We built M2 with a feedback focus on engagement, questioning, and pacing. Why? Because insights in these three areas make a difference for every teacher we know. 

Many districts have also adopted their own high-quality instructional frameworks and initiatives. Turning those priorities into consistent, scalable classroom support, though, is challenging.

This is where M2 can help.

Introducing Rubric Builder

Rubric Builder is a new tool that lets administrators customize the criteria used in M2’s feedback during activities and in teacher reports afterward. With it, schools can add their own scoring criteria to sit alongside M2’s built-in Engagement, Pacing, and Questioning rubrics. 

Unlike traditional rubrics that live in documents or observation tools, these criteria shape what M2 looks for, responds to, and reports on during and after instruction every single day. This means the feedback teachers receive through M2 can now be fully aligned to district priorities, instructional frameworks, or coaching goals. Teachers get more meaningful insights, and administrators get consistency across classrooms.

Because initiatives shift and frameworks get updated, Rubric Builder supports the need for flexible instructional leadership. Admins can toggle custom criteria on or off at any time, and changes apply only to future activities, ensuring that all past feedback is preserved.

What does this all look like in practice? Here are three ways Rubric Builder can support your organization.

Align to teacher evaluation frameworks

Whether your district uses Danielson, Marzano, CLASS, or a local district models, M2 can now take on the same perspective as your organization’s coaches or administrators. After customizing your rubric, M2 will spot and comment on the detailed look-fors related to rigor, differentiation, classroom environment, or academic discourse that are part of your preferred approach to evaluating instruction.

For example, if your framework emphasizes academic language development, you can add a criterion like “Use of Academic Vocabulary.” When a teacher starts an activity, M2 scores and provides feedback using that criterion, and even appropriately mirrors the language used in your rubric.

Teachers get more frequent, more targeted insights, while administrators gain more consistent data. This moves the evaluation from a one-off event to a year-long support plan. 

Support instructional coaching programs

With large teacher rosters and staffing constraints, coaches can only visit a fraction of their teachers each month. Coaches can extend their impact when teachers use M2 weekly or even daily.

By bringing coaching criteria into Rubric Builder, districts can:

• Reinforce the same language coaches use
  
• Give teachers immediate feedback tied to the strategies they’re working on
  
• Support new teachers or teachers in new roles with higher-frequency feedback

Imagine a team focusing on improving questioning techniques. A coach can add a criterion like “Use of Higher-Order Questions” to the organization’s rubric. Each time a teacher uses M2, they receive a score and written feedback tied to that goal without waiting for the next coaching visit. This helps coaching criteria show up consistently in practice, not just during scheduled observations.

It’s a simple way to extend a coach’s impact across classrooms.

Advance district initiatives with consistent feedback

M2 is now your partner in championing district initiatives, ensuring that momentum stays high by massively increasing feedback teachers see on practical implementation of your organizations’ areas of focus. 

Because M2 provides feedback in real time, teachers receive many more touch points to reinforce the initiative each day instead of just on PD days.

Imagine rolling out an initiative knowing that teachers have not only heard about your organization’s new priority from leadership but will get daily reminders, feedback, and coaching about what that priority looks like in practice with every lesson they teach. That vision is now a reality.

This is especially valuable for new teachers or those adapting to new district priorities. M2 helps them know exactly what to look for and how to improve.

A more aligned future for instructional feedback

When teachers receive feedback aligned to their team’s goals, growth accelerates. Coaching conversations become clearer and are grounded in shared context. Expectations stay consistent even when you don’t have the chance to meet. Important initiatives have a greater chance of taking root for the long term.

By embedding rubric criteria directly into live observation and post-class feedback, M2 helps existing frameworks influence daily teaching at a scale that was never possible until now.

Rubric Builder brings alignment between organizational priorities and the daily rhythm of teaching. It’s another step toward a future where every classroom gets the support it deserves, and every teacher has a clearer path forward.

The post Turning district priorities into consistent classroom feedback: M2’s Rubric Builder appeared first on Swivl.

What is MTSS?  Why do districts struggle with it?

Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) is designed to be elegant in theory: a three-tier pyramid where Tier 1 provides strong universal instruction for all students, Tier 2 offers targeted interventions for students who need extra support, and Tier 3 delivers intensive, specialized services for those with the greatest needs.

But elegant theory doesn’t always translate to classroom reality.

Districts across the country have invested in MTSS frameworks. They’ve trained their staff, bought intervention materials, and hired interventionists. Yet many report the same frustration: inconsistent implementation across schools, staff stretched too thin to provide quality support, and data scattered across multiple systems—making it hard to know if the system is actually working.

The problem isn’t the framework itself. The problem is the logistics of making it work at scale.

Now, with M2, that’s changing.

The three barriers to MTSS success and the M2 solution

Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) is designed to be elegant in theory: a three-tier pyramid where Tier 1 provides strong universal instruction for all students, Tier 2 offers targeted interventions for students who need extra support, and Tier 3 delivers intensive, specialized services for those with the greatest needs.

Barrier 1: Fidelity – The consistency challenge

You can’t improve what you can’t measure, and you can’t measure what isn’t consistent. A major implementation concern for many districts is the lack of uniformity in how MTSS is actually practiced.

What “Tier 1 instruction” looks like at Elementary School A might be completely different from Elementary School B. One teacher is checking for understanding every five minutes; another assumes all students are keeping up. One school has clear classroom routines; another is constantly managing behavior. This drift in practice means that students don’t experience consistent support—and your MTSS framework becomes more of an idea than a system.

How M2 solves it:

M2 standardizes the feedback loop by allowing you to upload your specific district frameworks—whether it’s Danielson, Marzano, or your own custom “Great Teaching” rubric—directly into the M2 Admin Dashboard. Now, every piece of feedback a teacher receives is aligned to your standards and your vision of excellent instruction.

When a teacher at School A and a teacher at School B both use M2, they’re not just getting generic coaching. They’re receiving feedback grounded in the same language, the same expectations, and the same district priorities. It’s not about robotically enforcing rules; it’s about creating a shared language of excellence. That consistency is the foundation of true MTSS fidelity.

Barrier 2: Capacity – The staffing and burnout crisis

Most districts have robust MTSS plans on paper. But executing them? That requires people—coaches, interventionists, specialists, and leaders who can observe, analyze, and support every teacher in the system.

In reality, instructional coaches are stretched impossibly thin. A coach might be responsible for 20, 30, or even 50 teachers. That means classroom observations happen once or twice a semester. Teachers get feedback weeks after a lesson. Critical gaps in professional development go unaddressed. And staff burnout skyrockets because educators feel unsupported and isolated.

This capacity crisis creates a vicious cycle: without consistent feedback, teachers don’t improve. Without teacher improvement, students don’t thrive. And Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventionists find themselves overwhelmed because Tier 1 instruction wasn’t strong enough in the first place.

How M2 solves it:

M2 acts as a force multiplier. By giving every teacher a private, AI-powered co-teacher that delivers immediate, non-evaluative feedback, you’re effectively extending your coaching team’s reach exponentially.

Consider what happened at Newnan High School in Georgia. Their instructional coaches found that M2 transformed their work. One coach said, “It’s almost like it clones me. I’m able to be in more places at once.” Instead of spending hours on observation logistics and writing notes, coaches could focus their expertise where it was most needed—on Tier 2 and Tier 3 support, knowing that Tier 1 instruction was being strengthened daily for every teacher.

Teachers also reported that M2 felt less threatening than a formal observation. It was private, focused on growth rather than evaluation, and available 24/7. This creates a culture of continuous improvement instead of occasional judgment—exactly what sustainable MTSS requires.

Barrier 3: Data – Moving from guesswork to action

MTSS is supposed to be data-driven. But for many districts, the data doesn’t actually drive anything.

Progress monitoring data is scattered across multiple platforms. Some metrics are subjective (notes from walkthroughs). Others arrive too late to matter (semester grades, end-of-year test scores). And collecting it all is incredibly labor-intensive, pulling teachers and coaches away from the work that actually moves the needle.

As a result, leaders make decisions based on incomplete information. They can’t pinpoint where professional development dollars should go. They miss the bright spots of excellence that should be celebrated and scaled. They can’t objectively measure whether their “checking for understanding” initiative is actually happening in classrooms—or if it’s slipping because teachers revert to old habits under stress.

How M2 solves it:

M2 provides objective, real-time data on what’s actually happening in classrooms. It captures engagement patterns, questioning depth, instructional pacing, and student talk time—without bias or subjectivity.

For district leaders, the dashboard offers a bird’s-eye view of these trends across all classrooms. You can see, objectively, whether the practices you’re prioritizing in professional development are taking root. You can track progress over time and identify which schools need more support. You can celebrate the teachers who are crushing it and learn from them.

This turns data monitoring from a compliance burden into a strategic asset. You know exactly where your resources should go. You have proof of what’s working. And you can adjust your MTSS approach in real time, not months later.

From framework to reality

Implementing MTSS with genuine fidelity is heavy lifting. It requires consistency, capacity, and clear data—three things that have historically been hard to achieve at scale.

But M2 changes what’s possible.

By ensuring every teacher receives feedback aligned to your district’s standards, by extending your coaching capacity without burning out your staff, and by providing objective data that informs every decision, M2 bridges the gap between the elegant MTSS framework on paper and the real, thriving support system that students and teachers actually experience.

That’s not just better MTSS. That’s MTSS that works.

The post The missing piece in your MTSS framework: How M2 closes the gap between theory and practice appeared first on Swivl.

It’s no longer me just observing, writing notes, having a meeting, and only then creating a solution. It’s me seeing the data and showing up to our first meeting with solutions.

Michelle Ashmore | Newnan High School, Coweta County School District

USE CASE

On-the-spot feedback for every teacher, regardless of experience level; massive improvement and scalability in coaching conversations

Michelle Ashmore and Allison Hurston

Instructional Coaches

School/District:

Newnan High School, Coweta County School District, GA

Grade Level

Adult/Professional Development

What fire will we extinguish today?

Michelle Ashmore and Allison Hurston, instructional coaches at Newnan High School in Georgia, struggled to keep up with the demands of supporting their diverse teaching staff. With limited time and resources, they found themselves constantly “putting out fires” rather than implementing strategic coaching plans.

“As instructional coaches, we get requests all the time,” Allison explains. “Sometimes teachers invite us into their classrooms; sometimes they don’t. And even when we observe, we’re only seeing a short snippet. There’s no way we can capture the essence of what a teacher is doing unless we were in there every day.”

This reactive approach meant they couldn’t connect meaningfully with every teacher, and the interactions they did have often felt rushed and surface-level. That changed when Newnan High introduced M2—the intelligent co-teacher that provides real-time instructional feedback and a space for active teacher reflection. 

M2’s eyes open our own

Within just days of implementing M2, Michelle and Allison noticed a fundamental shift in their coaching workflow. Instead of spending precious time identifying issues through limited observations, they could now focus on what they do best: delivering targeted solutions based on comprehensive data.

“It’s almost like a second pair of eyes for us,” Michelle says. “We’ll still go into classrooms, but M2 gives us a different lens to look through. It shortens the time between observation and action—I can go back in a day versus it being a week.”

The traditional five-step coaching cycle has been streamlined. “It’s no longer me just observing, writing notes, having a meeting and only then creating a solution, then having another meeting,” Michelle explains. “It’s me seeing the data and showing up to our first meeting with solutions.”

M2 gives us a different lens to look through. It shortens the time between observation and action—I can go back in a day versus it being a week.

Michelle Ashmore | Newnan High School, Coweta County School District

Showing veteran teachers new tricks

Perhaps most surprising has been the enthusiastic adoption by one of Newnan’s most accomplished veteran educators. Susan Turner, a Family and Consumer Sciences teacher with over 20 years of experience, has become one of M2’s biggest advocates.

“I can’t even describe how excited she was,” Allison said. “She was absolutely glowing. She talks a mile a minute—what she calls ‘Turner time’—and at one point, M2 suggested she slow down because her pace might be surpassing what kids could understand.”

Susan took this feedback and immediately adjusted her teaching in the moment. For her next class, she proactively addressed her pacing, which students immediately benefited from. 

I thought I knew all the tricks, but [M2] is helping me really pay attention to my kids in the moment.

Susan Turner | Newnan High School, Coweta County School District

What’s remarkable is that Susan had initially been skeptical of AI tools. Allison said, “She would leave conferences saying, ‘I’m too old for this. I’m not doing this AI stuff.’ “Now she’s spearheading other teachers in her department to use it.”

Susan herself admits the impact: “I thought I knew all the tricks, but [M2] is helping me really pay attention to my kids in the moment.”

Building teacher leaders from their newest crop

While veteran teachers are finding new insights, newer educators are using M2 to build confidence and resilience. James Drayer, a third-year Geometry teacher, has been dealt a challenging hand, but consistently strives to rise above. During his first year at Newnan—amid the aftermath of a tornado that forced classes into trailers with limited resources—James found himself trying to balance the school’s situation in addition to classroom management challenges that every first-year teacher faces.

One of the first to jump at trying M2, Allison said that James is “using M2 to get feedback on how his class flows, looking for choppy transitions or ways to explain concepts differently.”

James also uses M2’s recording feature which automatically tracks and zooms in on him as he teaches to understand his true presence in his classroom. This eye-opening reflection opportunity combined with the daily feedback M2 provides has accelerated his growth significantly.

James has made such progress in his various strategies and practices that he’s been chosen to present at Coweta County’s Innovation Summit this summer, demonstrating techniques he refined with M2’s assistance.

From fighting fires to strategic, supportive coaching

For Michelle and Allison, M2 has fundamentally changed how they approach their roles as instructional coaches.

It cuts out the guesswork of how to support every teacher and gives them back the time they need to actually implement strategies that help teachers overcome their challenges. “It makes us more effective. It makes the teacher more effective,” Michelle concludes. “And it addresses every teacher’s biggest challenge: time.”

M2 addresses every teacher and coach’s biggest challenge: time

Allison Hurston | Newnan High School, Coweta County School District

The non-evaluative nature of M2’s feedback has also created a safer space for growth. Michelle says. “With M2, our teachers know their feedback will not go toward their evaluation or be sent punitively to an administrator. They share their reflections with us, and I can immediately take a solution-oriented approach rather than one that involves a fire extinguisher.”

This changes the entire tone of coaching conversations and helps them in their mission to support every single teacher at Newnan: “We can immediately start with the positive: ‘I saw your reflection and what you said. I’m here to help you. Here are some strategies'” says Michelle. 

We can immediately start with the positive: ‘I saw your reflection and what you said. I’m here to help you. Here are some strategies.’

Michelle Ashmore | Newnan High School, Coweta County School District

With M2 as their trusted partner, Michelle and Allison don’t just solve problems—they empower teachers to join them in crafting solutions, creating a culture where both veterans and newcomers thrive.

The next frontier in coaching has arrived

Meet M2 – every teacher’s intelligent co-teacher and every coach’s new best friend. MirrorTalk powers it and helps you take your coaching to catastrophic heights. Learn more.

The post Balancing confidence: M2 uses AI to help coaches transform teaching at both ends of the scale appeared first on Swivl.

An experiment becomes an intentional practice

Meagan Macdonald is an instructional coach at Barrington School District 220’s middle school. With a staff of 90 teachers, managing effective coaching cycles while offering meaningful reflection time seemed impossible to balance.

For Meagan, their reflection goals were centered around student outcomes. She experimented with the tool after the school’s initial success using MirrorTalk’s voice-guided reflections for students. After completing several “test” reflections, she immediately realized that MirrorTalk could bolster adult learning outcomes as it had done for students.

This breakthrough came when she reflected on a challenging coaching cycle she experienced earlier in the week. “The feedback MirrorTalk gave me was awesome! It was so intuitive and uncovered a lot of assumptions I was making about the situation,” she recalls. “The advice it gave me targeted a specific strategy I could try, helping me quickly turn things around with this teacher.”

Realizing the immense impact it could have on her teachers’ reflective practice, she invited all the teachers she works with to use MirrorTalk. Soon, coaches all over Barrington adopted it for their coaching cycles, too.

MirrorTalk made the impossible, possible

The transition from student tool to coaching asset was natural. One of the biggest challenges in Meagan’s role before had been scheduling meaningful reflection time for teachers within the constraints of everyone’s busy school day. Effective coaching cycles require precise timing for post-observation feedback, which often proved impossible to coordinate.

MirrorTalk helped Meagan and other coaches in her district navigate these complexities by enabling teachers to capture their thoughts immediately after classes when coaches can’t typically be present. Teachers reflect while teaching is fresh and they’re still in their element and MirrorTalk gives them practical advice they can apply in their lessons immediately. 

For Meagan, this was a huge turning point: “Every time a teacher gets MirrorTalk feedback with different strategies, instantly they say to themselves ‘hmm, I could try that.

It’s made them so much more receptive to new ideas and strategies when we meet for 1:1 conversations.

Meagan MacDonald | Barrington Middle School, Barrington School District 220

MirrorTalk drastically improved coaching conversations

As Meagan observed, teachers had already started gathering data for themselves with MirrorTalk, which formed the foundation for deeper, more focused coaching conversations when they met with their coaches. Instead of starting from scratch during each meeting, coaches and teachers build on captured data from reflections, leading to more strategic and focused improvement plans.

As Meagan explains, “MirrorTalk instructs teachers to build reflective habits and learn from their own experiences.  It helps us move everyone along in the right direction, and make better decisions, faster. When you only have 44 minutes with each teacher, MirrorTalk helps us immediately dive into executing a strategy, rather than ruminating on it.”

MirrorTalk elevated teacher collaboration

As capacity improved, Meagan and her coaches expanded MirrorTalk usage to their PLCs. As each group of teachers completes reflections with MirrorTalk, MirrorTalk automatically generates Group Lessons which provide the coaches general insights on how the group perceives the sessions and considerations for coaches when planning next steps.

These Group Lessons not only impacted 1:1 time with teachers but increased buy-in for their coaching program throughout the district.

Now every time we meet for PLCs, teachers are genuinely excited about the improvements they’re making and come to the table with curiosity about what others are trying. The feedback we get when teachers reflect on their PLCs helps us make this time together more engaging and useful for everyone. It’s a huge win for everyone!

Meagan MacDonald | Barrington Middle School, Barrington School District 220

The changes don’t stop here

By making reflection more accessible and insights more rapid and actionable, MirrorTalk has helped create a healthier professional environment throughout Barrington that bridges crucial gaps in teacher development and coaching capacity. 

Best of all, their investment in a student support tool has paid off in unexpected ways: it created a culture where teachers constantly improve, which ultimately benefits the same students who inspired them to adopt the tool in the first place.

The next frontier in coaching has arrived

Meet M2 – every teachers’ intelligent co-teacher and every coach’s new best friend. MirrorTalk powers it and it helps you take your coaching to catastrophic heights. Learn more.

The post Changing the coaching game, one reflection at a time appeared first on Swivl.