AI-powered teacher evaluations
for South Dakota educators.
Cut evaluation documentation from hours to minutes. EvalScribe is built around the South Dakota Framework for Teaching natively — the Danielson-based model, its four domains, and the Unsatisfactory to Distinguished scale, in the framework's own language.
Saved per evaluation
SD Framework for Teaching, built in
Unsatisfactory to Distinguished
Evaluator-controlled ratings
Three evaluations free — no credit card · Individual plans from $100/year · School & district licensing available
Endorsed by educational leaders
Game changer. Absolute game changer for school admin.
Tobin Davidson · Assistant Superintendent · 40+ years in education
This is amazing. I would pay lots of money for this. I’m serious — it’s crazy good.
Kittie Brown · Assistant Principal
Also endorsed by Dr. Robert Stinson · Glenn Brown · Angie Brandt — read full quotes ↓
Built by a classroom teacher
Founded by a practicing K–12 educator with nearly 20 years in the field.
South Dakota-specific
All four SD Framework for Teaching domains, built in natively.
Privacy-first
Transient processing on Microsoft Azure. Never used for AI training.
Built for workflow
Designed around the realities of being a South Dakota evaluator.
The SD Framework for Teaching. EvalScribe is built around all four domains.
South Dakota's model is the South Dakota Framework for Teaching, based on Charlotte Danielson's 2013 Framework for Teaching — twenty-two components across four domains. Under state rule, districts choose which components to evaluate, using at least one from each domain. EvalScribe is built around the framework and its own language.
South Dakota Framework for Teaching
Evidence for the Classroom Environment and Instruction domains is collected primarily through classroom observation; Planning and Preparation and Professional Responsibilities are gathered through artifacts and conversation. EvalScribe covers both observed domains in full, plus the most commonly selected planning and professional-responsibility components — sixteen in all — so it fits whichever components your district selects. Each is scored from Unsatisfactory to Distinguished.
Four domains. EvalScribe's coverage.
Planning & Preparation
Artifacts- 1a Knowledge of Content and Pedagogy
- 1c Setting Instructional Outcomes
- 1e Designing Coherent Instruction
- 1f Designing Student Assessments
The Classroom Environment
Observed- 2a Environment of Respect and Rapport
- 2b Establishing a Culture for Learning
- 2c Managing Classroom Procedures
- 2d Managing Student Behavior
- 2e Organizing Physical Space
Instruction
Observed- 3a Communicating with Students
- 3b Questioning and Discussion Techniques
- 3c Engaging Students in Learning
- 3d Using Assessment in Instruction
- 3e Flexibility and Responsiveness
Professional Responsibilities
Artifacts- 4a Reflecting on Teaching
- 4c Communicating with Families
Districts may also select from the framework's other Domain 4 components.
The four SD Framework ratings.
Unsatisfactory
Basic
Proficient
The professional standardDistinguished
Proficient is the expected professional standard — consistent practice with engaged students. Component scores are averaged into a Professional Practice Rating, and EvalScribe drafts to each level's own criteria.
District choice and student growth
Under South Dakota's rules (ARSD 24:57), which components to evaluate is a district-level decision — at least one from each of the four domains, with a recommended minimum of eight. Districts may also use a different model if it crosswalks to the Framework for Teaching.
The state model pairs professional practice with student growth, typically measured through Student Learning Objectives (SLOs). EvalScribe drafts the observation-based professional-practice write-up; the SLO, the averaged Professional Practice Rating, and the final determination are handled by the district.
How EvalScribe handles the SD Framework for Teaching
Both observed domains are built into the tool in full, along with the most commonly selected Planning and Professional Responsibilities components — each with the framework's own language across the four levels and the critical attributes that separate adjacent ratings. EvalScribe maps the evidence from your observation notes to the component it supports and drafts best-fit ratings and evidence-anchored feedback — so the write-up is defensible, traceable back to what you observed, and ready to inform the Professional Practice Rating.
Scope of the score. EvalScribe drafts the observation-based professional-practice components. Student growth (typically an SLO) and the averaged Professional Practice Rating are determined by the district under the SD model, not the app.
Current with South Dakota's rules. EvalScribe uses the South Dakota Framework for Teaching as adopted under ARSD 24:57. If your district selects components EvalScribe doesn't yet cover, or uses a crosswalked alternative model, email [email protected].
How EvalScribe works with the SD Framework.
A five-step path from the back of the classroom to a finished, standards-aligned evaluation.
Observe the classroom
Formal observation or walkthrough — capture what you see the way you always have.
Enter notes your way
Type, dictate, or snap a photo of your handwritten notes. Smart Scan converts handwriting to text.
Map evidence to components
EvalScribe identifies which Framework for Teaching component each note supports, across the four domains.
Suggested ratings & comments
Get draft ratings and feedback language in the rubric's own voice, across the four-level scale.
Review & finalize
Edit anything you want, finalize the evaluation, and export a clean PDF for your records.
EvalScribe runs natively on iPhone, iPad, and Mac — work where you are.
Capture notes the way you already work.
No retraining required. Whatever your walkthrough style, EvalScribe accepts it.
Snap a photo
Photograph your handwritten notes mid-walkthrough. Smart Scan OCR converts handwriting to text — even messy handwriting, even pedagogical terms.
Dictate as you go
Speak observations directly into the app. Voice dictation captures what you saw without breaking your eye contact with the classroom.
Type directly
Prefer to type? Enter notes straight into the app — they flow into the same DC-aware drafting pipeline as scans and dictation.
Why generic AI falls short for the SD Framework.
Pasting your walkthrough notes into a general-purpose chatbot might produce a paragraph that sounds polished — but for Framework for Teaching documentation, "sounds polished" isn't the bar. Defensible, component-aligned evaluations are.
| Capability | Generic AI (ChatGPT, Claude, etc.) | EvalScribe |
|---|---|---|
| Framework awareness | ✕No concept of the SD Framework for Teaching, its Danielson components, or its four-level scale. Treats every prompt the same. | ✓Built around the Framework for Teaching's actual components, Danielson language, and Unsatisfactory to Distinguished scale. |
| Component mapping | ✕Invents domain and component labels and rubric language that don't match the Framework for Teaching. | ✓Maps evidence to the real components (1a-4c) using the actual framework loaded into the app. |
| District component choice | ✕No idea South Dakota lets districts choose which components to evaluate. | ✓Covers both observed domains in full plus common planning and responsibility components, fitting your district's selection. |
| The Proficient standard | ✕Treats the scale as generic good-to-bad, missing that Proficient — not Distinguished — is the professional standard. | ✓Drafts to the real bar — Proficient is consistent, expected practice; Distinguished requires student-directed evidence. |
| Observed vs. artifact | ✕Treats every domain as observable, ignoring that Planning and Responsibilities come from artifacts. | ✓Focuses observation evidence on Classroom Environment and Instruction, where it belongs. |
| Note input | ✕Requires you to retype everything before the AI can do anything with it. | ✓Accepts typed notes, dictation, or photos of handwritten notes via Smart Scan OCR. |
| Feedback language | ✕Vague, generic comments that could describe any teacher. | ✓Professional, evidence-anchored feedback written in the language of the Framework for Teaching. |
| Data privacy | ✕Free tiers may use your inputs to train public models. | ✓Enterprise-grade Microsoft Azure. Transient processing. Zero retention. Never used for training. |
| Defensibility | ✕Output you can't trace back to evidence or rubric language. | ✓Every comment is tied to evidence pulled from your notes and the component it supports. |
How much South Dakota evaluation time could you reclaim?
Tune the inputs to your reality. The numbers update as you go.
You could reclaim approximately
hours per year
Workdays reclaimed
Total evaluations
Based on early EvalScribe users saving an average of 35 minutes per evaluation. Individual results may vary based on your current workflow.
The best way to see it
is to watch it.
Reading about how EvalScribe drafts a Framework for Teaching evaluation isn't the same as watching it happen. The demo walks through a real observation — capture, mapping, scoring, and final export — start to finish.
The draft review screen — every comment, rating, and piece of mapped evidence is fully editable before export.
See an example EvalScribe report.
A real EvalScribe-generated evaluation, formatted exactly as it exports from the app. The workflow is the same across frameworks — useful to share with district stakeholders.
Download sample PDFWhat educational leaders are saying.
Real feedback from administrators across roles — from academic coaches to assistant superintendents.
EvalScribe is a tool that every public school principal should use. This resource literally makes multiple people out of administrators, allowing them to focus their energies on precise observation analysis and quality feedback while leaving EvalScribe to handle the mechanics. This tool will remove virtually all of the drudgery from the classroom evaluation process and would represent an excellent use of school funds.
Dr. Robert Stinson
Principal
After seeing a detailed demonstration of EvalScribe, I came away very impressed with both the concept and the execution. The platform provides administrators with a practical way to quickly capture classroom observations and generate high-quality, customized feedback that remains aligned to their evaluation framework and local expectations. What stood out most was the balance between efficiency and quality. EvalScribe has the potential to reduce administrative workload while helping school leaders provide more timely and meaningful feedback to teachers — a tool with considerable promise for schools and districts.
Glenn Brown
Director of Student Services
Game changer. Absolute game changer for school admin.
Tobin Davidson
Assistant Superintendent · 40+ years in education
This is amazing. I would pay lots of money for this. I’m serious — it’s crazy good. I look forward to using it on a regular basis next year.
Kittie Brown
Assistant Principal
Evaluators spend an inordinate amount of time recording and documenting evaluations. This app is easy to use, affordable, and incredibly efficient. It cuts the time spent recording and documenting evaluations down significantly and frees us up to handle other aspects of the job. Plus, the conference suggestions save on prep time when a conference is warranted.
Angie Brandt
Academic Coach
Built by educators, for educators.
EvalScribe was co-founded by a practicing classroom teacher and his wife — a husband-and-wife team with thirty years of combined classroom and business experience.
Anthony Neely, Ph.D.
Co-founder · Product
A tenured K–12 classroom teacher and Professional Learning Lead. District Teacher of the Year, with nearly 20 years in education and three published books.
Andrea Neely, Ph.D.
Co-founder · Business
Associate Professor of Management. Research and teaching in organizational management.
Your evaluation data stays yours.
Observation notes are processed transiently on Microsoft Azure and are not retained on our servers. Your evaluation records live locally on your device. Notes and evaluations are never used to train public AI models. For districts needing a Data Processing Agreement or FERPA attestation, those are available on request.
Simple, transparent pricing.
Try EvalScribe with three free evaluations. When you're ready to keep going, pick the plan that fits your role.
Individual
For a single evaluator on their own device.
Billed annually per user
- Unlimited evaluations
- All supported frameworks, including the SD Framework for Teaching
- iOS & macOS access
- 3 free evaluations to start
School-wide
For a school with multiple evaluators.
3+ evaluators
- Everything in Individual
- 10% volume discount
- Unique access code issued to your school
- Easy distribution to your evaluators
District-wide
For districts deploying across every evaluator.
Best value for full deployments
- Everything in School-wide
- 20% volume discount
- Single access code for the entire district
- Direct support contact for rollout
All pricing shown is introductory and may change. For school and district plans, EvalScribe issues a unique access code that the buyer distributes to their evaluators.
The SD Framework & EvalScribe — common questions.
Does EvalScribe support the South Dakota Framework for Teaching?
Yes. EvalScribe is built around the South Dakota Framework for Teaching — the Danielson-based model — covering both observed domains (Classroom Environment and Instruction) in full, plus the most commonly selected Planning and Professional Responsibilities components. It maps your observation evidence to the component it supports and drafts a rating and feedback across the four levels: Unsatisfactory, Basic, Proficient, Distinguished.
Which components does South Dakota require?
Under ARSD 24:57, which components to evaluate is a district-level decision. The state minimum is at least one component from each of the four domains, with a recommended minimum of eight (the "Integrated Eight"). EvalScribe's coverage is broad enough to fit whichever components your district selects, and you can reach us if your selection needs a component we don't yet cover.
Which domains are observed versus artifact-based?
Evidence for Classroom Environment (Domain 2) and Instruction (Domain 3) is collected primarily through classroom observation. Planning and Preparation (Domain 1) and Professional Responsibilities (Domain 4) are gathered through lesson plans, student work, communication logs, and conversations. EvalScribe focuses observation evidence on the two observed domains, where it belongs.
How is student growth handled in South Dakota?
South Dakota's model pairs professional practice with student growth, typically measured through Student Learning Objectives (SLOs). Districts may also use another rigorous growth method if they demonstrate it to the SD DOE. The SLO is set and scored through the district's process; EvalScribe drafts the observation-based professional-practice write-up.
What do the SD Framework ratings mean?
The scale runs Unsatisfactory, Basic, Proficient, Distinguished. Proficient is the expected professional standard — consistent implementation with engaged students. Distinguished reflects student-directed practice where the teacher acts as facilitator. Component scores are averaged into a Professional Practice Rating; EvalScribe drafts toward these levels using each component's own criteria.
Does EvalScribe replace evaluator judgment?
No. EvalScribe drafts evidence-mapped evaluations and suggested ratings. The evaluator reviews, edits, and finalizes every document. The professional judgment is always yours — EvalScribe just removes the typing.
Can the generated evaluations be edited?
Yes, fully. Every comment, every rating, and every piece of mapped evidence inside a draft evaluation can be edited before you export the final PDF. You are always the last set of eyes on the document.
Is observation data stored?
Your notes are processed transiently on Microsoft Azure and are not retained on EvalScribe's servers. Your evaluation records sit locally on your device under a local-first architecture. Your data is never used to train public AI models. For more detail, see our Privacy Policy.
How is EvalScribe different from ChatGPT or Claude?
Generic AI tools have no built-in understanding of the Framework for Teaching. They invent components, ignore that South Dakota lets districts choose which to evaluate, hand out Distinguished freely, and produce vague comments that miss the level distinctions the framework requires. EvalScribe is built around the SD Framework for Teaching's actual components and scale — and the evaluator workflow that surrounds it — from capture through final export.
Where can I read the official SD Framework sources?
The South Dakota Department of Education publishes the South Dakota Framework for Teaching, the Teacher Effectiveness Handbook, and the minimum requirements on its Teacher Effectiveness page. The rules governing the model are set in ARSD 24:57, and the framework is based on the 2013 Danielson Framework for Teaching.
Which other frameworks are supported?
EvalScribe ships with frameworks from all 50 states and Washington D.C., plus general models such as Danielson, Marzano, Stronge, CEL 5D+, NIET, and Kim Marshall. The complete list is available at evalscribe.com/frameworks.
Don't see your question? Reach out via our contact page — we read every message personally.
Spend less time on paperwork.
Lead your building.
EvalScribe was built to help South Dakota evaluators spend less time documenting evaluations and more time doing what matters: leading instruction, coaching teachers, and walking buildings.
Three evaluations free — no credit card · Available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac