Coding Text as Evidence

Text coding lets you turn specific passages of text into evidence by aligning them to rubric components. Instead of adding separate notes, you highlight meaningful text directly where it appears and connect it to the rubric.

Why Code Text?

When writing observation notes or reviewing conference responses, you may notice passages that demonstrate specific rubric components. Text coding lets you:

• Highlight the evidence inline — Mark the exact words that support your observation
• Align to rubric components — Connect the passage to a specific component (e.g., 4c)
• Create evidence automatically — Coded text becomes an evidence item for that component

Where Text Coding Works

Text Source	Evidence Collection	How the Evaluator Codes It
Observation notes	Observation	While writing
Conference summary notes	Observation	While writing
Pre- and post-conference responses	Observation	Using the coding editor
Goal statements	Student Growth Goal Setting	Using the coding editor
Criterion alignment narratives	Student Growth Goal Setting	Using the coding editor
Conference prompt responses	Student Growth Goal Setting	Using the coding editor
Prompt responses	Student Growth Goal Achievement	Using the coding editor
End-of-year reflection responses	Summative Evaluation	Using the coding editor

The pattern: text the evaluator wrote can be coded as they write it; text the evaluatee wrote is coded through the coding editor.

Self-Assessment has no codeable text — its evidence comes from rubric notes and aligned artifacts. See Where Evidence Comes From.

The Rubric Toolbar

When editing your own text (like observation notes), you'll see a toolbar with rubric component buttons — organized by domain (D1, D2, D3, D4) with individual components listed (1a, 1b, 1c, etc.).

How to Code Text

Coding Your Own Text (Evaluator)

1. Write or edit your text in the editor
2. Select the passage you want to code
3. Click the rubric component button in the toolbar
4. The text is highlighted and marked with the component code

The coded text now appears as an evidence item for that component in the Evidence View.

Coding Evaluatee Text

For text entered by the evaluatee (like conference responses), you need to open the coding editor:

1. Click Edit Code as Evidence to open the coding editor
2. Select the passage you want to code
3. Click the rubric component button
4. Click Done to save and return to the normal view

tip

You can code multiple passages in a single session. Each coded passage becomes its own evidence item.

Removing Coding

Coding is removed at the source — in the text itself, not from the Evidence View. Go back to the passage where you coded it and remove the coding there, using the same editor you used to create it.

So for your own text, open the observation notes or conference summary and remove it inline. For evaluatee text, reopen the coding editor.

warning

Removing the coding also removes the evidence item it created. You can't delete that evidence item from the Evidence View instead — the coded passage is the source, and the evidence item follows it.

Viewing Coded Text

Coded text appears with a highlighted background and component badges on both ends (like "1c"). You can see all coded passages:

• In the text editor — Highlighted inline where they appear
• In Evidence View — As collected evidence items for each rubric component

Tips for Effective Text Coding

• Be selective — Code passages that clearly demonstrate the rubric component
• Code specific phrases — A sentence or two is often more useful than entire paragraphs
• Review before submitting — Check that your coded text accurately reflects the evidence you want to capture