Evaluation Guide
Everything about how Keerah evaluates your sessions, what excellence looks like, and how scores translate into bands and bonuses.
STEF is SparkXplorer's single standard for tutor quality — and it runs itself. Keerah AI appraises every session in real time against a fixed 100-point policy, using the records the platform already holds: the session transcript, attendance and duration, the tutor's assignment publication and marking, scholar task-assignment completion, session reports and technical events. Each session is scored on completion and rolls up into a weekly score, leaderboard rank and bonus — automatically. Because scoring is rule-based and system-generated, it is consistent, auditable and free of manager bias, so no human adjudication or recusal is required. STEF exists to reward great teaching and reliable delivery, catch coaching needs early, and keep quality visible as SparkXplorer scales.
Quality is teaching plus reliable delivery.
Tutor quality is measured by both instructional effectiveness and reliable service delivery. Strong rapport cannot compensate for an incomplete session, and technical compliance alone cannot compensate for weak teaching.
The framework itself — who it applies to and how it runs.
- 1Applies to all tutors, lead tutors, substitute tutors and tutor supervisors, across live classes, makeup sessions, assignments, reports and platform conduct.
- 2Keerah AI appraises every session automatically against the fixed STEF policy — there is no manual scoring.
- 3Appraisal is real-time: each session is scored on completion (daily) and rolls up into a weekly STPAS score, leaderboard and bonus.
- 4Keerah reads records already in the platform — transcript, attendance & duration, assignment publication & marking, scholar task completion, session reports and technical-event logs — so no data has to be gathered or checked by hand.
- 5Because scoring is system-generated and rule-based, it is consistent and auditable; no manager validation gate or recusal is required. A tutor who also administers the team cannot influence their own score.
- 6Humans intervene only to set the policy and to resolve appeals and documented exceptions.
Non-negotiables — the behaviours expected of every tutor, every session.
Scholar-centered instruction
- State a clear learning objective at the start.
- Use age-appropriate explanations, examples, visuals and guided practice.
- Ask diagnostic, recall, application and explanation questions.
- Require the scholar to demonstrate understanding, not merely listen.
- Correct misconceptions accurately and respectfully.
- End with a brief recap and a defined next task.
Safeguarding and conduct
- Maintain professional language, boundaries and appearance.
- Do not request or share unnecessary personal information.
- Use approved SparkXplorer channels only.
- Report safeguarding concerns immediately through the designated route.
- Never record, distribute or reuse scholar content outside approved systems.
Camera and environment
- Tutor camera on for the full session unless an approved technical or safeguarding exception applies.
- Request scholar camera participation per program policy and age-appropriate consent.
- Background, lighting, audio and attire support a premium learning environment.
- Camera shutdowns are logged automatically with reason, duration and recovery.
What to do — and what Keerah logs — when a session hits technical trouble.
- 1Attempt recovery immediately and notify the scholar / parent through the approved channel.
- 2If disruption exceeds five minutes, it is logged and management is notified.
- 3If instruction cannot resume, end professionally and arrange a logged makeup.
- 4Avoidable causes (uncharged device, missing materials, preventable login failures) attract deductions.
- 5External causes such as a documented area outage may be logged as an exception, but lost learning time must still be recovered.
100 points total · session score = sum of all seven.
Teaching Quality & Pedagogy
Accuracy · explanation · sequencing · differentiation · formative assessment
- You catch and correct a scholar's misconception within moments — not at the end of the session.
- New concepts are scaffolded to something the scholar already knows.
- You check understanding through questions, not just by explaining more.
Scholar Engagement & Participation
Participation · questioning · rapport · motivation · active learning
- Scholar initiates questions and offers ideas without being prompted.
- Praise is specific ("You noticed the pattern") not generic ("Good job").
- The scholar's interests are used as hooks into the content.
Classroom Management
Focus · redirection · transitions · boundaries · environment
- Off-task moments are redirected within about 30 seconds.
- Transitions between activities feel natural, not disruptive.
- The scholar knows what's expected without repeated reminders.
Lesson Structure & Time Use
Objective · review · guided practice · application · recap · pacing
- Objective is stated within the first few minutes.
- Session flows cleanly: review → new content → guided practice → independent → recap.
- Recap covers what was learned and what's coming next.
Technical Readiness & Camera Compliance
Early readiness · session duration (60 mins) · device · internet · audio · camera · recovery
- You join a few minutes early; screen-share is ready before the scholar arrives.
- Session lasts the full 60 minutes.
- Camera stays on for the full session.
- If something drops, you're back in under a minute.
Assignment & Report Compliance
Exam prep publication (60+ questions) · feedback quality · report submitted
- Publish an exam-prep set of at least 60 questions within 24 hours of each session.
- Feedback names what worked and what to try next — not just a grade.
- Session report submitted the same day, not held to end of week.
Scholar Task Completion & Progress
Task completion · mastery evidence · improvement week over week
- Scholar completes tasks during the session, not just after.
- When they fail, they retry with your support.
- Growth is visible from one week to the next.
How your weekly score is calculated
Your weekly STPAS is the session-weighted average of every completed session you delivered that week:
Your weekly score places you in one of six bands. Bonuses are set purely by score range — never by rank or peer performance.
All checked automatically by the system before your bonus is applied.
- Final weekly STPAS score is at least 85.
- No unapproved missed session or unresolved makeup obligation.
- Tutor assignments and session reports complete and on time.
- No disqualifying punctuality, camera, safeguarding or conduct violation.
Bonus formula
Once eligibility conditions are met, the bonus is applied automatically at week close.
The bonus rate is set entirely by your weekly STPAS score band — 95–100 pays 10%, 90–94 pays 8%, 85–89 pays 5%, below 85 pays nothing. Peer performance never changes your rate.
Keerah reads only platform records — no manager subjectivity ever enters your score.
Session transcript
Every word spoken, with timestamps.
Attendance & duration
When you and the scholar joined; how long the session ran.
Tech event logs
Connectivity events, camera state, join session on time.
Assignment records
When assignments were published, answered and completed by scholar.
Session reports
Your written report after each session, including quality of feedback and report context.
Scholar task completion
What tasks the scholar completed, when, and any retries.
Every score is traceable.
Each category score links to the exact record it came from — a transcript span, an attendance log, an assignment or task-completion entry, a report timestamp. That makes every score traceable and appealable, and keeps the automated system accountable.
If something looks wrong, you can appeal.
Every tutor has 2 business days after week close to dispute a factual record — an incorrectly marked attendance, a mis-classified outage, or a session-completion status you disagree with.
Appeals are for facts, not interpretations. You can dispute whether the transcript exists, when it started, or whether an outage was outside your control. You cannot appeal Keerah's scoring judgment. Management reviews appeals within 5 business days.
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