GroweLab · Features · Classroom observation

Growth-focused classroom observations tailored to your needs.

Swap out stress-inducing checklists, charts and rating scales for positive, specific feedback teachers can use.

A leader in a classroom doorway with a GroweLab walkthrough form on a tablet
Level of implementationNot just yes or no
Observations in GroweLab

Forms that capture what matters to your district.

Create customized observation forms.

Build a custom classroom observation form from several question types that captures the data aligned to the goals and priorities of your school or district. Need multiple observation forms? Create as many as you need.

The GroweLab form builder for a custom classroom observation form, with the nine question types to choose from

Conduct observations with videos, images and more.

Leaders don’t need to be in the room to conduct a walkthrough. Teachers capture and upload their own classroom footage, lesson plans or images and receive instant feedback from GroweLab’s AI model, trained and monitored by experienced educators.

AI for educators
The Smart Feedback panel in GroweLab: a small-group instruction competency chosen, a classroom video uploaded, and the feedback listing strengths, a suggested next step and examples

Gain insight from easy-to-read observation reports.

Summarize classroom observation data in simple reports that help leaders monitor and measure progress. With reports on time, frequency, observed behavior and more, leaders add data-informed insight to their classroom visits.

Education analytics
A GroweLab observation report summarizing visits by time, frequency and observed behavior
In their words

Observation data that informs the work.

Based on observation data that we collected, we planned different professional development sessions because I think that data can inform your work, not just with each individual teacher, but collectively.
Principal, Large Suburban District
Three ways to level up your classroom visits

A fuller picture of every classroom visit.

Replace checklists, charts and rating scales with observations that connect to coaching.

  1. 01

    Align teacher behaviors to instructional strategies

    Use the same professional learning rubric from your coaching sessions to observe teacher behaviors in the classroom, so you can see teachers understanding and implementing what they learn through coaching.

  2. 02

    Capture student behavior and feedback

    What are students doing in the classroom? How could they be better engaged? Create prompts and capture data on student behaviors to get the whole picture of what is happening in the room.

  3. 03

    Cultivate a culture of learning and growth

    Give teachers immediate recognition and celebration when they are doing well, and relevant, positive, specific feedback when they need more focused support.

Classroom walkthroughs in GroweLab make it easy to

Walkthroughs teachers can grow from.

  • Focus on growth, not compliance
  • Provide positive, specific feedback
  • Individualize support for each teacher
Why are classroom observations and walkthroughs so important?

A first-person view of every classroom.

Timely, meaningful and relevant, in every classroom.

Classroom walkthroughs give leaders and instructional coaches a first-person perspective on what is going on in the classroom, which matters for student success. With so many classrooms to visit, it is nearly impossible to keep observations timely, meaningful and relevant. In GroweLab, leaders decide what data they need before building an observation form that fits their priorities, so teachers receive personalized feedback they can put into practice right away.

A principal and a teacher reviewing a classroom observation together on a laptop
Where this sits in the cycle

What changed in practice, walkthrough by walkthrough.

Observations in GroweLab run through every step of the cycle. They score the level of implementation, so leaders see what changed in classrooms, and that record carries the plan, the coaching and the community work.

  1. You are here 01

    Diagnose

    Walkthroughs score the level of implementation in forms built around your priorities.

    Assessments & Software
  2. You are here 02

    Design

    What observations show across classrooms shapes the professional development plan.

    Planning & Design
  3. You are here 03

    Coach

    Coaches use the same rubric in the classroom and in the coaching session.

    Performance Improvement
  4. You are here 04

    Connect to community

    Leaders compare observation practice with peers in the Jim Knight Impact Network.

    Network & Events
3 to 6 other professional learning tools replaced
97% of users report confidence in their job-required skills
See how the whole cycle runs
Not sure where to start? Answer seven questions to find the answer to your Improvement Equation. Find my pathway
FAQ

Questions leaders ask.

Can we build our own classroom observation form in GroweLab?

Yes. Leaders decide what data they need to capture and build a custom observation or walkthrough form that aligns to their school or district’s priorities, choosing from several question types, with as many forms as they need.

How are GroweLab observations different from a compliance checklist?

GroweLab observations are built for growth, not compliance. They use the same professional learning rubric as coaching sessions, capture student behavior alongside teacher behavior, and end in positive, specific feedback and next steps the teacher can act on right away.

Can a teacher get feedback without waiting for a walkthrough?

Yes. Teachers upload their own classroom footage, lesson plans or images and receive feedback in seconds from GroweLab’s AI model, which is trained and monitored by experienced educators; a leader’s walkthrough write-up is drafted in about 90 seconds and the leader edits and sends it.

What reports come from observation data?

Observation reports summarize visits by time, frequency and observed behavior, so leaders can monitor and measure progress and plan professional development from what they saw across classrooms.

Ready to change how you run observations?

Your walkthrough form, in GroweLab.

Bring the form your district uses today, and we’ll show you how it runs in GroweLab, with the reports that follow.

Three educators plan together at a laptop in front of a GroweLab HQIM implementation plan showing 32 percent plan progress, phase status, risks and delays, and phase progress for planning, rollout and support