Swiftscore Docs

Creating an Evaluation or Conversation

Swiftscore's Create flow is where you start any new observation, evaluation, or coaching conversation. This guide walks through what you can create, how the flow finds the right next step for a teacher automatically, and how your work is protected if you get interrupted.

Getting started

From anywhere in Swiftscore, click Create in the sidebar. This opens the create wizard, where you'll choose who you're observing or talking with and what you want to produce.

What you can create

Observation evaluations

Select a teacher, choose Evaluation, and Swiftscore walks you through a guided process:

  1. Details — Pick the teacher (or another staff member) you're evaluating, choose the evaluation framework, and optionally filter which framework components you want to focus on.
  2. Capture — Record the observation using whichever method fits the moment:
    • Script and Comment — live transcription of the observation as it happens.
    • Type Notes — type freeform notes directly instead of recording.
    • Upload Files and Materials — attach files (lesson plans, materials, etc.) as supporting evidence. You can mix methods within a single observation — for example, transcribe part of a lesson and add typed notes alongside it.
  3. Report — When you're ready, generate the evaluation report. Swiftscore analyzes your captured evidence, scores it against the selected framework, and produces a structured evaluation. You'll see the report move through stages (analyzing, scoring, synthesizing) before landing on the finished evaluation page.

Conversations

Conversations cover pre-observation discussions, debriefs, and ad-hoc check-ins with a teacher. Select a teacher, choose Conversation, and pick the conversation type. From there:

  1. Capture — Same options as observations: live transcription, typed notes, or uploaded materials.
  2. Summary — Swiftscore automatically generates a summary of the conversation from your transcript or notes. You can review and edit it before finalizing.
  3. Signatures — Both you and the teacher sign off on the conversation. Once signed, Swiftscore generates a PDF of the debrief and emails it to the teacher and principal automatically. If the conversation is linked to a related evaluation, that connection is preserved so anyone reviewing the evaluation later can see the conversation that went with it.

Capturing evidence

Whichever artifact you're creating, the Capture step gives you three ways to gather evidence:

  • Script and Comment — Real-time transcription with the ability to add comments as you go.
  • Type Notes — A simple notes field for typing observations directly.
  • Upload Files and Materials — Attach supporting files such as lesson plans or work samples.

Your recording and notes are saved continuously as you work, so you don't need to worry about losing progress mid-observation. If you're actively recording, Swiftscore will hold you on the Capture step until the recording is stopped, so you don't accidentally navigate away mid-recording.

Smart suggestions based on the evaluation cycle

When you select a teacher in the Details step, Swiftscore checks where that teacher currently sits in their evaluation cycle and surfaces the most relevant next step as a suggested option — for example, prompting you toward a follow-up observation or summative evaluation when that's what's due next. This autofill behavior is available on eligible plans and helps make sure the right kind of evaluation gets created at the right time, without you having to remember each teacher's cycle status yourself.

Drafts and resuming later

If you need to step away mid-evaluation or mid-conversation, Swiftscore automatically saves your progress as a draft a few seconds after each change. You can safely close the tab or navigate elsewhere — your work isn't lost.

To pick up where you left off:

  • Closing your browser or losing connection won't lose your draft; reopening Create with the same record will restore your previous entries.
  • If you try to leave the page with unsaved changes, Swiftscore will warn you before you go.
  • Your list of in-progress drafts stays up to date, so a draft you just saved will immediately show up if you check your drafts list.

This means you can start an observation, get pulled into something else, and come back later without re-entering anything.

Tips for a smooth flow

  • Use Type Notes if you're somewhere recording isn't practical — you can still produce a full evaluation report from typed notes alone.
  • Attach files in the Upload tab whenever you have supporting materials; they become part of the evidence used to generate your report.
  • For conversations, the auto-generated summary is a starting point — review and adjust the wording before you and the teacher sign off, since signing finalizes and sends the document.