How Workflows Work in eVAL
Each evidence collection in eVAL follows a specific workflow that controls how content moves from draft to final state. Understanding these workflows helps you know what to expect and what actions are available at each step.
Workflow Patterns at a Glance
Evidence collections fall into two categories based on how they're managed:
Completion Mode Workflows
Most evidence collections use a completion mode that determines whether the other party must review and acknowledge before the collection is finalized:
| Mode | How It Works | Default For |
|---|---|---|
| Simple | The evaluator submits and the report is immediately archived and locked. The evaluatee is notified and can view it, but isn't part of the final submission. | Student Growth — Goal Setting & Goal Achievement |
| Formal | After submission, the evaluatee reviews and acknowledges the report within eVAL before it's locked, creating a documented sign-off for these formal steps of the evaluation. | Observations, Summative Evaluation |
District Flexibility
These are defaults — each district can configure the completion mode that works best for their evaluation process.
For example, some districts have evaluators and evaluatees meet in person to review reports together. In that case, a formal digital review may not be necessary, and Simple mode keeps the workflow efficient.
Other districts may prefer Formal mode for all evidence collections to ensure a documented acknowledgment trail.
eVAL provides this flexibility so districts can align the system with their existing processes rather than changing how they work.
Creator-Managed Workflows
Self-Assessments and Artifacts don't use completion modes. The creator simply manages them directly:
- Work privately in Draft
- Share when ready
- Unlock to make revisions
- Re-share to update
| Evidence Collection | Owner | Contributes to Summative |
|---|---|---|
| Self-Assessment | Evaluatee | No (reflection tool only) |
| Artifacts | Either party | Yes (evidence) |
Common Workflow States
Most evidence collections use these states:
| State | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Draft | Work in progress. Can be edited freely. |
| Waiting for Review (Formal) | Submitted and waiting for the other party to review. |
| Viewed (Formal) | The other party has seen it but hasn't acknowledged yet. |
| Complete/Locked | Finalized. Archive created. Cannot be edited without an unlock request. |
| Shared | Visible to both parties (for simpler workflows). |
Detailed Workflows
The following diagram shows both the Simple and Formal workflow paths. This workflow applies to all evidence collections that use completion modes (Observations, Student Growth, Summative Evaluation).
Simple Workflow
In Simple mode, the evidence collection goes directly from Draft to Complete/Locked when submitted. There is no review step for the other party.
Draft → Complete/Locked
Example: Observation with Simple Mode enabled (observations default to Formal; a district can switch them to Simple)
- Evaluator creates the observation and works on it in Draft
- Evaluator clicks Submit Observation Report — the observation moves directly to Complete/Locked
- Evaluatee is notified and can view the completed observation
- If revisions are needed, either party can Request Unlock (requires other party approval) or the evaluator can Revert to Draft
Formal Workflow
In Formal mode, the other party must review and acknowledge before the evidence collection is finalized.
State Details
Draft
- Owner creates and edits content
- Can share sections or send prompts to the other party
- Can be deleted in this state
Waiting for Review
- Owner has submitted (e.g., evaluator sends the Final Report)
- Other party can view the content
- Owner can Mark Complete to bypass the review step
- Owner can Revert to Draft to make further changes
Viewed
- Other party has viewed the content but hasn't acknowledged yet
- Other party can Acknowledge Report to finalize
- Owner can Mark Complete to finalize without acknowledgment
- Owner can Revert to Draft to make further changes
Complete/Locked
- Evidence collection is finalized and an archive is created
- Evidence flows to the Summative view
- Either party can Request Unlock (requires other party approval)
- Owner can Revert to Draft directly
Unlocking
- Either party requests unlock
- Other party approves or declines, or the requester cancels
- If approved, returns to Draft for revisions
- After revisions, owner re-submits
Special Cases
- Summative Evaluation: Supports "Drop to Paper" which terminates the digital evaluation.
- Student Growth: The evaluatee controls submission and the evaluator approves. The evaluator cannot edit goal content directly.
Creator-Managed Workflows
Self-Assessments and Artifacts don't use completion modes. The creator manages them directly.
Self-Assessment Workflow
Self-assessments are a reflective tool for evaluatees. They can be kept private, shared with the evaluator, and unlocked for revisions.
Draft
- Evaluatee creates and edits
- Private - only evaluatee can see
- Can link artifacts
- Can share with evaluator
- Can delete
Shared
- Visible to both parties
- Cannot be edited directly
- Can be unlocked by the evaluatee to make revisions
- Cannot be deleted (must unlock first, then delete from Draft)
Revising After Sharing
- Evaluatee unlocks the self-assessment (returns to Draft)
- Make revisions in Draft
- Re-share to publish the updated version
Unlike locked evidence collections, the evaluatee can unlock a self-assessment directly without requesting approval from the evaluator.
:::info Not Included in Summative Self-assessments are for reflection and goal-setting purposes. Evidence and scores created within a self-assessment do not flow to the Summative Evaluation, even after sharing. :::
Artifact Workflow
Artifacts have two parallel workflows - one for evaluatee artifacts and one for evaluator artifacts. Each party owns and controls their own artifacts.
For Both Tracks:
Draft
- Creator uploads files and writes description
- Private to creator
- Can share or delete
Shared
- Visible to both parties
- Evidence flows to the Summative view
- Can re-share to push minor updates
- Can be unlocked to return to Draft for more significant revisions
- Can be deleted by creator
Revising After Sharing
- Quick updates: Re-share directly from Shared state
- Significant revisions: Unlock → Draft → make changes → re-share
Artifacts offer the most flexibility for revisions. Unlike other evidence collections, the creator can unlock their own artifact without approval from the other party.
Unlocking Published Evidence
When evidence is published (locked or shared), it cannot be edited directly. To make revisions, you must unlock it first. There are two unlocking mechanisms:
Unlock Requests (Mutual Approval)
For evidence collections with locking workflows (Observations, Evaluations, Student Growth), either party can request to unlock after it's sealed. The other party must approve.
How Unlock Requests Work:
- One party requests unlock
- The other party receives the request
- The other party can approve (returns to Draft), decline (stays locked), or the requester can cancel
- If approved, make edits in Draft, then re-submit to update the published evidence
Direct Unlock (Creator Control)
For evidence collections with sharing workflows (Self-Assessments, Artifacts), the creator can unlock directly without approval from the other party.
| Evidence Collection | Who Can Unlock |
|---|---|
| Self-Assessment | Evaluatee |
| Artifact | The party who created it |
This gives creators flexibility to revise their own shared evidence without waiting for approval.