If you searched for mVal and landed here, welcome. The staff performance appraisal system that Ontario school boards have long known as mVal is now called eWalk.
For over two decades, principals, vice-principals, teachers, and board administrators have used the platform to complete NTIPs, Experienced TPAs, PPAs, and other staff appraisals. They also use it to track appraisal dates, completion status, annual learning plans, and improvement plans.
Because the platform has been an integral part of HR and instructional leadership for so long, many educators still refer to the Ontario appraisal system as “mVal.” That’s completely understandable. When a tool becomes embedded in a district’s daily routines, its original name often sticks, even after it changes.
What’s changed?
When mVal first came into use in 2003, it provided a straightforward way to track and complete staff appraisals. As school boards’ needs evolved, the platform evolved too. Beginning in 2019, the Harris Education Solutions team started transitioning boards from mVal to the more modern and flexible eWalk platform.
Today, staff performance appraisals remain a core part of eWalk. Thousands of schools across Ontario continue to use them. However, they represent only a fraction of what the platform now offers. eWalk is a full featured form, survey, and workflow creation system that supports classroom walkthroughs, professional learning, student and parent surveys, incident reporting, building maintenance walks, and more. Users can create their own forms from scratch or choose from hundreds of ready made templates in the shared library.
What truly sets eWalk apart is its reporting and analytics. Leaders can track appraisal completion, identify instructional trends over time, and uncover strengths and opportunities for growth at both the school and staff levels. eWalk puts the right data in front of the right people, helping leaders make informed decisions and drive continuous improvement.
Welcome to eWalk
Whether you are returning after some time away or researching staff appraisal software for your board, you’ve found the same Canadian owned and operated solution that educators have trusted for years.
Today, eWalk helps school and district leaders across North America evaluate staff and conduct classroom walkthroughs. It also helps them document instructional evidence, provide meaningful feedback, and gain insights that drive continuous improvement.
Interested in learning more? Request a personalized demo to see how eWalk can support your evaluation process. Discover how it helps you surface actionable data for school improvement, manage student and parent surveys, and much more.
Schools are surrounded by data, but student data analytics does more than simply collect information. It helps districts make sense of data and use it to improve student outcomes. The real impact comes from how districts collect information, analyze it, and use it to guide instruction.
When student information, assessments, analytics, and curriculum planning exist in separate systems, educators often struggle to see the full picture and take timely action. When districts connect these processes, data becomes more than a collection of numbers. It becomes a tool for improving teaching and learning.
That is the idea behind the Power of Three: Collect, Analyze, and Engage.
By bringing together goedustar, eDoctrina, and edInsight, districts can create a seamless workflow that supports educators at every stage of the instructional process. From collecting accurate student information to analyzing performance data and engaging students through targeted instruction, these three solutions work together to turn information into action.
Collect
Every successful decision begins with accurate and reliable data. As a district’s Student Information System, goedustar serves as the foundation for everything that follows. It manages critical student, staff, attendance, grading, scheduling, and course information while providing districts with a centralized source of truth.
Accurate data is essential because every report, assessment, and instructional decision depends on it. Through master scheduling and course management, goedustar helps ensure that students enroll in the correct courses and that teachers have access to the information they need.
This foundation supports daily operations and strengthens long term planning and decision making. When districts trust their data, educators spend less time verifying information and more time focusing on student learning.
That confidence becomes even more valuable as schools move from collecting information to measuring student progress.
Analyze
Once districts establish accurate student and course data, educators can gather meaningful insights through assessment.
Using information from goedustar, eDoctrina allows curriculum leaders and teachers to create, administer, and manage assessments that measure student learning and academic growth. These assessments provide valuable information about what students know, where learning gaps may exist, and which concepts may require additional support.
Pairing assessment results with analytics gives districts even deeper insights. Through edInsight, districts can combine assessment scores with other student data points to gain a deeper understanding of student performance and progress.
Instead of reviewing data sets in isolation, educators can identify patterns, monitor growth trends, and uncover opportunities for improvement across classrooms, schools, and districtwide initiatives.
This holistic view helps districts strengthen Multi-Tiered Systems of Support. Using edInsight, educators can identify students who may be at risk, assign interventions, monitor progress, and evaluate intervention effectiveness over time. Rather than relying on assumptions, schools can make informed decisions based on a complete picture of student performance.
As a result, districts can support students more proactively and direct resources and instructional efforts where they will have the greatest impact.
Engage
Collecting and analyzing data are important steps, but meaningful improvement happens when those insights are translated into action.
Once educators understand where students are excelling and where additional support is needed, eDoctrina helps bridge the gap between data and instruction. Using tools such as Curriculum Mapping, Unit Planning, Lesson Planning, Power Standards, Scope and Sequence Reports, and Curriculum Presenter and Recorder, educators can create learning experiences that are aligned to both district goals and student needs.
This connection between assessment data and curriculum planning helps ensure that instruction is purposeful and responsive. Teachers can use the insights gained through assessment and analytics to adjust lessons, prioritize standards, and focus instructional efforts where they will have the greatest impact. At the same time, curriculum leaders can maintain consistency across classrooms while supporting continuous improvement throughout the district.
When instruction is informed by meaningful data, engagement becomes more intentional, and students benefit from learning experiences designed around their needs.
Better Together
Individually, goedustar, eDoctrina, and edInsight each play an important role in supporting educators. Together, they create a connected ecosystem that helps districts move seamlessly from collecting information to analyzing performance and engaging students through targeted instruction.
The true Power of Three lies in the way these solutions work together. Accurate student data provides the foundation. Assessments and analytics provide insight. Curriculum and instructional planning provide action. When all three are connected, districts gain a clearer understanding of student needs, educators are empowered to make more informed decisions, and students receive the support they need to succeed.
That is the power of moving beyond data collection and creating a continuous cycle of Collect, Analyze, and Engage. Ready to see the Power of Three in action? Discover how goedustar, eDoctrina, and edInsight can work together to help your district connect data, strengthen decision making, and create more meaningful learning experiences for every student. Whether you’re looking to improve assessment practices, streamline curriculum planning, or gain deeper insight into student performance, our team is here to help you build a more connected approach to teaching and learning.
By Laura Patton, Director of Operations
Laura is a K-12 education technology and data leader with more than 22 years of experience in Student Information Systems and a career dedicated to helping school districts improve the quality, integrity, and strategic use of student data. Her expertise spans student information systems, state reporting, data governance, interoperability, district operations, and data integrity, with a focus on helping schools build confidence in the information that drives compliance, decision-making, and student support.
Most districts don’t struggle with understanding the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA). They struggle with what happens after they decide to participate. Because that is where TIA stops being a policy concept and starts becoming coordination work across people, systems, and data.
On paper it looks straightforward. Build a local designation system. Measure teacher effectiveness. Submit required data. Reward high performing educators. Simple enough, right?
Until districts start pulling together observation data, student growth measures, evaluator calibration records, staffing information, and reporting requirements from multiple systems and departments.
That’s when the reality of implementation sets in.
What begins as a compensation initiative quickly turns into a districtwide conversation about data quality, instructional consistency, and alignment across systems. And while that can feel overwhelming at first, it is also where many districts begin strengthening the systems that actually support teaching and learning.
The districts seeing the most success with TIA are not treating it as a once-a-year reporting requirement. They are treating it as an opportunity to build a more connected approach to educator growth.
The operational workload behind the program
TIA is often described as performance-based compensation, but district implementation introduces ongoing operational responsibilities.
District teams typically manage:
aligning student growth data with teacher assignments
validating evaluation results across campuses
reconciling differences between systems
preparing reporting submissions for state funding
These tasks are not new to education. What changes is the level of coordination and precision required to complete them reliably and repeatedly. As participation scales, the workload becomes more about maintaining alignment than completing one-time setup tasks.
The Difference Between Compliance and Confidence
There is a meaningful difference between just submitting TIA data and trusting the story that data tells.
District leaders do not just want completed reports. They want confidence that classroom observations are consistent across evaluators, that growth measures are reliable and defensible, that teacher performance is interpreted the same way across campuses, and that data reflects reality rather than just compliance.
That level of confidence does not come from spreadsheets or end of year validation cycles. It comes from systems designed for transparency throughout the entire instructional cycle.
That is when districts move from simply submitting data to having confidence in what that data represents across campuses and systems.
Building a Sustainable TIA Strategy
The districts making the most progress with TIA are not treating it as a once-a-year reporting exercise. They are building routines that make instructional data more consistent throughout the year.
That work shows up in how observations are conducted, how feedback is captured, and how often data is cleaned or validated before it ever reaches a reporting cycle.
Instead of relying on end of year reconstruction, these districts focus on creating repeatable processes during the school year. Classroom walkthroughs are documented in a consistent format. Coaching conversations are tied back to observable evidence. Evaluator feedback is aligned enough that it can be compared across campuses without interpretation gaps.
This is where instructional data collection tools often become part of the workflow. Districts use solutions such as eWalk to structure walkthrough and observation data, which reduces variation between campuses and eliminates much of the manual work that typically happens later during TIA preparation.
The result is not just more data. It is more usable data. Information that can be trusted without needing to be rebuilt every reporting cycle.
Why Alignment Matters Early in TIA Design
While the state provides the overall structure for TIA, districts are responsible for defining how student growth and teacher evaluation data are combined within their local system. This is where alignment becomes critical, because when evaluation systems reflect one view of performance while student growth measures reflect another, inconsistencies appear later when designations are calculated.
Districts that implement more smoothly establish alignment early between instructional expectations, evaluation frameworks, and student growth and teacher performance measures, which helps ensure that once the foundation is in place, downstream processes become more stable and predictable.
At its core, this work ensures student growth is interpreted consistently, giving districts a clearer understanding of what is actually working in classrooms.
As districts work through TIA implementation, they often look at how their systems support alignment between instruction, evaluation, and reporting.
This is about reducing the manual work required to connect data across systems. We offer tools like eWalk that helps districts capture consistent walkthrough and observation data, and Tango that connects student growth and evaluation data into a unified TIA reporting structure.
We provide the tools and reports so districts can clearly see the growth behind it.
The goal is simple: reduce friction between systems so districts can trust the data they submit and the story it tells. At Harris Education Solutions, we are always happy to share insights and support districts as they think through how to strengthen their TIA processes and systems.
If you’re looking to simplify TIA reporting or connect your data more effectively, contact us to learn more.
By Becky Grady
Becky Grady is a dedicated education professional with a passion for curriculum development and teacher support. She began her career in the classroom, spending six years as an elementary school teacher where she developed a deep understanding of instructional strategies and student learning needs. Building on this foundation, she transitioned into a trainer role, where she equipped fellow educators with expertise in various reading assessments. Today, Becky serves as a Curriculum Specialist, leveraging her extensive background in education to create high-quality instructional content for school districts across the region.
HIB incident management tools can help districts organize reporting and improve consistency across cases. But in practice, the process becomes even more effective when it is part of the systems staff already use every day.
When HIB reporting is built into your Student Information System (SIS), everything is already connected in one place. Staff are not switching between tools or duplicating information across systems. Instead, a report can be logged, reviewed, investigated, and resolved within a single workflow that naturally fits into their daily work. Solutions like Realtime support this approach by bringing HIB reporting directly into the same environment as student data and everyday administrative workflows.
This creates a more consistent experience across cases and gives staff a clearer, real-time understanding of where each incident stands. It also reduces the risk of missed details or delays as information moves through the process.
Why this matters beyond compliance
While meeting requirements is important, the benefits extend far beyond reporting.
When systems are easier to use, schools are better equipped to respond quickly and consistently. Staff can spend less time managing paperwork and more time focusing on prevention, intervention, and student support. Communication with families also becomes clearer, which helps build stronger trust between schools and home.
Over time, this contributes to a healthier school climate where issues are addressed more efficiently and students feel more supported.
Take the Next Step
As expectations around HIB reporting and school transparency continue to grow, many districts are being asked to do more with limited time and resources. Having connected systems in place can help ease that pressure by reducing complexity, improving consistency, and supporting compliance requirements while keeping student safety at the center of the work.
At its core, this is about helping schools respond with care, communicate more clearly, and support students in meaningful and timely ways. When HIB reporting is part of a Student Information System with HIB built in, it becomes easier for staff to stay aligned and for information to move in a clear and consistent way.
Realtime by Harris Education Solutions brings HIB reporting, student data, and everyday workflows together in one place, helping districts focus more on students and less on systems.
Joseph (Joe) Brislin
With 27 years in public education, Joe Brislin has worn many hats—starting as a K-8 Physical Education and Health teacher, moving into roles as a middle school Vice-Principal and elementary Principal, and eventually leading technology efforts as a district Technology Director. He holds a bachelor’s in physical education and health, a master’s in physical education and coaching administration, and a master’s in educational administration. Joe brings a rich blend of experience to every role he takes on — from his current work as a Regional Sales professional at Harris Education Solutions to 47 years of coaching across various school and community sports levels.
The BuyBoard National Purchasing Cooperative is a cooperative formed by governmental entities to streamline the buying process for public schools, municipalities, and other governmental entities. Through BuyBoard, member districts can now purchase Tango and eWalk solutions from Liberty Source, under a competitively awarded, fully compliant contract, reducing the time and administrative cost of issuing separate bids. Tango provides innovative student assessment, personalized practice and data analytics software and eWalk provides intuitive classroom walkthroughs and teacher evaluation software available on devices such as tablets and mobile phones.
“Districts need trustworthy, easy‑to‑implement tools that support student success and operational efficiency,” said Chris Donnelly, Senior Director of Sales and Marketing at Harris Education Solutions. “Being on BuyBoard allows schools to adopt our solutions faster while maintaining transparency and compliance in their purchasing process.”
BuyBoard members can use the Liberty Source contract to acquire:
Student information and data tools
Assessment and progress monitoring
Curriculum and instruction support
Family and community engagement tools
Professional learning and implementation services – training, onboarding, and ongoing support for district staff.
by Dr. Brad Hunter, Vice President of Operations and Product & former Assistant Superintendent.
“Measurement” can be a loaded word in education. Done poorly, it can feel like a compliance exercise. Done well, it becomes a catalyst for professional growth, stronger instruction, and better student outcomes. The difference isn’t the presence of data—it’s how that data is organized, surfaced, and used in daily practice.
That’s where eDoctrina’s Accountability Suite stands out. It’s designed less as a scoreboard and more as a coaching system—giving educators timely, trustworthy information they can act on, and giving leaders a clear, coherent picture of progress without burying anyone in paperwork.
Turning accountability into growth
When teachers can see where they’re thriving and where they can improve—in real time—they can adjust instruction, seek targeted support, and track the impact of changes. eDoctrina’s approach is to put that kind of clarity at educators’ fingertips. Instead of waiting for end-of-year summations, teachers and leaders can engage in ongoing, evidence-based conversations. The most important person to influence student achievement other than teachers is the school principal, through their ability to give teachers quality feedback, whether it be affirmation, or suggestions for improvement and change. This shifts accountability from a once-a-year event to a continuous cycle of feedback, reflection, and improvement.
Bringing everything into one coherent picture
In many districts, important evidence lives everywhere: observation notes in one system, student learning goals in another, growth measures in a third. That fragmentation makes it hard to see patterns or build a shared understanding of progress. A core strength of eDoctrina’s Accountability Suite is how it brings the most important pieces together. The result is a single, consistent “source of truth” that reduces guesswork and eliminates the spreadsheet chaos that too often derails meaningful dialogue.
Clarity that builds trust
Data only improves practice when educators trust it. eDoctrina helps build that trust by making expectations visible and evidence easy to understand. Teachers can see how goals connect to daily practice, how observations track against agreed-upon criteria, and how student outcomes relate to instructional decisions. That transparency fosters psychological safety: educators know what’s being measured, why it matters, and how to move the needle.
Consistency that supports equity
One of the quiet challenges in any evaluation system is consistency—ensuring that feedback is fair across classrooms, grade levels, and schools. eDoctrina supports leaders in providing calibrated, consistent feedback so educators are evaluated on the same standards in the same way. That consistency amplifies equity, reduces ambiguity, and makes recognition, growth plans, and decisions feel more defensible and fair.
Real-time insight, real-time course correction
Instruction moves fast. Teachers need to know what’s working now, not months later. With clear views of progress throughout the cycle, educators can adjust strategies midstream, and leaders can pinpoint who needs support and who is ready to stretch further. Professional learning communities, department teams, and instructional coaches all benefit from having a current, shared view of performance. It accelerates improvement because it shortens the feedback loop.
Less friction, more coaching time
The administrative burden of observation, goal-setting, and progress monitoring can sap time and energy from the work that matters most: coaching and teaching. eDoctrina reduces that friction with streamlined workflows and intuitive tracking. When the busywork fades into the background, leaders can spend more time in classrooms, giving targeted feedback and supporting instructional practice. Teachers gain back time for planning and collaboration.
Teacher ownership and agency
Growth sticks when it’s owned by the person doing the growing. eDoctrina is designed to make teachers active participants in their development—setting goals, monitoring progress, reflecting on evidence, and celebrating wins. That sense of ownership transforms data from something done to teachers into something used by teachers. It nurtures a culture where reflection is habitual and improvement feels attainable.
From the classroom to the district office
The same qualities that help individual educators grow also help district leaders steer improvement at scale. Clear, aggregated views of progress make it easier to spot system-wide strengths and gaps, align professional learning, and allocate resources where they’ll have the biggest impact. When leaders can see patterns without losing the nuance of individual classrooms, they’re better positioned to support both equity and excellence.
A practical scenario
Imagine a teacher starts the year by identifying a student learning goal aligned to local priorities. Early observations surface specific strengths and a couple of growth areas tied to instructional moves. Rather than waiting for a final rating, the teacher and coach review evidence mid-cycle, adjust strategies, and check back a few weeks later to see what changed. By spring, the teacher can point to clear, documented growth—supported by classroom evidence, student outcomes, and aligned feedback. It’s not about chasing points/ratings; it’s about telling a credible story of progress that everyone can see.
In short, eDoctrina helps districts turn accountability into a lever for professional learning. It’s the difference between measuring for compliance and measuring for growth—and it’s how schools make “what gets measured gets improved” true in practice.
With 33 years of education experience, Dr. Brad Hunter has built his expertise from the ground up. Starting as a paraprofessional, he moved through essential roles like teacher, principal, and director for various departments including Federal Programs and Pre-K. He eventually took on the role of Assistant Superintendent for K-12 Operations and Curriculum in Lee County, Alabama. Brad’s academic credentials are a perfect match for this practical experience. He holds a range of degrees, from bachelor’s in psychology and human services to master’s degrees in education and reading, all the way to an Education Specialist in Administration and a Ph.D. in Curriculum Development. His experience has given him firsthand insight into the challenges school systems face every day. As Vice President of Operations and Product at Harris Education Solutions, Brad’s goal is to partner with the HES team to design software that not only addresses these challenges but also empowers educators and students to thrive.
“Jesse” got in a car accident on the way to a job interview. He was not physically hurt, but he felt emotionally shaken. Upon arrival, Jesse snapped at the secretary. During the interview, he struggled to retrieve words. These behaviors were uncharacteristic for him and yet, consistent with the effects of emotional trauma and stress. Not surprisingly, he did not land the job.
Jesse’s experience illustrates the relationship between emotions and cognitive functions. You probably see evidence of that relationship in your classroom. A plethora of research confirms that emotional factors influence students’ ability to concentrate, communicate, regulate emotions, and form relationships.
There is a common saying among educators, “Maslow before Bloom.” Maslow’s hierarchy of needs describes what motivates people. Bloom’s Taxonomy of learning describes levels of thinking. The saying “Maslow’s before Bloom’s” means that students must have their physical and emotional needs met before teachers should expect substantial academic progress.
Three Pillars of Supporting your Students’ Emotional Needs
You probably have children in your classes now struggling with emotional trauma and chronic stress. Chronic stress is ongoing, such as prolonged food insecurity. Trauma refers to events, such as the death of a loved one. Some traumas, such as abuse, occur repeatedly.
If a child is acting out and showing a lack of self-regulation, their need for emotional support is evident. However, not every child who needs emotional support shows it externally. The quiet child following the rules may be silently struggling, too, hoping someone will notice. Addressing and supporting your students’ emotional needs requires intentional effort.
Like most teachers, you would fix all the issues in your students’ lives if you could. While you may not own a cape or magic wand, three actions will make you a superhero in the lives of many children.
Build a trusting relationship with all children.
Teach emotional awareness and self-care skills.
Identify children who need more support than you can provide and refer them to qualified specialists.
Building a Trusting Relationship
Your students will probably not tell you about their fears and insecurities on the first day. They must feel that you are a trustworthy person before they allow their vulnerabilities to show. You will earn students’ trust by creating a safe space for them. Give students control of how they share, be available to listen (or read) without judgment, and follow up on what they share.
Tell your students from the beginning that if they tell you that someone is in danger, you must report it. You do not want to breach their trust if that situation occurs.
Students will test your trustworthiness and open up slowly. The kid who starts talking about bickering with their sibling may be working up the courage to confide a more intense problem. That progression is why active listening is vital even when a particular struggle seems trivial.
Remember to follow up on celebrations too! A simple, “Congratulations on scoring a goal!” goes a long way towards your students seeing that you value them as people beyond the classroom walls.
Checking in with your students also contributes toward building a trusting relationship. Daily emotional check-ins give students practice with self-awareness. They also provide opportunities for students to alert you when significant changes occur in their lives.
Daily check-ins do not need to take up much class time. Depending on your learning model, students can do their emotional check-ins using a Google form or paper form. Either way, the students should be able to control who sees it. Forcing them to share their stories and emotions with you or other students will erode trust.
The actual check-in could be as simple as choosing the appropriate emoji to represent their current emotional state. It could be as involved as filling out a quick questionnaire. The questionnaire might ask questions such as, “How are you today?” “What is making you feel that way?” “Do you want to talk more about this?”
In addition to daily check-ins, you may want to incorporate regular in-depth check-ins. These could take the form of drawing, journal writing, and individual conversations. The longer check-ins give students more time to reflect on their feelings.
Teaching Self-Awareness and Self-Care
Your students will likely start by only sharing basic emotions, such as mad, sad, and happy, because they may only be aware of the surface level of emotions. As you build rapport and students become more self-aware, they will communicate a broader range of emotions.
There are many great programs for helping students build emotional awareness. They start by teaching students to identify their feelings. The Zones of Regulation® by Leah Kuypers is a popular program for younger children because it correlates emotion with learning readiness. Other programs use Plutchik’s emotion wheel to recognize opposing emotions, emotional intensities, and emotional combinations.
Students must go beyond identifying emotions to transition from Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning. They must feel in control of their lives and feelings.
Talk about ways to self-regulate when their emotions overwhelm them. Research shows that engaging in mindfulness practices is key to self-regulation. There are great apps, books, and games to help teach mindfulness strategies. The strategies are often as simple as counting to ten, breathing deeply, and positive self-talk. Remind them that self-care, such as getting sufficient sleep, exercise, and human contact, are vital ingredients to self-regulation too. Edutopia’s list of mindfulness resources for distance learning offers some helpful suggestions.
Identifying and Referring Children
Some of your students need more than what a listening, caring teacher can provide. They will require action, and the best way you can be a superhero is by connecting those students with the appropriate person. As a mandatory reporter, you must contact child protective services if you hear of abuse. Let professional investigators do the rest.
Teach your students about various resources available to them. Many school communities have hotlines, counselors, and other professionals that students can reach out to and ask for help. Provide a list of community programs to help with food, health, and clothing. Depending on the population you serve, you may want to alert them about which programs require proof of residency.
Academic Rewards are only the Beginning
Students who feel unsafe, unloved, and unworthy often struggle to remember information, understand concepts, apply new skills, or create things. You might say that the “lizard” part of the brain (amygdala) must be calm before the “wizard” brain (frontal cortex) functions optimally. The lizard part of the brain is the part that operates flight or fight responses, while the wizard part drives decision-making, self-control, and creativity.
Of course, emotionally supporting your students helps them in areas beyond learning. Young people need to learn how to navigate complex social relationships too. A teacher that communicates, “I hear you.” “I see you.” “I care about you.” will affect students profoundly and positively. That message has a rippling effect throughout the community.
