For Counselors: Teacher Recommendation Updates

We're excited to share a new experience in Scoir for Teacher Recommendations! . 🚀

Now, teachers can provide additional context and information about applicants that colleges find valuable. Plus, the updates support Common App requirements for schools integrating in the 2025-26 application year. 🎉

Let's dive in. 

• Getting Started with Teacher Recommendations
• Updated Teacher Profile Requirements
• Required Teacher Evaluation Form 
• Optional Student Ratings Submission
• Next Steps

Getting Started with Teacher Recommendations

Teachers now have the opportunity to complete a more robust evaluation of students, including:

• A more detailed teacher profile
• Additional evaluation form fields
• Optional student ratings

The recommendation experience allows teachers to go beyond the basics and share additional information about a student’s academic journey, classroom character, and potential, all in one place. Watch a product walkthrough to see what’s changed.

Updated Teacher Profile Requirements

Moving forward, teachers will need to complete a few new fields in their Scoir profile to submit recommendations. These updates ensure that colleges have important context about the recommender. Here’s what’s changed:

• Instructor Type – now required
• Prefix – new and optional
• Fax Number – new and optional

🔔 If a teacher is missing required information, they’ll see a banner in Scoir prompting them to update those fields in order to complete their recommendation.

Required Teacher Evaluation Form

Now, teachers will see new required fields on a Student Evaluation form when writing letters, helping build more robust and powerful recommendations for students. 

These new fields include:

1. Subject Area
2. How long have you known this student, and in what context?
3. List the courses in which you have taught this student, including the level of course difficulty (AP, IB, accelerated, Cambridge, honors, elective; 100-level, 200-level; etc.)
4. What are the first words that come to mind to describe this student?
5. In which grade level(s) was the student enrolled when you taught them?
   
   

Teachers will still submit the letter as usual, either uploading a PDF or writing directly in Scoir, with more required context.

🔔 If a teacher has already submitted a recommendation for the Class of 2026, it’s been reopened and will reappear in their “Outstanding Requests” list so they can complete the new fields.

Optional Student Ratings Submissions

Teachers now have the option to provide a brief student rating. While optional, we highly recommend encouraging teachers to complete this step because it adds meaningful depth to a student’s application.

Benefits for your students:

• Well-rounded application: Showcases academic strengths and character
• Unique perspective: Provides insights into work ethic and classroom presence
  Highlighting potential: Demonstrates intellectual curiosity and growth

Benefits for colleges:

• Informed decisions: Better understanding of academic fit
• Predictive power: Insight into future performance
• Holistic view: Complements transcripts, essays, and other materials

By sharing more about the student, teachers help colleges make better decisions—and help students put their best foot forward.

Next Steps

✅ We encourage you to share these changes with teachers! You can use our Letters of Recommendation Checklist to help guide teachers through the new process.

✅ If you asked teachers to hold off on completing their LORs while we updated the experience in Scoir, please let them know they can now be completed. Any recommendations already submitted for the Class of 2026 have been reopened and will reappear in the teacher’s “Outstanding Requests” list so they can complete the new fields and access the optional student ratings.

✅ For more details on teacher recommendations when integrated with Common App, check out the FAQ, where we answer questions like what changes when uploading letters on behalf of teachers, if students can choose which letter goes to which college, and more.  

Thanks for all you do to support students and teachers. We hope these enhancements make Letters of Recommendation & Evaluations more meaningful and useful for everyone involved. 

📣 The window to opt into Common App integration for the 2025–26 application year is now closed. We'll reach out in the spring so your school can opt in next year if you choose!

As always, we'd love to hear your thoughts! We're all ears.👂