Moving beyond satisfaction surveys requires a shift in mindset—and a solid design strategy. To help you demonstrate the ROI of your learning programs, we’ve compiled the key technical takeaways from our own pilot process. Whether you are designing for a single school or a statewide district, these best practices will help you ensure your assessment is valid, measurable, and, most importantly, actionable for your teachers.

1. Start with the construct. Define what you actually want to measure (e.g., instructional leadership, mentorship) before you get lost in item writing.
2. When possible, reuse validated frameworks. Borrow open-source teacher competency frameworks or growth progressions as a foundation, then adapt the language to your context.
3. Design levels thoughtfully. Write top (ideal) and bottom (beginner) level descriptors first, then fill in the middle. This can help ensure even spacing between competency levels.
4. Keep indicators measurable. Whenever possible, each indicator should describe something concrete or observable for the participant. This can produce clearer item drafts as well.
5. Match structure to growth progression. When creating your assessment, consider how to best structure items to assess the respondent’s level on the growth progression. What type of item(s) will you use? How will the respondent interact with the item(s)? If using Likert scale items, what response scales are most appropriate?
6. Conduct multiple rounds of feedback. Check for item comprehension, internal consistency, and translation drift (especially if cross-lingual). Revisions after field feedback are expected.
7. Score intentionally. If using growth progressions, ensure your scoring algorithm produces values that can be mapped back to levels in the growth progression for meaningful interpretation. And remember to document your weighting logic.
8. Make growth visible. Map progress along your defined levels to make growth interpretable for different stakeholders.