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Completing Your Growth Plan

Learn how to complete, submit, and update your Growth Plan in Lebra Ascend, including goals and their action steps.

Written by Maxwell Bass

Your Growth plan is a key part of your professional development process. It allows you to identify focus areas, set meaningful professional growth goals, and establish student achievement goals. This article walks you through accessing your Growth Plan, completing each section, responding to edit requests, and submitting progress updates throughout the year.

What is a Growth plan?

A Growth Plan is a collaborative professional development document completed by you and reviewed by your evaluator (such as principal, administrator, or supervisor).

Depending on your organization, Growth plans may also be called:

  • Professional Development Plans (PDPs)

  • Individual Professional Learning Plans (IPLPs)

  • Professional Growth Plans (PGPs)

Your Growth Plan typically includes:

  • Focus components or standards

  • Professional growth goals, and the action steps to reach them

  • Student achievement goals, and the action steps to reach them

Goals and action steps are paired. For each goal you write, there's a matching field for the action steps you'll take to get there — so your plan says both what you're aiming for and how you'll do it.

Accessing Your Growth Plan

Steps

  1. Watch for an email invitation from your evaluator requesting a Growth Plan.

  2. Click the secure link in the email to open your plan.

  3. The form opens directly in your browser—no login required.

You can also open it from the Action Required section of your Staff Portal.

Important

  • Your link is valid for 60 days.

  • If it expired, your evaluator can resend it.

  • Any saved work will still be available.

Completing Your Growth Plan

Your Growth Plan is organized into clear sections. Work through each section before submitting.

Selecting Focus Components

Focus components identify the areas of practice you want to prioritize for growth.

Steps

  1. Select Select Components/Indicators... to open the list.

  2. Browse available components organized by domain.

  3. Select the components that align with your professional goals. If your district requires a minimum number, the label tells you (for example, select at least 2). Your choices appear under Selected Components/Indicators.

Tips

  • Choose areas where you genuinely want to grow

  • Use prior feedback or observations as guidance

  • There's no maximum — a few focused areas are usually easier to work on than many

Note: Your group or building may have default standards already selected for you. If some components are pre-filled when you open your plan, that's why — your administrator set defaults for your group. You can usually adjust them; check with your evaluator if you're unsure. Components marked District Goals are required by your district and can't be removed.

Writing Your Professional Growth Goal and Action Steps

This section has two paired fields: the goal itself, and the action steps you'll take to reach it. Both are required.

Steps

  1. In Professional Growth Goal, describe your professional growth goal(s) as they relate to the components you selected.

  2. In Professional Growth Goal Action Steps, describe the action steps, timeline, and supports needed to achieve that goal.

  3. (Optional) Use the AI writing assistant (if enabled) to draft or refine either field.

The AI assistant can help:

  • Turn brief ideas into complete goals

  • Clarify language

  • Make goals more specific and measurable

All AI-generated content is fully editable—you control the final wording.

Tip: Keep the goal about the outcome you want, and put the "how" in the action steps. Naming a timeline and the support you'll need makes the plan much easier for your evaluator to approve.

If you leave either field blank you'll see "Professional growth goals are required" or "Professional growth goal action steps are required" when you try to submit.

Setting Your Student Achievement Goal and Action Steps

Student achievement goals connect your professional growth to the measurable outcomes you want to see for your students. Like growth goals, they're paired with action steps.

Steps

  1. In Student Achievement Goals, describe your student achievement goal.

  2. In Student Achievement Goals Action Steps, describe how you'll get there.

  3. (Optional) Use the AI writing assistant (if enabled) to draft or refine either field.

Tips

  • Focus on outcomes you can measure or observe

  • Connect goals to the focus components you selected

  • Keep goals realistic for the evaluation cycle

Note: Student achievement goals are required for some districts and optional for others. If they're optional for you, the section heading says (Optional).

Other Sections You May See

Depending on your district's configuration, your plan may also include:

  • Student Achievement Indicators — select which indicators apply (Idaho and Indiana districts)

  • Student Success Indicators — select which indicators apply (Idaho districts)

  • Student Achievement Goal (For State Assessment) — a goal measured by a state assessment, with its own action steps (only if your district has turned this on)

Signing and Submitting Your Growth Plan

Steps

  1. Review all sections for completeness.

  2. Confirm every goal has its matching action steps filled in.

  3. Add your signature in the signature box.

  4. Select Submit my PDP (your district's name for the plan appears in place of PDP). The button stays unavailable until every required field is complete.

Important: Once submitted, you cannot make changes unless your evaluator returns the plan for edits, or an administrator moves an approved plan back to Requested.

What Happens After You Submit

After submission:

  1. Your evaluator reviews your Growth Plan, including your goals and action steps side by side.

  2. One of two things happens:

    • The plan is finalized and approved

    • The evaluator requests edits with feedback

  3. Once finalized, your Growth Plan becomes active for the evaluation cycle.

  4. Your evaluator may request progress updates later in the year, and a year-end update at the end.

Responding to Edit Requests

Edit requests are a normal part of creating a strong, collaborative plan.

Steps

  1. Open the edit request email from your evaluator.

  2. Click the link to reopen your Growth Plan.

  3. Review the evaluator's comments.

  4. Update the requested sections.

  5. Re-sign and resubmit the plan.

Submitting Progress Updates

Progress updates allow you to reflect on how your plan is unfolding throughout the year.

Steps

  1. Open the progress update request email, or select Update Progress from Action Required in your Staff Portal.

  2. Click the link to open the update form.

  3. Describe progress toward your goals.

  4. Upload supporting artifacts (optional).

  5. Add your signature and submit.

Artifacts may include

  • Lesson plans

  • Student work samples

  • Professional development certificates

  • Data reports or reflections

Uploaded documents may generate AI summaries to help your evaluator review them quickly.

Saving Your Work

Your Growth Plan:

  • Auto-saves every few seconds

  • Can be closed and reopened using the same email link

  • Also has a Save as Draft button if you want to save manually

Keep the email link until you've fully submitted your plan.

Can't Find Your Growth Plan?

Where your plan appears depends on its status. Sign in to your Staff Portal and check:

  • Waiting on you (you've been asked to complete the plan, or to submit a progress or year-end update): it's in Action Required at the top of the Staff Portal, with a button such as Complete PDP or Update Progress. If the button opens an Access Expired page, ask your evaluator to resend the request.

  • Submitted and waiting for your evaluator: it's with your evaluator for review and doesn't appear in the Staff Portal until it's approved.

  • Approved: it appears in the Timeline section of the Staff Portal, where you can download it.

  • Nothing anywhere: your evaluator hasn't sent the request yet. Reach out to them.

Tips: The Staff Portal shows the current school year — use the year dropdown to look at a previous year. The Milestones list shows when your plan is due, but milestones aren't clickable; open your plan from Action Required or the email link.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are there two fields for each goal?

Your plan pairs each goal with its action steps, so it captures both what you're working toward and how you'll get there. Both fields are required for your professional growth goal.

Some components were already selected when I opened my plan. Why?

Your administrator can set default standards for everyone in a group or building, so those come pre-selected. Check with your evaluator before changing them.

Do I need to create an account?

No. You access your Growth Plan through the secure email link, or from Action Required in your Staff Portal.

Can I come back later?

Yes. Your work saves automatically. Reopen the plan with the same email link, or from Action Required in your Staff Portal.

What if my link expires?

Ask your evaluator to resend it—your saved work will still be there.

Can I edit after submitting?

Only if your evaluator requests edits before approving it, or an administrator moves your approved plan back to Requested. Either way, the plan reopens for you to edit and resubmit.

Can I view my plan after it's finalized?

Yes. You'll receive a confirmation email with access to the completed plan, and it appears in the Timeline section of your Staff Portal.

Who can see my Growth Plan?

You, your evaluator, and authorized administrators.

Need More Help?

If you have questions about your Growth Plan, reach out to your evaluator or your organization's administrator for support.

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