What Do Teachers Need to See in a Lesson Observation Report?

Michael Keany

November 2026

A lesson observation report should do much more than document that an administrator visited a classroom. At its best, it should help a teacher answer three questions: What happened? What did students learn? What should I do next?

Too many observation reports become compliance documents—lists of rubric scores, generic praise, and vague recommendations such as “increase student engagement” or “ask more higher-order questions.” Teachers deserve something more useful. A strong observation report should function as a professional learning tool.

Start With Evidence, Not Impressions

Teachers need to see specific evidence from the lesson.

Instead of writing, “Students were engaged,” an observer might note that 19 of 22 students participated in the discussion, students referred to evidence in the text, and several students responded directly to classmates.

Instead of “Questioning could improve,” write what actually occurred: Which questions were asked? Who answered? How long did the teacher wait? Did students explain their thinking?

The Measures of Effective Teaching project emphasized the importance of observers recording and interpreting relevant, objective classroom evidence rather than relying primarily on general impressions.

Evidence makes feedback credible.

Show What Students Were Doing—and Learning

Observation reports frequently devote too much attention to teacher behavior.

The more important question is: What happened to students because of what the teacher did?

A teacher needs to know whether students were thinking, discussing, writing, solving problems, explaining, questioning, revising, and making connections.

A report might say:

“After the teacher modeled the first problem, students worked independently on three examples. During circulation, 14 of 18 students correctly explained why they selected their strategy.”

That tells the teacher much more than, “The teacher circulated effectively.”

The focus shifts from teacher performance to student learning.

Identify a Genuine Strength

Teachers should see at least one meaningful instructional strength supported by evidence.

Avoid superficial compliments such as “Nice lesson” or “Students seemed happy.”

Instead:

“Your use of follow-up questions consistently required students to explain their reasoning rather than simply provide answers.”

Specific reinforcement tells teachers what they should continue doing.

It also builds credibility. Teachers are more likely to accept suggestions for improvement when they believe the observer has accurately understood the successful aspects of the lesson.

Identify One High-Leverage Area for Growth

An observation report should not become a catalogue of everything that could possibly be improved.

The most useful reports identify one or two high-leverage priorities.

Research by Seth Hunter and Matthew Springer identified four important characteristics of effective post-observation feedback: it should be aligned with an improvement area, based on evidence, connected to a specific goal, and include actionable next steps. Their examination of nearly 5,000 written feedback episodes found that many teachers did not consistently receive feedback containing these characteristics.

“Improve student engagement” is not enough.

A better recommendation might be:

“During whole-group questioning, six students answered nearly all the questions. During the next two weeks, experiment with strategies that require every student to formulate and share a response before volunteers are called on.”

Now the teacher knows exactly what to try.

Connect Feedback to the Teacher's Goals

Observation reports become more powerful when they connect to ongoing professional growth.

If a teacher has been working on student discussion, formative assessment, differentiation, or checking for understanding, the observer should acknowledge that goal.

The report should feel like the next chapter in an ongoing professional conversation, not an isolated judgment produced after a 30-minute visit.

Research from RAND has found that teachers view evaluation systems as more helpful when observations and feedback occur more than once and when teachers receive useful, actionable feedback.

End With a Next Step

Every observation report should leave the teacher knowing what happens next.

That might include trying one strategy, examining student work, visiting another classroom, discussing a resource, or returning to the issue during the next observation.

The most valuable final sentence may be:

“When I return, here is what I will be looking for.”

That transforms observation from inspection into improvement.

Ultimately, teachers should finish reading an observation report thinking:

“My observer understood what happened in my classroom, recognized what worked, identified something important that I can improve, and gave me a realistic way to improve it.”

If an observation report accomplishes that, it has done far more than evaluate teaching.

It has helped develop a teacher.

References

1. Kane, T. J., & Staiger, D. O. Measures of Effective Teaching Project: Gathering Feedback for Teaching. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

2. Hunter, S. B., & Springer, M. G. “Feedback on Teacher Evaluations Misses the Mark.” Brookings Institution, January 18, 2022.

3. Stecher, B. M., et al. RAND research on teacher evaluation systems and teachers' perceptions of observation and feedback. RAND Corporation.

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Prepared with the assistance of AI software OpenAI. (2026). ChatGPT (5.2) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com