Setup Summative Copy from Observation

The ability to copy prior observation data into the forms will save time and provide a starting point from the observation(s) for completing the summary of the year.

Watch this step-by-step video.

Using an Existing Summative Template

The person with the Appraisal Administrator role in your district will need to complete these steps to activate the ability for an appraiser to import data from observation documents to the summative form.

1. Select the Summative Template
2. Select the Template Options tab
3. Check the box "Import existing observation data when summative is created"
4. Click Save

Create a Summative to Match the Observation Template

Some districts may use a summative template that more closely resembles the observation template to ensure comments and ratings copy over.

Creating a new summative template allows you to copy an observation template. This will ensure you have the best possible outcome for copying information from the Observation to the Summative.

Note: This is not recommended if any Appraiser has already used the existing Summative form. Be sure to check this before creating a new Summative.

1. Create New Template.
2. Copy Existing Template.
3. Select the Observation Template.
4. Add any additional info to the new Summative Template (such as Domain 4).
5. Update the Appraisee Type with the new Summative Template.

Scoring Information

For ratings to copy from the Observation to the Summative, ensure you have connected the matrix rows to the dimensions in both the Observation and the Summative templates.

Scored Vs. Not Scored

• If your template is scored and the ratings have a numerical value, it will copy over based on the numerical value in the matrix. If there is more than one observation, it will average the scores and round up in favor of the teacher.
• If your template is NOT scored, then the ratings DO NOT have a value. It will pick the most frequently selected rating.
  • Example: If you have three observations, and in question #2 (matrix), two appraisers selected ‘proficient’ and one selected ‘developing’, the template would copy the ‘proficient’ rating over because it was selected more than once.
  • Example: If you have multiple observations and in question #2 (matrix) you have one ‘proficient’, one ‘accomplished’, and another that is ‘developing’, the answer will be randomly selected.

Comment Information

• To copy comments as well as ratings, tag the comments/evidence boxes.
• If you use a template with separate evidence for each dimension, select that dimension individually.
• To copy comments and/or evidence for the entire domain, check all dimensions in that domain.
• Appraisers may need to delete some comments/evidence that copy over to more than one dimension.

Next Steps

After you have enabled the option to import observation data into the summative and ensured that it will work with your templates, you will want to notify your Appraisers. You can see how copying observation data works for Appriasers. 

FAQ

What should I do to troubleshoot if my questions are not copying over?

1. Look at your Observation and Summative documents side by side. If they are completely different, they will most likely not copy.
2. Make sure that both your Observation and Summative templates have the questions connected or tagged to a Framework/Dimension.
3. Confirm the text in the questions match.
4. For comments to copy from an Observation to a Summative, the Item Name for both Comment boxes must match exactly. This includes spacing and punctuation.
5. If the Observation Comment Box is named "Evidence 1.1:" and the Summative Comment Box is named "1.1 Evidence:", then the comments will not copy from the Observation to the Summative

Q: If I have tagged my questions in the observation template, will that copy over to my new summative template if I create a new Summative template with the copy feature?

Yes!

Q: What if I have not tagged my templates to the framework dimensions? Can I still do that?

Yes, you can go in and tag your questions to the dimensions at any time. Just be sure to Save and then 'Update Existing Documents'.

Q: What happens if I remove the existing summative document and someone has used that form to do a summative?

If you remove a summative document from the appraisee type and there are summative documents already created, those documents will be moved to the ‘Other Documents’ section.

Q: Will it copy comments and ratings from another administrator or only the appraiser of record?

Regardless of who created the observation, it will copy any rating or comment into the summative.

Q: When I check the box to import the observation data in the Template Options, do I have to ‘Update Existing Documents’?

No, you do not. Technically this setting cannot be ‘retroactive’ so there is no need to update any documents that have already been created.

Q: I see that I can copy an Evaluation Template into a Summative. Does that mean that the comments will copy over just like the Observations?

Not at this time. We know this will be requested, but to ensure we got the feature out for observations, this will happen for next year.

Q: How does the data copy from the Observation to the Summative?

There is an algorithm that matches based on the following:

First, the logic looks at the question type

Q: Example: Number of columns for a matrix question

Then the logic looks for tagged dimensions

Finally, the logic looks for matching text