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Help Center for Support of Frontline EEM Platform - System Administrator

ORIENTATION FOR SYSTEM ADMINISTRATORS
support for users with a high level of
administrative rights

 

Orientation for System Administrators

Purpose:  Provide an overview of the platform, managing user accounts and access, annual site setup, annual rollover, and reporting tools.

For optimal use: This orientation is designed to outline and pull together relevant resources from this Help Center to assist new platform managers ("system admins") with effective use of the platform to support local EE documentation. The topics in this orientation are organized starting at the basics of getting around in the platform into information on completing tasks related to EE processes.

Note: DPI provides configuration flexibilities for districts and independent charters to align local setup to local implementation policies. These variants may include evaluation types, component requirements (zero instances, amount of observations, etc.), as well as form template version. Therefore, screenshots and references may not always align to what you see in your Frontline account. Consult with local administration regarding your local configuration or set up questions.

Sections of this orientation:

Evaluation Cycle, EE Processes, and Platform Configuration
Getting Around in the Platform
Manage User Accounts and Access
Annual Platform Management
Reports
Additional Platform Features
Technical Details and Support


Evaluation Cycle, EE Processes, and Platform Configuration

WI EE Processes in the Frontline EEM Structure
An outline of how the EE System evaluation cycle informs the DPI setup of annual evaluation types, components, and form template options, as well as available optional evaluation tools for other staff roles.

Staff Roles/Duties and Appropriate Access Rights
An individual's role in the evaluation process should inform their level of access to the different areas within the Frontline platform.

  • Educator/User: individual being evaluated
    - Can complete and submit forms to an evaluator for review. Educators can also review/acknowledge forms submitted by an evaluator.
  • Evaluator: responsible for leading the professional growth processes through coaching, feedback, and leadership. Should have access to complete and review forms, as well as access to reports, for specific staff members.

    These individuals must have "district administrator" selected as "Yes" within their account properties. Need to be assigned Evaluation Rights to each of the staff that they are evaluating (including those that they need only to view) and Admin Rights (for "View Historical Data" and "Report Writer"). Evaluators are also responsible for the finalization of forms once those forms are complete.

  • System Admin ("super admin"): responsible for the management of all or part of the platform systems. Depending on the size of your district, there should only be 1-2 staff members with full access to add/edit user accounts, assign evaluation types, assign evaluation rights, complete annual rollover, run district/charter reports, etc. Note that selective rights may be assigned to staff members whose role is only to add and edit user accounts. IMPORTANT: In the instance of local staff with system admin access leaving employment, system admin rights should be given to another local administrator before their departure in order to maintain local administrative access to the platform.
    - Super Admins have full rights in the platform. They have the ability to see all users in reports and views.
    - System Admins are assigned full access by granting Admin Rights and Configuration Rights.

Getting Around in the Platform

  • Platform structure and navigation
    Get started by becoming familiar with the icons, links, and platform sections used to complete relevant tasks based on your role (being evaluated, evaluator, system admin).
  • What the educator/staff member sees
    All users land on the My Growth Journey dashboard under the Insights navigation. This landing page displays local announcement banners (if set locally) and links to incomplete forms.

Manage User Accounts and Access

Individual user access rights should be custom and specific to an individual's role(s), the tasks that person completes, and the information they need to access (as outlined above). Consideration may need to be given to legal implications of access to the confidential personnel records contained within the platform.

  • Add a New User / Edit an Existing User
    This article walks you through the steps of creating and setting up a new user, sending the initial access email invitation, and settings needed for new evaluators.
  • Inactivate Users that leave your employment.
    Important: Before inactivating an account, be sure to rollover user(s) to archive any active forms.
  • Evaluation Rights
    Grant evaluators the ability to access and complete evaluation processes and forms for specific individuals. Does the special education coordinator need access to individuals, in addition to the building principal? Do that through Evaluation Rights.
  • Assign Forms to the Responsible Evaluator
    Technically, forms do not need to be assigned. Assigning scheduled and non-scheduled forms to the responsible evaluator at the beginning of the school year will give the evaluator the most up-to-date Admin View (a dashboard of what needs to be done, what is complete, etc). The evaluator would also receive an email alerting them when a form is ready to view after it has been submitted by a user.

Annual Platform Management

Beginning of Year Set-Up

After completing end-of-year rollover, completing steps of updating users based on staff changes, verifying accurate evaluation types, and assigning forms to evaluators can set staff up for success. A set-up guide is published in this Help Center each year to assist with step-by-step beginning-of-year tasks.

End-of-Year Finalization and Rollover

Rollover includes the archiving of the current year’s data in the Frontline platform and automatically moving active users to the new evaluation year. It's helpful to have a local system that ensures that all evaluators finalize all forms prior to completing the rollover process. A rollover guide is published in this Help Center each year to assist with step-by-step rollover tasks. Check out this Frontline video titled Avoid the Finalization Frenzy for tips on supporting evaluators in finalizing forms quickly and easily.

Reports

The Frontline EEM platform provides several tools to review data through custom reports. These reports can provide very valuable tools for system implementation and integration with other systems. Custom reports can look at data by building, district-wide, by role (teacher, principal, etc.), by evaluation type (e.g., New Teacher, Summary Year, etc.). Also, dependent on the reporting tool used, these reports can be saved so that you don't have to reset all the filters the next you want to review AND be shared with other administrators.

  • Tracking Completion of Processes - These are tools that can be used to get a picture or overview of the completion status of forms and processes for users in the caseload.
    • Super Admin View: Provides a breakdown of all forms by status for every administrator in the district. For each administrator it will provide the number of forms: In Progress, Awaiting Acknowledgement, Awaiting Finalization, Completed as well as the Total number of forms and the overall evaluation cycle Status in their caseload.
    • Admin View

       Provides a breakdown of all forms by status for an administrator for all of the users in their caseload. It provides the amount of forms: Not Scheduled, Proposed, In Progress, Awaiting Acknowledgement, Awaiting Finalization, and Complete. From the Admin View, forms can also be accessed, scheduled, and finalized. 

      For optimal use, forms must be assigned to the evaluator. 

      If forms are not assigned, the administrator will only see administrator-initiated forms as part of the Admin View once submitted.

    • Detail View: Best used to find the status of a specific form. Several functions or actions can also be performed here in bulk, e.g., assigning forms to the administrator who will complete them. The filtering and sorting tools in the Detail View enable you to format the information to create your own custom views for different purposes. You can save each view with a name that makes sense to you, so that you can quickly and easily access the views that you need most often.
    • My Supervision: This is a link at the top of the My Growth Journey dashboard. It provides a quick view of status with a "Explore Details" link directly to the Admin View.
      screenshot of My Supervision link
  • Data Analysis to Inform Implementation and Other Local Systems - The EE System can inform and impact other local systems, including professional development needs and supports, hiring and retention, etc. Therefore, strategically using the reporting tools available in the Frontline platform can be a huge asset to your building and local district administration.
    • Report Writer: Use the "Evaluation Form Data" tab to create a custom report of entries from text fields. There a wide range of uses based on the information you may want to include.

      Use cases:
      - An SLO/PPG goal review for all teachers in your building - What trends do you see in the standards alignment? Are the goals aligned to building/district priorities? Are goals reflective of the baseline data and other data sources?

       - What Focus Areas are indicated by your teachers (growth-focused forms)? What trends are evident? How can you use this information to provide supports for frequently identified areas? If your custom report includes the "possible focus areas for next year" at the end of the year, consider what supports or resources you could put in place before the next school year begins to address those areas.
       
    • Rubric Explorer: This reporting tool displays data that is collected through a rubric on a form (which looks like a table where the cells turn orange when you click on them) by representing the information in a graphical format (a one-dimensional heat map), which portrays the frequency with which each component/descriptor/criteria in a rubric was selected across users, buildings, departments, or the district as a whole.

      Use cases
      - What are the 3 Danielson components most self-identified as Areas for Growth by my new teachers (growth-focused forms)? Use filters for the domain rubrics on the self-review forms for "new teacher" evaluation types. This information can inform areas for needed support for new teachers (through coaching, mentoring, professional development, etc.).

      - Which Danielson components are most identified as areas of strength (growth-focused forms)? Use filters for the "discussed components" rubric on the Professional Conversations Log forms. This information can indicate possible staff who may be utilized as local leaders (in coaching, PD facilitation, district committees, etc.) in those areas for staff who may need additional support or to inform district initiatives/planning.
       
    • Growth Explorer: This reporting tool displays data that is collected through single or multiple response items (e.g., drop-down lists, checkboxes, etc.) by representing the information in a graphical format (a one-dimensional heat map), which portrays the frequency with which each response was selected across users, buildings, departments, or the district as a whole. 

      Use case
      - What are some trends in feedback provided using the critical attributes for "engaging students in learning" (3c) during observations of teachers?  Use each of the filters including the observation evidence forms and 3c fields.

Additional resources: 

Additional Platform Features

Set Due Dates for Forms

If your district or independent charter sets local completion dates, those can be communicated and managed in the platform.

News & Announcements

Add a banner to the platform landing page to make local announcements and reminders (e.g., process and form due dates).

Plan of Improvement Options

While the professional growth processes within the EE System can be utilized to provide additional supports and focus for staff who may need that, it is not recommended that separate evaluation be used to document that HR improvement process. It is recommended that plan of improvement HR documentation is maintained outside of the platform. However, supports such as additional observations or professional conversations may be managed for individuals within the Process View.

Ad Hoc Elements

Ad Hoc Elements are forms that can be used to document processes that live OUTSIDE of the evaluation processes, e.g., a classroom walkthrough checklist to assess district-wide initiative implementation. DPI has not provided any ad hoc elements to the default setup. Use of this feature requires setup work directly with Frontline and may be at a charge.

Technical Details and Supports

Local Technical Specifications (Whitelist) to ensure that all users can access the platform and receive notification emails without being hindered by local firewalls and other security measures.

DPI Supports

  • Utilize articles and information specific to the state model of the WI Educator Effectiveness System contained in this Help Center. Each Help Center section has a list of the articles and resources in that section. The list can be searched by entering keywords in the search bar at the top of the table.
  • Watch the Webinars and Trainings section of the Help Center Home page for upcoming opportunities, including registration for individual support sessions for completing setup in the fall and rollover in the summer.
  • Submit your platform question to the DPI team using the green button at the top of every Help Center page.

Frontline Education Supports

  • Frontline has online articles and videos that searchable. Access the Frontline Learning Center by clicking on the question mark icon in the upper right corner of the platform. Note:  You must be logged into your Frontline account to access the Learning Center.
  • Frontline also offers online webinars and trainings, many of which are free. Note these events are about using the platform but do not include WI-specific setup and use information.