon submission option should be pre-selected and the teacher’s email should be pre-filled.
  6. Under Message, enter the message that you would like the teacher to receive.
  7. Click Save.
  8. Finally, click Submit observation. You should receive a notice confirming that you want to submit the observation.
  9. Click OK.

The observation is now submitted. The observationstatus is changed to complete. The full report of the observation is available in the teacher’s account and the data from the observation is available for reporting purposes. The teacher should receive an automated email indicating that the observation has been completed.

Performing Observations Offline Using the Teacher Compass iPad or Android Apps

Installing the App for iPads
  1. On your iPad, click the App Store icon.
  2. Click the Search icon and type the words ‘Teacher Compass’. The Teacher Compass offline app should appear.
  3. Select Teacher Compass. You should a ‘Free’ button in the upper-right.
  4. Click the ‘Free’ button. The button should change to an Install App button. Click this button.
  5. You should be prompted to enter your iTunes password. Enter your password and click OK.
  6. The installation process will begin. When complete, the Teacher Compass app logo will appear on your iPad.
Installing the App for Android Tablets
  1. Using your Android-based tablet, click the Google Play Store app (white shopping bag cart icon). This will launch Google Play.
  2. If you are not logged into your Google account, you will be prompted to do so. Enter your Google credentials.
  3. In the search field, type the words ‘Teacher Compass’. You should be presented wit the Teacher Compass app (Green compass logo). Select the app and click Install.
  4. A confirmation screen will appear. Click the Accept & Download button.
  5. The Teacher Compass app will begin to download. Once the download is complete, the Teacher Compass app logo will appear on your Android-based tablet.
Logging in and Synchronizing your Offline App

If this is the first time you have accessed the offline app, or if the last time you accessed your Teacher Compass account was through the online web application, you will need to synchronize your observation data before using your offline app. To do this:

  1. Ensure that your mobile device is connected to an active WIFI or cellular service.
  2. Click the Teacher Compass app icon on your mobile device. You will be taken to the login screen for the app.
  3. Enter your credentials. The app will automatically detect your WIFI or cellular service, connect to the Teacher Compass server, and synchronize your online data. This may take a few minutes.
  4. Once your data is synchronize, you will be taken to the Observation screen, where you can schedule, perform and submit observations just as you would online. At this point, you can walk outside of your active WIFI or cellular connection.
Moving in and Out of WIFI or Cellular Connections

If you are walking in and out of WIFI or cellular connections, you may be prompted to go back online. Unless you are confident that the connection is stable in all of the places you will be performing observations, click Not Now. This will keep your app in offline mode and allow you to perform observations without connecting to the Internet.

When you are back to a stable WIFI or cellular connection, click the Synchronize Data link in the upper-right corner of your screen. This will synchronize all data and then give you the option to go to the online web application. Any notifications that you created during the offline observation will be sent to the subject.

Professional Development

Teacher Compass PD contains thousands of quality professional development videos and resources, as well as a number of features to help administrators and teachers manage their PD plans, find relevant PD and collaborate with one another.