The only "rule" for
using the Record is that teachers must focus their observations and interpretations
on what students demonstrate they know and can do, rather than reporting
their assumptions about the students' deficits. The rule comes from an
obvious fact of observation: we cannot observe what isn't there, only
what is there. When we talk about what students don't know or
can't do, we are speculating, not observing. The Learning Record model
is based on students' development, not their presumed deficits. This
simple rule has had the effect of qualitatively and globally changing
the ecology of instruction and evaluation in ways that support student
learning.