OTES Pro - AI-Powered Teacher Evaluation System

Transform 4-hour observation cycles into 2 hours while improving feedback quality.

OTES Pro is a B2B SaaS platform that uses AI to help Ohio evaluators analyze classroom observations, generate OTES 2.0 compliant ratings, and create growth-oriented feedback for teachers.

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🚀 Project Status

Phase: Pre-Development Target MVP: 4 weeks Market: 607 Ohio school districts

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📁 Project Structure

otes-teachers/
├── README.md                  ← You are here
├── MVP-PLAN.md                ← Complete architectural plan
├── PRE-DEV-CHECKLIST.md       ← Must complete before coding
│
├── docs/                      ← All documentation
│   ├── research/              ← OTES research & requirements
│   ├── product/               ← Product specs & mockups
│   └── architecture/          ← Technical architecture docs
│
├── backend/                   ← FastAPI backend (to be created)
│   ├── app/
│   ├── skills/
│   │   └── otes-evaluator/    ← Claude Skill
│   └── requirements.txt
│
├── frontend/                  ← Next.js frontend (to be created)
│   ├── src/
│   └── package.json
│
└── scripts/                   ← Setup & utility scripts

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💡 Core Value Proposition

Problem

Evaluators spend 4+ hours per observation cycle:

• 45 min: Manual scripting during observation
• 2 hours: Writing feedback and ratings
• 30 min: Pre/post conferences
• 1 hour: Research on improvement strategies

Solution

OTES Pro automates the heavy lifting:

1. Transcribe observation audio automatically (Whisper API)
2. Tag evidence to OTES 2.0 rubric indicators (Claude + custom skill)
3. Suggest ratings using holistic rubric analysis
4. Generate feedback with research-based growth strategies

Result

• 50% time savings: 4 hours → 2 hours
• Better feedback quality: Research-backed strategies, specific evidence
• Consistency: Every evaluation uses same rubric interpretation

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📊 Business Model

Pricing Tiers

Tier	Monthly Price	Evaluators	Annual Revenue
Small	$499	3-5	$5,988
Medium	$999	6-15	$11,988
Large	$2,999	16+	$35,988

Economics

• Cost per evaluation: ~$1.50 (AI APIs + hosting)
• Margin: 92-95%
• Year 1 target: $100k revenue
• Year 2 target: $500k revenue
• Year 3+ target: $1.3M+ revenue

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🏗️ Technology Stack

Frontend

• Next.js 14 (React framework)
• TypeScript (type safety)
• Tailwind CSS (styling)
• Clerk (authentication)
• Vercel (hosting)

Backend

• FastAPI (Python web framework)
• PostgreSQL (database)
• S3 (audio file storage)
• Railway (hosting)

AI Services

• Claude Sonnet 4 (evidence analysis, ratings, feedback)
• Claude Skills (custom OTES evaluator skill)
• Whisper API (audio transcription)

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📖 Key Documents

Start Here

1. MVP-PLAN.md - Complete product & technical specification
2. PRE-DEV-CHECKLIST.md - Must complete before development

Research & Requirements

• docs/research/evaluation-process.md - OTES evaluation workflow
• docs/research/instructional-planning.md - OTES rubric domain 1
• docs/research/instruction-assessment.md - OTES rubric domain 2
• docs/research/professionalism.md - OTES rubric domain 3

Product Specs

• docs/product/focused-otes-tool.md - Original focused product spec
• docs/product/otes-pro-mockups.md - UI mockups
• docs/product/otes-pro-pitch.md - Sales one-pager
• docs/product/otes-pro-faq.md - Common questions & objections

Architecture

• docs/architecture/otes-skills-architecture.md - Claude Skills integration
• docs/architecture/skill-creator-review.md - How to build skills
• docs/architecture/tech-stack-recommendations.md - Tech choices

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🎯 Quick Start (Once Development Begins)

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• Python 3.11+
• PostgreSQL
• Git

Setup Backend

cd backend
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
cp .env.example .env       # Then fill in API keys
uvicorn app.main:app --reload

Setup Frontend

cd frontend
npm install
cp .env.local.example .env.local  # Then fill in API keys
npm run dev

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🧪 Development Roadmap

Week 1: Foundation & Skill Creation

• Project setup (backend, frontend, database)
• Create OTES evaluator skill
• Authentication (Clerk integration)

Week 2: Core Observation Flow

• Observation CRUD
• Audio upload & processing
• Claude API integration

Week 3: Review Interface & Editing

• Review UI (transcript, evidence, ratings)
• Edit & approval workflow
• Teacher management

Week 4: Export, Polish & Testing

• PDF export
• District admin portal
• Testing & deployment

See MVP-PLAN.md for detailed week-by-week breakdown.

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🔐 Security & Compliance

FERPA Compliance

• Data encryption: At rest and in transit
• Access controls: Role-based (admin vs. evaluator)
• Audit logging: All evaluation access logged
• Data retention: Configurable per district

Best Practices

• Environment variables never committed
• API keys rotated regularly
• Rate limiting to prevent abuse
• Input validation & sanitization

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📞 Support & Contact

Project Lead: [Your Name] Email: [Your Email] Status Updates: [Link to project management tool]

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📜 License

Proprietary - All Rights Reserved

Copyright © 2025 OTES Pro. Unauthorized copying, distribution, or use of this software is strictly prohibited.

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🙏 Acknowledgments

• Ohio Department of Education (OTES 2.0 rubric)
• Pilot district partners (to be named)
• Anthropic (Claude AI)
• OpenAI (Whisper API)

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Last Updated: October 22, 2025