Before You Begin
Make sure:
Your organization has the Ascend module enabled (contact Lebra support if unsure)
You have administrator access to Settings.
Step 1: Set Your Anchor Date
What is the anchor date? The anchor date is your reference point for evaluation cycles — typically the start of your school year or evaluation period.
How to set it:
Navigate to Settings → Ascend Hub
Find the "Set Anchor Date" section at the top
Click the date picker and select your date
Step 2: Create Your Roles
Why start here? Everything else (domains, standards, rubrics) connects to roles. You need roles first.
How to create roles:
Navigate to Settings → Ascend Hub → Roles tab
Click "+ Add Role"
Enter the role name (e.g., "Elementary Teacher", "School Counselor", "Building Principal")
Click Add Role
Repeat for all positions that need evaluations
Tips:
Be specific: "Elementary Teacher" and "Secondary Teacher" might need separate roles if they have different evaluation frameworks
Think about all staff: Don't forget counselors, social workers, paraprofessionals, custodians — anyone who gets evaluated
Step 3: Build Your Domains
For each role, create the domain structure.
How to create domains:
Navigate to Settings → Ascend Hub → Components tab
Select a role from the dropdown at the top-left corner
Click "+ Add Domain"
Enter the number label (e.g., "1") and name (e.g., "Planning and Preparation")
Click Add Domain
Repeat for all domains in that role
Example domain structure for a Teacher role:
Domain 1: Planning and Preparation
Domain 2: Classroom Environment
Domain 3: Instruction
Domain 4: Professional Responsibilities
Example domain structure for a Counselor role:
Domain 1: Student Support and Development
Domain 2: Responsive Services
Domain 3: Program Management
Domain 4: Professional Standards
Step 4: Add Your Standards (Components)
For each domain, add the specific standards you'll evaluate.
How to create standards:
Navigate to Settings → Ascend Hub → Components tab
Select a role from the dropdown at the top-left corner
Find the domain you wish to add a component to
Click "+ Add Component"
Enter the number label (e.g., "1.1") and name (e.g., "Knowledge of Content")
(Optional) Add a description explaining what this standard means
Select the Is District Goal box if you wish to make this a mandatory component for the role
(Optional) Add descriptions for each of the component scores
Click Add Component
Repeat for all standards in that domain
Step 5: Customize Your Rubrics
Review and customize your rating scale.
How to customize rubrics:
Navigate to Settings → Ascend Hub → Rubrics tab
You'll see the 4 default rubric levels already created
Click the Edit button on any level to edit:
Change the name (e.g., "Developing" → "Basic")
Change the rating number of each level
Save your changes
For different scales per role: If you need teachers on a 4-point scale and administrators on a 3-point scale, the rubric levels themselves are org-wide, but you control which levels apply to each role's standards through the component-level rubric descriptions.
Step 6: Customize Growth Plan Naming (Optional)
If your district uses different terminology:
Navigate to Settings → Ascend Hub
Find the "Customize PDP Naming Convention" section
Select the Edit button
Enter your preferred:
Short name (default: "PDP")
Long name (default: "Professional Development Plan")
Save
Step 7: Create Observation Relations
Now define who evaluates whom.
How to create observation relations:
Navigate to the main Ascend page
Click Add Observation Assignment
Select the Observer (the evaluator)
Select the Observed Person(s) (the employee)
Select the Role of the employee(s) to determine their observation criteria
Set the Frequency (Monthly, Quarterly, or Annually)
Click the Create button
Repeat for all evaluator-employee pairs.