Observation Forms
Form Element Types
A complete reference for all 17 element types available in the Aprenta form builder, with explanations of what each one is, when to use it, and how to configure it
Form Element Types
Section titled “Form Element Types”When you build an observation form, each question or field you add is an element. Aprenta provides 17 element types (plus 4 Matrix variants), and choosing the right one determines how observers record what they see in the classroom and how that data shows up in your reports.
This article explains what each element type is, when to use it, and how to configure it. If you’re looking for how to add elements to a form, see Building a Form.
Every element has three common fields:
- Name — The question or prompt shown to the observer (supports rich text)
- Description — Optional context or instructions shown below the name
- Help — Optional help text the observer can expand for guidance
Elements that have configurable settings show a Settings link (with a gear icon) below the element in the form builder. Clicking it opens a popover with that element’s settings. Elements without a Settings link have no additional configuration beyond the common fields.
Choice Elements
Section titled “Choice Elements”Choice elements present the observer with a set of predefined options. Use these when you want structured, consistent data across observations.
Multiple Choice
Section titled “Multiple Choice”The observer picks exactly one option from a list. Use this when the answers are mutually exclusive — only one can be true at a time.
Add choices by clicking the add button below the existing choices. Each choice has a name and an optional description.
No additional settings.
When to use it: Questions where the observer must commit to a single answer. “What is the primary instructional strategy?” can only have one answer — the teacher is either doing direct instruction or collaborative learning, not both at once.
Example choices for “Primary Instructional Strategy”:
- Direct Instruction
- Collaborative Learning
- Independent Practice
- Student-Led Discussion
Multiple Answer
Section titled “Multiple Answer”The observer can select one or more options from a list. Use this when multiple answers can be true at the same time.
Add selections the same way you add choices to Multiple Choice. The difference is that observers check boxes instead of radio buttons, so they can select as many as apply.
No additional settings.
When to use it: Questions where you’re looking for everything that’s present, not just the dominant one. During a walkthrough you might see students doing several things at once — taking notes, asking questions, and collaborating with peers. Multiple Answer lets the observer check all of them.
Example selections for “Student Engagement Indicators”:
- On Task
- Asking Questions
- Collaborating with Peers
- Taking Notes
- Using Technology
Toggle Input
Section titled “Toggle Input”A simple two-option switch — the observer picks one or the other. This is the fastest element type for binary observations.
The two buttons appear side by side in the form builder. To customize the labels, click on either button and type a new label in the popover that appears. The defaults are “False” (left) and “True” (right), but you’ll almost always want to change them to something meaningful like Yes/No, Present/Absent, or Observed/Not Observed.
No settings panel — labels are edited directly on the buttons.
When to use it: Quick checks during a walkthrough. “Is the learning objective posted?” “Are students in assigned seats?” “Is the teacher circulating?” These are things you can assess in a glance. Toggle is faster than a two-option Multiple Choice because it’s a single click.
Scale Elements
Section titled “Scale Elements”Scale elements let the observer rate something along a defined range. Aprenta has three scale types, and choosing the right one depends on what you’re measuring and how precise you need to be.
Likert Scale
Section titled “Likert Scale”A labeled point scale where each point has a defined meaning. This is the element type you’ll use most often in observation rubrics because each level describes a specific standard of performance.
Think of it this way: a Likert scale doesn’t just ask “how good is this on a scale of 1 to 4.” It defines what each number means — a 1 is “Unsatisfactory” (specific criteria), a 2 is “Developing” (specific criteria), and so on. This makes ratings consistent across observers because everyone is working from the same definitions.
Settings (under the gear icon):
| Setting | Options |
|---|---|
| Polarity | Unipolar or Bipolar |
| Scale | Number of points on the scale |
| Min Value | Starting number (unipolar only) |
When you select Unipolar, two additional dropdowns appear: Scale (choose from 2–10 points) and Min Value (choose from 0–9). When you select Bipolar, only the Scale dropdown appears (choose from 3, 5, 7, or 9 points) — the min and max are calculated automatically around zero.
Labels are edited directly on the scale in the form builder, not in the settings panel. Each point shows a small box — click it to type a label. Points without labels show a ”+ Label” placeholder. When you change the polarity, labels reset to defaults:
- Unipolar defaults (1–5): “Not at all” (1), “Moderately” (3), “Extremely” (5)
- Bipolar defaults (-2 to +2): “Strongly Disagree” (-2), “Disagree” (-1), “Neutral” (0), “Agree” (1), “Strongly Agree” (2)
Unipolar vs. Bipolar — which one do I need?
- Unipolar goes in one direction: low to high, or absent to fully present. This is what most observation rubrics use. A 4-point rubric from Unsatisfactory to Distinguished is unipolar — there’s no “negative” end, just less or more of something.
- Bipolar goes in two directions around a center point, like Strongly Disagree through Neutral to Strongly Agree. This is common in survey-style questions but less common in classroom observation rubrics. Use it if you’re asking the observer to agree or disagree with a statement rather than rate a performance level.
Most forms use Unipolar with 3–5 points. If you’re building a Danielson-style or Marzano-style rubric, choose Unipolar and set the scale to match your framework (typically 4 points).
Example: A 4-point unipolar scale for “Classroom Environment” with labels: Unsatisfactory (1), Developing (2), Proficient (3), Distinguished (4).
Rating Scale
Section titled “Rating Scale”A star-based rating for quick, intuitive assessments. Unlike a Likert scale, the emphasis is on the overall impression rather than matching specific performance criteria at each level.
Settings (under the gear icon):
| Setting | Options |
|---|---|
| Scale | 2 through 10 (number of stars) |
| Shape | Star |
| Color | Yellow |
Shape and Color are currently fixed at Star and Yellow.
Likert Scale vs. Rating Scale — what’s the difference?
Both collect a numeric rating, but they serve different purposes:
- Likert Scale is for rubric-based evaluation. Each point represents a defined level of performance with specific criteria. Use it when you need observers to match what they see against a standard. “Does this classroom environment meet the criteria for Proficient?”
- Rating Scale is for overall impressions. Stars are intuitive — everyone understands “4 out of 5 stars.” Use it when you want a quick read on quality without defining what each level means in detail. “Overall, how effective was this lesson?”
If you’re building a formal observation rubric, use Likert Scale. If you want a quick quality rating alongside more detailed rubric items, use Rating Scale.
Example: Rate “Overall Lesson Effectiveness” on a 1–5 star scale.
Range (Slider)
Section titled “Range (Slider)”A draggable slider for selecting a value within a numeric range. The observer drags a handle along a track to set the value.
Settings (under the gear icon):
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Min Value | 1 | Lowest selectable value |
| Max Value | 10 | Highest selectable value |
| Initial Value | 5 | Starting position of the slider handle |
| Step | 1 | Increment between values |
The settings auto-adjust to stay consistent — if you set Min Value higher than the current Initial Value, the Initial Value moves up to match. If you set Max Value lower than the Initial Value, the Initial Value moves down.
When to use it: Continuous measurements where a specific number matters more than a labeled category. The slider is especially useful for estimating proportions during a walkthrough.
Example: “Percentage of students on task” — set Min to 0, Max to 100, and Step to 5. The observer drags the slider to their estimate (e.g., 75%) rather than picking from a predefined list.
Timing Element
Section titled “Timing Element”A stopwatch for measuring how long something takes. The observer starts and stops the timer to record elapsed time.
No additional settings.
When to use it: Measuring duration of specific activities. Transition time is the most common use — how long does it take students to move between activities? Timers give coaches concrete data to discuss. “Your transitions averaged 4 minutes — let’s talk about strategies to get that under 2.”
Example: “Transition Time” to measure how long classroom transitions take, or “Wait Time” to measure how long the teacher pauses after asking a question before calling on a student.
Text & Number Input Elements
Section titled “Text & Number Input Elements”These elements collect free-form responses. Use them for qualitative observations, notes, and data that doesn’t fit into predefined categories.
Free Text
Section titled “Free Text”A large, multi-line text area for extended written feedback. This is where observers write narrative observations, coaching notes, and detailed feedback.
No additional settings.
When to use it: Open-ended responses that need more than a sentence. Running notes during an observation (“At 9:15, the teacher transitions to small groups…”), post-observation feedback (“One area for growth is…”), or general comments that supplement the rubric ratings.
Example: “Observation Notes” for capturing a running narrative, or “Strengths & Areas for Growth” for post-observation coaching feedback.
Text Input
Section titled “Text Input”A single-line text field for short responses.
Settings (under the gear icon):
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Placeholder | ”Enter your response here” | Hint text shown when the field is empty |
| Max Length | 255 | Maximum number of characters |
When to use it: Brief, factual responses. Use Text Input for information-gathering fields, not for detailed feedback (use Free Text for that).
Example: “Lesson Topic” or “Standards Addressed” — short answers that identify what’s being taught.
Number
Section titled “Number”A numeric input for entering a single number.
No additional settings.
When to use it: Recording a specific count or measurement that doesn’t need real-time tallying.
Example: “Number of students present” or “Number of collaborative groups” — things the observer can count once and enter.
A date picker for selecting a specific date from a calendar.
No additional settings.
When to use it: Recording dates related to the observation workflow.
Example: “Follow-up meeting date” to schedule a post-observation conference, or “Next observation date” for planning the follow-up visit.
Matrix Element
Section titled “Matrix Element”Matrix Scale
Section titled “Matrix Scale”A grid where multiple items share the same scale. Each row is a separate observation indicator, and each column is a response option. The observer rates every row using the same criteria.
This is the most powerful element type for building structured observation rubrics. Instead of creating individual Likert Scale or Multiple Choice elements for each indicator, you put them all in a matrix and they share the same column headers.
Four variants appear as separate options in the element picker:
| Variant | Columns Are | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Matrix Scale - Likert | Likert scale points | Rubric-based evaluation (most common) |
| Matrix Scale - Multiple Choice | Single-select options | Categorizing each indicator |
| Matrix Scale - Multiple Answer | Multi-select checkboxes | Multiple categories per indicator |
| Matrix Scale - Toggle | Binary toggle | Present/absent checklists |
The Matrix Scale - Likert variant shows Matrix Scale Settings with the same Polarity and Scale options as a standalone Likert Scale. Changing these settings applies to all rows in the matrix.
Rows are individual items you add to the matrix. Each row inherits the scale type from the matrix variant.
When to use it: Any time you have multiple indicators that share the same rating criteria. This is the standard structure for classroom observation rubrics — a domain like “Instructional Practices” with 4–6 indicators, each rated on the same scale.
Example: A Likert Matrix named “Instructional Practices” with rows:
- Uses formative assessment
- Differentiates instruction
- Provides clear directions
- Checks for understanding
Each row is rated on the same 4-point scale (Unsatisfactory, Developing, Proficient, Distinguished). In reporting, you can see both the individual indicator scores and the overall domain average.
Ranking Element
Section titled “Ranking Element”Ranking
Section titled “Ranking”A drag-and-drop list where the observer puts items in order. Each item has a name and optional description.
No additional settings.
When to use it: When the relative order matters more than individual ratings. Ranking forces the observer to make comparative judgments — which strategy was most effective, which area needs the most attention.
Example: “Rank the observed instructional strategies in order of effectiveness” with items: Questioning Techniques, Classroom Management, Student Engagement, Lesson Pacing. The observer drags them into order from most to least effective.
Media Elements
Section titled “Media Elements”These elements let observers attach photos, videos, or files to document what they see. Media evidence adds context to ratings and notes — a photo of an anchor chart or a short video clip of a teaching strategy can make post-observation conversations more productive.
An image upload field for capturing photos during a walkthrough.
Settings (under the gear icon):
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Max Size | 5 | Maximum file size in MB |
Example: “Classroom Environment Photo” to document room setup, anchor charts, word walls, or student work displays.
A video upload field for recording classroom footage.
Settings (under the gear icon):
| Setting | Default | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Max Size | 50 | 1–100 MB |
Example: “Teaching Segment” to capture a 2–3 minute clip of a lesson transition or instructional technique for review during the post-observation conference.
A general file upload for attaching documents.
No additional settings.
Example: “Lesson Plan” to attach the teacher’s plan for the observed lesson, or “Student Work Sample” to include an artifact alongside observation notes.
Display Element
Section titled “Display Element”Static Text
Section titled “Static Text”A read-only text block that doesn’t collect any data. Use it to add structure and guidance to your form.
No additional settings.
When to use it: Section headers, instructions, or context that helps the observer understand what comes next in the form.
Example: Add a Static Text element with “Part 1: Classroom Environment” to visually separate sections, or “For each indicator below, select the level that best describes what you observed” to set expectations before a matrix rubric.
Quick Reference
Section titled “Quick Reference”| Element | Settings | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Choice | — | Pick one option from a list |
| Multiple Answer | — | Pick one or more options from a list |
| Toggle Input | — | Binary switch (labels edited inline) |
| Likert Scale | Polarity, Scale, Min Value | Labeled point scale for rubric ratings |
| Rating Scale | Scale, Shape, Color | Star rating for overall impressions |
| Range (Slider) | Min, Max, Initial Value, Step | Drag to select a numeric value |
| Timer | — | Stopwatch for measuring duration |
| Free Text | — | Multi-line text area for notes and feedback |
| Text Input | Placeholder, Max Length | Single-line text field |
| Number | — | Numeric input |
| Date | — | Calendar date picker |
| Matrix Scale | Varies by variant | Grid with shared scale for multi-indicator rubrics |
| Ranking | — | Drag-to-order list |
| Image | Max Size | Photo upload |
| Video | Max Size | Video upload |
| File | — | File upload |
| Static Text | — | Display-only text for headers and instructions |