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AI Is Only as Good as What’s Behind It: �Ǹ�� Resources Available as a Google Classroom Add-On��

Travis Barrs — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 12:51:54 +0000

It can seem counterintuitive that educators are cautious about AI workflows. With the average teacher clocking about , the promise of saving time would seem compelling. Yet according to the Consortium for School Networking, 72% of districts already deploying AI report using it 10% of the time or less. I think I know why.��

It’s the invisible work of teaching that often goes overlooked: finding trusted resources, making sure content aligns to critical standards, and choosing rigorous materials that support each learner’s growth while keeping a classroom full of kids engaged.��

If educators wanted to cut corners on instructional integrity and standards alignment, they wouldn’t be working those long hours in the first place. But that piece has been missing from the AI in education conversation. We’re working to change that.��

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The Invisible Work of Teaching and Learning��

When a teacher opens a generative AI tool and asks for a lesson on a particular topic, they get a quick result. And so begins a second round of work to validate the invisible parts of instruction: does this content meet standards? Is it pedagogically sound? Age-appropriate? Does it include wraparound supports, like an instructional guide and a check for understanding? With AI-first tools, the honest answer is: nobody knows. Any hope of time savings evaporates as teachers search for answers to calm their concerns or scrap the AI tool and go back to their tried-and-true resources.��

That uncertainty, paired with a commitment to great teaching and learning, is why experienced educators stay cautious. It’s why districts are slow to roll out AI to all teachers even after they’ve invested in the tools. The conversation has focused almost entirely on access. But access alone isn’t enough. What educators really need is support they can trust to help them connect with students and accelerate learning across every classroom.��

Closing the Trust Gap��

Today, �Ǹ�� is announcing a new chat interface using Gemini models within the �Ǹ�� Google Classroom add-on that makes it even easier for teachers to discover vetted, standards-aligned �Ǹ�� resources right in Google Classroom. A teacher can describe what they need, like grade level, topic, and an instructional goal, and get curated �Ǹ�� resources from their district’s license, without opening another tab. That changes the time and trust calculus entirely.��

When you layer AI on top of trustworthy content, teaching is the point, not technology. With a quick, conversational chat in the �Ǹ�� Google Classroom add-on, a teacher can refine their prompt to adjust for reading level, filter by standard, or request differentiated materials for student cohorts, all within a system where the source material has already been held to a high bar.��

With the �Ǹ�� add-on, we’re closing the gap between what AI promises and what teachers actually need. AI outputs are only as good as the inputs, and ours start with 20-plus years of curriculum expertise. All �Ǹ�� resources are designed by curriculum experts and reviewed by educators, based on learning science and research. Teachers deserve to feel confident that their lessons will work.��

Building with Educators and Intention��

One of the principles embedded in the �Ǹ�� Connected Ecosystem is that capabilities designed for classrooms should be built with input from the educators who work in them. That’s why we’re introducing this new AI functionality through an Early Feedback Program with select participating districts this fall. We want teachers to use it in classrooms with real students and real planning pressures before we launch it broadly. Their feedback will shape how it works and what it returns.��

Building something alongside educators takes longer. It’s also the only way to build something worth using!��

Our engineering philosophy also embraces the importance of trust and value for educators. Content governance settings that districts have already established are honored. �Ǹ�� is SOC 2 and ISO 27001 certified and adheres to COPPA, FERPA, and applicable state-level privacy laws.��

Let’s Shape What’s Next Together��

Teachers need support and time back, but not at the expense of learning. They should not have to choose between the speed and scale AI offers and the high-quality instruction their students deserve. That’s what we set out to solve.��

We’re grateful to the educators who are participating in the Early Feedback Program to help us test and learn. Their feedback will directly shape how AI functionality evolves before broader availability.��

I can’t wait to see how this work develops alongside our K-12 partners as we prepare to bring this experience to more classrooms!��

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What Is Formative Assessment? A Complete Guide for K-12 Educators

Dr. Becky Cahill — Fri, 28 Aug 2026 12:50:33 +0000

Key takeaways

With formative assessment, a teacher can gather evidence to guide their decision-making, rather than waiting until teaching is complete to know whether a student understands the content.
Formative assessment methods are powerful because they are quick and easy for teachers to use. This is not a tedious or labor-intensive process that will overwhelm educators or students.
Using formative assessment is more than gathering student responses. A teacher will need to incorporate specific feedback into their practice to ensure that changes in student understanding can occur quickly.

Assessment of student understanding is a cornerstone of the educational system. Educators can teach content and skills, but if the students do not actually learn, then nothing is gained. In the history of American public education, assessments were completed at the culmination of a unit, semester, or school year. At the point the tests were completed, the learning either happened or it did not.

The push for formative assessment is an attempt to gather information about student learning and understanding during instruction. With this approach, teachers can make adjustments to ensure that students move successfully toward mastery.

What Is Formative Assessment?

Formative assessment is a different way of thinking about testing. The emphasis is not on a numerical grade but on a low-stakes approach during the teaching cycle, in which teachers gather data to support their instructional planning and strategies.

The timing of formative assessment is ongoing and happens frequently; this provides teachers and students with opportunities to analyze their thinking before a final grade. Formative assessment methods can be qualitative or quantitative, but they should be quick to create, implement, and analyze.

It can be tempting to treat formative assessment practices as the same as checks for understanding. When a teacher plans a check for understanding in their lesson, they hope to discover what students know. Although checks for understanding can be a part of a formative assessment plan, the goal is to gain insight into student cognition.

Formative assessment is more than ensuring students know the answer; it is about creating opportunities for teachers to see patterns and trends among their students. The data collected should yield valuable insights into how students think, not just whether they have memorized an answer.

Formative Assessment vs. Summative Assessment

A formative assessment plan includes multiple opportunities to gauge student understanding throughout the learning process. With each formative assessment, a teacher can correct misunderstandings and provide immediate feedback to individual students, ensuring they provide personalized guidance when needed.

A summative assessment is a one-time test or project that is used to measure a student’s final understanding of a concept or topic. Often, this type of assessment results in a numerical or letter grade that reflects a student’s mastery. Summative assessments have an important place in education because they provide a way to measure a student’s overall grasp or performance.

Key Differences and When to Use Each

Formative assessment should be used throughout the teaching and learning process to support growth. A teacher will want to have a multitude of small formative assessments planned out daily or at least weekly. These should take a short period and be limited in their scope to allow an educator to make immediate adjustments.

Summative assessment should be used to evaluate a demonstration of understanding at the culmination of a learning unit or other complete cycle. A teacher will typically have one or two summative assessments based on the skill required. These are often measures of overall achievement or performance evaluations.

Why Is Formative Assessment Important?

The use of formative assessment is important because it allows teachers to discover what students do not know, rather than only what they do. Often, educators can learn more from incorrect or partially correct answers because they can identify where students are confused and make decisions moving forward. The use of formative assessment provides a students’ thought processes, which is vital for teachers to intervene appropriately.

Benefits of Formative Assessment for Teachers and Students

There are numerous benefits to using formative assessment in the classroom.

For teachers, gathering and analyzing the data from an individual formative assessment provides an in-the-moment view of student understanding. This is important so that teachers can adjust their instruction before moving forward, preventing student misunderstandings from becoming permanent. Teachers can immediately address misconceptions through feedback or can offer interventions to support student learning.

When a teacher provides feedback from formative assessment, a student can understand where they are in their learning before a culminating project or summative assessment. In this period before the end of a unit of study, students are provided with information, time, and space to update their understanding. Along with learning content, they are practicing important executive functioning skills.

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Types of Formative Assessment

When considering the use of formative assessment, a teacher should view their full unit to create an assessment plan. They can decide when, where, and how they will build individual formative assessments into their instruction. Even with a plan in place, teachers should demonstrate instructional agility to make quick decisions based on their observations during each class period.

Pre-Assessment, Self-Assessment, Peer Feedback, and Feedback Breaks

Although most formative assessment use will relate to academic growth, it can be used effectively to support student behavior, social-emotional learning, and overall well-being.

Pre-assessment is a traditional measurement technique in which teachers assess students’ understanding prior to the start of a unit. Data gathered will inform the teacher about prior knowledge and the areas where students will need the most support.

Self-assessment is a valuable tool for teachers to collect data about a student’s thought process and their perceptions of their own learning. It is also great practice for students as they develop skills that will support them throughout life.

Peer feedback can be helpful for all students involved. However, there should be prior learning and procedures in place to ensure that students understand how to provide and receive feedback. They will need clear guidelines and time to practice.

Feedback breaks should be built into teacher planning and instruction. These are the moments when a teacher plans ahead to provide feedback to individual students or a class as a whole. There will be times when an educator decides to implement an unplanned formative assessment based on their observations, but most should be strategically planned.

Formative Assessment Strategies and Examples

A teacher can conduct a quick internet search and discover hundreds of pre-existing formative assessments. However, over time they will begin to develop their own based on their classroom practices and unique students.

Exit Tickets, Think-Pair-Share, and Other Classroom Checks

When selecting a formative assessment option, a teacher should consider the method for collection and the specific data they hope to obtain.

Methods for formative assessment should be quick and usable at any point in the lesson. One example that works in any setting is a parking lot. A teacher creates a designated area in the classroom for students to place their responses; typically, students use a sticky note. Another method is think-pair-share, wherein students work individually, with a partner, and then with a larger group. At the end of a lesson, many teachers use exit tickets. These are collected as students leave the classroom.

With each of the methods mentioned above, a teacher has myriad options for addressing the content itself. One might consider asking students to craft a one-sentence summary for a read-aloud chapter. Students could be challenged to provide examples and non-examples for that day’s learning. Another effective strategy is to use inverted questioning. With this approach, a teacher makes a statement and then asks a student to explain their thinking. For example, rather than asking whether basalt is an igneous rock, a teacher could state that basalt is igneous and ask students how they could prove it.

How to Implement Formative Assessment in Your Classroom

The most effective way to implement formative assessment in a classroom is to plan ahead. A teacher will need to identify where in their instruction they will gather data, how they will collect it, and their process for analyzing the data. When first starting, a teacher can consider areas for pre-corrections based on when students typically struggle or demonstrate common misconceptions.

Aligning Assessments with Learning Objectives and Providing Feedback

It can be easy to utilize formative assessment daily; however, this should become a practice once a teacher has a clear plan. Including formative assessments but not using the data is not a productive use of teacher time. It is best to start with a few points throughout the week to gather student responses related to specific learning objectives. The process should be a quick cycle that includes student answers, teacher analysis, teacher feedback, and adjustments to instruction the next day. As confidence grows, educators will be able to organically add formative assessment throughout their instruction.

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What Is Instructional Design? A Complete Guide for K–12 Educators

Michael Healey — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 12:38:36 +0000

Key takeaways

Instructional design starts with what students need to learn and how they will show what they know.
Models such as ADDIE, Bloom’s Taxonomy, Universal Design for Learning, and Gagné’s Nine Events can help educators plan and make instructional decisions.
An effective design provides direction while giving teachers the flexibility to respond when students need additional time, support, or challenge.

There are lessons that look great on paper but still don’t connect with the students sitting in front of you. It is aligned to a standard, the materials are engaging, and every minute is accounted for, yet students might still leave without being able to apply what they just learned.

The problem may not be the activity itself. Instead, the different parts of the lesson may not work together in ways that help students build and apply their understanding.

This is where instructional design matters. It asks educators to think deliberately about the students, the learning goal, the evidence that will demonstrate success, and the experiences that will help students reach that goal.

Teachers have always done this work, even if they have not called it instructional design. However, today’s classrooms include a wider range of student needs, instructional resources, technologies, and expectations. Having a thoughtful process for connecting those pieces has become increasingly important.

What Is Instructional Design?

For educators asking what instructional design is, the clearest answer is that it is the process of creating a connected and effective learning experience. It begins by identifying what students need to learn and ends by examining whether they actually learned it.

In a school setting, instructional design may be used to develop a lesson, unit, intervention, or even professional development for staff. It includes decisions about goals, assessments, content, sequence, instructional strategies, accessibility, resources, and feedback.

Instructional design overlaps with lesson planning and curriculum development, but the terms are not interchangeable. Curriculum establishes the broader content and learning expectations across a grade, course, or subject. A lesson plan generally outlines what a teacher and students will do during a particular class. Instructional design examines how each part of the learning experience works together for a particular group of students.

For example, consider a middle school science lesson on erosion. A video and stream-table investigation can both be useful, but effective lesson design is about more than choosing engaging activities. Teachers also need to think about what students should learn, how they will demonstrate their understanding, what they need to know before the lesson begins, and what support will help them succeed without making the work less challenging.

Once those questions are answered, the video, investigation, discussion, and assessment are no longer separate activities. Each serves a clear purpose within the larger learning experience.

Why Is Instructional Design Important?

Teachers make hundreds of decisions during a school day. Effective instructional design does not remove that complexity or try to predict everything that will happen in the classroom. It provides a dependable structure that helps teachers make those decisions with a clear purpose.

When the learning goal, instructional approach, and assessment are aligned, teachers can focus more closely on what students are showing them. They can determine whether students are ready to move forward, need another example, require additional practice, or would benefit from a different approach.

Instructional design also helps teachers make better use of learning time. Students can be engaged in an activity without necessarily doing the required thinking. Starting with the learning goal helps ensure that each part of the lesson moves students toward that goal.

Instructional design also helps schools make better use of resources. A textbook, primary source, lab, simulation, video, or digitaleducational resource only adds value when it is selected for a clear reason, and students know what to do with it. The same is true of high-quality instructional materials. Strong materials matter, but implementation still requires planning, professional development, time, and teacher expertise.

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Instructional Design Models: The Most Common Frameworks

Teachers do not need to use one model for every lesson. Different instructional design models help answer different planning questions. One may guide the development of a unit, while another helps teachers examine rigor or lesson sequence.

The model should serve the work. If completing the framework becomes more important than improving learning, it has become another compliance exercise.

The ADDIE Model Explained

ADDIE is one of the most widely recognized instructional design frameworks. Its name represents five phases: analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation.

Analysis focuses on the students, their needs, and the context. Teachers may review prerequisite skills, student work, assessment results, misconceptions, resources, and instructional time.

Design establishes the learning objectives, evidence of success, sequence, and instructional approach.

Development turns those previous decisions into materials teachers can use, including texts, tasks, examples, questions, supports, and assessments.

Implementation is putting the plan into action by teaching the lesson, observing students, providing feedback, and adjusting instruction as needed.

Evaluation examines whether the design produced the intended result and what should change.

ADDIE is often presented as a sequence, but it should not be treated as a one-way process. Information gathered during teaching may require a return to an earlier step. If students lack a prerequisite skill, for example, the teacher may need to adjust the sequence or provide additional instruction.

Other Key Instructional Design Frameworks

Bloom’s Taxonomy, Universal Design for Learning, and Gagné’s Nine Events of Instruction offer different ways to examine a learning experience.

Bloom’s Taxonomy helps educators consider the level of thinking required by an objective. Its revised levels, remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create, can reveal a mismatch between the standard and the student task. If students are expected to evaluate competing claims, an activity limited to recalling definitions will not be enough.

Universal Design for Learning, or UDL, recognizes that students learn in different ways. UDL encourages teachers to provide multiple ways for students to engage with content, understand information, and demonstrate what they know; these might include text, visuals, or hands-on activities. The goal is to remove unnecessary barriers while still keeping expectations high.

Gagné’s Nine Events of Instruction offers a general sequence for planning a lesson, from gaining students’ attention and connecting to prior learning to practice, feedback, assessment, and application. The framework reinforces the need for our students to connect, practice, receive feedback, and apply what they learn.

Teachers do not have to choose one framework and stick with it. They might use ADDIE to shape a unit, then Bloom’s, UDL, or Gagné’s when thinking about rigor, access, or how a lesson should unfold.

The Instructional Design Process: Step by Step

These models can be translated into a practical planning process.

1. Define the Learning Need

Begin with the students, not the resource or activity. What do students already know? Where are they struggling? What background knowledge, vocabulary, language, or skills will they need? Base those answers on student work, observation, assessment results, and teacher experience rather than assumptions.

2. Set the Learning Goal

Be clear about what students should know or be able to do by the end of the lesson. The goal should guide the lesson, provide students with a way to show what they learned, and align with what the standard asks them to do.

3. Decide How Students Will Show What They Learned

Before choosing activities, consider how students will demonstrate they have met the learning goal. This might be through an explanation, a discussion, an investigation, a project, a performance, or an assessment.

This is part of effective curriculum planning. Start with what students need to learn and how they will show it, then plan the instruction and activities that will help them get there.

4. Build a Logical Learning Sequence

Organize the experience so students can move from what they know toward what they need to learn. Depending on the content, this may involve modeling, guided practice, discussion, feedback, and independent application. Over time, more of the thinking and responsibility should shift from teacher to student.

5. Choose How Students Will Learn

Select teaching strategies based on what your students need to learn. For example, a teacher might first explain a new idea, then give students time to explore it, ask questions, and make sense of it on their own.

Discussion, group work, and project-based learning can all be useful for different purposes. The key is to choose an approach that supports the learning goal. Technology should also have a clear purpose and help advance learning.

6. Plan for Different Learning Needs

Plan ahead and consider where students will need additional support. Things like vocabulary support, clear directions, guided notes, teacher-selected grouping, or extra examples can often help students better understand the work.

Teachers should also think about students who are ready for more. Differentiated instruction can provide extra challenge or support without lowering expectations.

7. Teach, Check, and Adjust

Use questions, observations, student explanations, and exit tickets to determine what should happen next. The evidence may show that the class is ready to continue or that students need clarification, reteaching, regrouping, or additional practice.

8. Review What Worked

After the lesson is completed, look at what students learned and compare it with what you wanted them to learn. Identify where students did well, consider where students struggled, where the lesson may not have connected, and which supports were most effective. Revising a lesson based on what you learn is part of the process.

Instructional Design Strategies and Best Practices

Effective instructional design starts with alignment. The learning goal, practice, and assessment should all fit together. Students should practice the same kind of thinking they will be asked to use at the end of the lesson.

The lesson should also have a clear focus. Too many goals or activities can make it harder for students to see what is most important. A few well-connected activities can be more effective than trying to do too much in one lesson.

Students should be actively thinking. They should explain, compare, question, investigate, practice, create, or apply. Meaningful student engagement involves what students are thinking and experiencing, not only whether they appear busy.

Feedback should be provided while students still have an opportunity to use it. It has limited value when the class has already moved on and students have no time to revise, practice, or try again.

Key Principles of Effective Course Design

Whether teachers are planning a lesson, unit, or course, a few basic principles can help:

Start with what students should know or be able to do.
Make sure the goal, instruction, practice, and assessment work together.
Build learning step by step.
Keep the work challenging while removing unnecessary barriers.
Give students time to practice, get feedback, and use what they learned on their own.
Review what worked and make changes when needed.

School leaders can support this work by giving teachers time to plan, providing useful instructional materials, and makingprofessional learning relevant to what teachers are teaching. The process should also stay practical; a lengthy planning template or extra paperwork should not become the focus.

Keep the Focus on Your Students

At its best, instructional design gives teachers a clear plan for learning while leaving room to respond to what happens in the classroom. It helps teachers focus on what matters, connect the different parts of a lesson, plan for possible challenges, and see whether students are making progress.

No instructional design model can predict every question, misunderstanding, or need that may come up. The plan provides direction, but what students say, do, and produce should help guide what happens next.

The most important test is whether the learning experience makes sense from the student’s point of view. Students should understand what they are learning, engage in activities that prepare them for what they are expected to do, receive useful feedback, and have opportunities to apply what they have learned.

When those pieces come together, instructional design has done its job. Standards, materials, strategies, and activities work together to create a learning experience that helps students succeed.

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Types and Components of Curriculum Explained

Michael Healey — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 13:41:44 +0000

Key takeaways

The components of curriculum work together. Goals, content, learning experiences, and assessment should all point toward the same student outcomes.
Schools use several types of curriculum at the same time, from the written curriculum teachers are expected to follow to the curriculum students actually learn.
Curriculum is more than a document or textbook. What schools choose to teach, how teachers teach it, what gets assessed, and even what is left out all shape the student experience.

When people hear the word curriculum, they often think first about a textbook, a set of standards, or a pacing guide. Those are parts of it, but the curriculum is much broader.

For school leaders, curriculum is the plan for what students should learn and how that learning will develop over time. It includes the goals we set, the content we teach, the experiences students have, and the ways we determine whether learning happened.

From a superintendent’s perspective, this is where curriculum work becomes practical. The question is whether the curriculum helps teachers know what matters most, helps students build knowledge and skills from year to year, and gives leaders a clear way to see where support or adjustment may be needed.

Understanding the different types of curriculum and the major components of curriculum gives educators a clearer way to think about that work.

What Are the Components of Curriculum?

The components of curriculum are the parts that turn broad expectations into an actual learning experience. They answer four basic questions: What do we want students to learn? What content will help them get there? What experiences will support that learning? How will we know whether they learned it?

These pieces should work together. Effective curriculum alignment means the goals, content, instruction, and assessment reinforce one another.

What Are the 4 Main Components of Curriculum?

1. Curriculum Intent: Aims, Goals, and Objectives

Curriculum intent explains what the school or district wants students to know and be able to do.

That may include district goals, state standards, graduation expectations, course outcomes, unit goals, and lesson objectives.

Teachers should be able to review the curriculum and identify which outcomes are essential. Students should know what they are working toward.

If the goal is unclear, the rest of the curriculum becomes harder to organize. Teachers may spend too much time on less important material, assessments may measure the wrong things, or students may complete activities without understanding what they were supposed to learn.

This is one reason effective curriculum development should begin with the desired learning rather than with a textbook chapter, activity, or resource.

2. Content: Subject Matter

Content includes the knowledge, concepts, vocabulary, skills, texts, problems, primary sources, and other material students work with as they move toward the curriculum goals.

More material is always available than there is time to teach. Schools have to determine what is essential and what can reasonably fit within the school year.

Content also includes the materials teachers use to help students learn. Textbooks, primary sources, labs, videos, and digital tools can all be useful when they have a specific purpose. High-quality instructional materials should support what students are expected to learn, not drive the curriculum on their own.

3. Learning Experiences: Instructional Methods and Strategies

Learning experiences describe what students will do with the content and how teachers will help them learn it.

That may include direct instruction, discussion, guided practice, labs, projects, writing, problem-solving, or technology-supported learning. Different goals call for different instructional strategies.

Two teachers may be working toward the same standard and use different examples, questions, activities, or groupings to get there. Curriculum consistency does not require identical lessons.

A K-12 online learning platform can support these learning experiences by providing teachers with access to flexible resources, digital media, and multiple ways for students to engage with content. Choose resources because they help students meet the learning goal, not simply because they are available.

4. Evaluation: Assessment of Learning Outcomes

Evaluation answers the question: Did students learn what we intended them to learn?

That evidence can come from quizzes, projects, writing, performances, student explanations, observations, exit tickets, or other assessments. Schools should use the type of evidence that best matches the learning goal.

Evaluation also helps schools see whether the curriculum is working as intended. If students are struggling with the same skill across multiple classrooms or grade levels, the issue may be bigger than a single teacher or a group of students. Schools may need to look at the sequence, pacing, resources, or expectations.

Regular curriculum evaluation helps schools identify those patterns and make changes.

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Types of Curriculum

Many steps separate state standards from what students learn. The state establishes the learning standards, the district organizes those standards into a curriculum, teachers turn them into classroom lessons, and assessments show what students actually learned.

Some types of curriculum describe how learning is organized, how curriculum moves from a state or district plan into classrooms, or what students learn outside the formal curriculum.

What Are the Different Types of Curriculum?

It is helpful to group the different types based on what they tell us about the student learning experience.

Curriculum Based on How Learning Is Organized

Subject-centered curriculum organizes learning by subject. Math, science, English language arts, and social studies are taught separately, with their own standards and learning goals.

Learner-centered curriculum focuses more on students’ needs, interests, and experiences. Teachers still work toward the required learning goals, but students may have more choice in what they explore, how they complete an assignment, or how they show what they learned.

The goal is to give teachers flexibility to connect required learning to the students in front of them.

Integrated, or core, curriculum connects learning across different subjects. For example, a project about water quality might include science, math, writing, and technology. This helps students see how what they learn in one subject connects to another.

Spiral curriculum returns to important concepts as students move through school. Students first learn something at a basic level, then return to it later with greater depth and complexity.

Fractions are a simple example. Students may begin by understanding parts of a whole in elementary school, then use fractions in operations, ratios, proportions, algebra, and other areas of math as they get older. The key is that students build on previous learning rather than simply repeat the same material.

Curriculum From Planning to Student Learning

Another group of curriculum types describes what happens between the expectations established for schools and what students eventually learn.

Recommended curriculum includes standards, frameworks, and guidance developed by state education departments, professional organizations, and other education groups. State learning standards are one of the clearest examples of expectations that help shape a district’s curriculum.

Written curriculum is the curriculum a district or school has formally developed. This may include curriculum guides, units, pacing information, standards, essential questions, assessments, and instructional resources. It should give teachers enough direction to understand what students need to learn without scripting every day of instruction.

Taught curriculum is what is actually taught in the classroom. Something can appear in a curriculum guide but still receive very little instructional time. Teachers may run out of time, students may need more support with earlier skills, or some content may receive more attention because of other priorities.

Supported curriculum includes the resources and structures schools provide to help teachers deliver the curriculum. That can include textbooks, digital resources, technology, professional learning, intervention programs, instructional coaches, schedules, and planning time.

Assessed curriculum is the part of the curriculum schools measure. Classroom assessments, common assessments, benchmark assessments, projects, and state tests all communicate something about what the school considers important.

Assessment needs to align with the curriculum so that teachers and students receive a clear message about what matters.

Learned curriculum is what students actually learn. A standard can be written into the curriculum, taught by a teacher, and included on an assessment, but that does not automatically mean students understood it or can use it later.

Schools have to look at student work, assessments, classroom performance, and other evidence to understand whether the intended learning actually happened.

Curriculum Students Experience Beyond the Written Plan

Not everything students learn in school appears in a curriculum document. Students also learn from the way schools operate, what adults model, what is left out, and what they experience outside school.

Hidden, or implicit, curriculum includes the lessons students learn from the school experience itself. Students learn from routines, expectations, relationships, discipline practices, and how adults treat one another.

For example, a school may say student voice is important, but students will also notice whether adults actually listen to them when decisions are being made.

Excluded, or null, curriculum refers to what is not taught. Sometimes schools intentionally decide that certain content is outside the scope of a course. Other times, content is left out because there simply is not enough time.

If teachers consistently run out of time before reaching an important standard, school leaders should consider whether the pacing, content, or sequence needs to change.

Concomitant curriculum includes learning that comes from students’ families, communities, peers, and experiences outside school. Students come to school with values, beliefs, habits, knowledge, and experiences they have developed throughout their lives.

Phantom curriculum refers to the messages students receive through media and the broader culture. Today, that can include television, advertising, social media, videos, online content, influencers, and other information students encounter through technology.

Students may already have opinions or misunderstandings about a topic before it is discussed in class. Teachers cannot control everything students see outside school, but they do need to understand that those outside influences are part of what students bring into the classroom.

Keeping Curriculum Focused on What Students Learn

As you can see, there are many different ways to describe curriculum, but the most important question remains the same: Are students learning what we expect them to learn?

When reviewing the curriculum in your school, make sure the goals are clear, the content can be taught within the time available, instruction and assessment align, and students have the knowledge and skills they need for the next grade or course.

Understanding the components of curriculum and the different types of curriculum helps schools have those conversations more clearly. The goal is not a perfect curriculum document. It is a curriculum teachers can use, and students can learn from.

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What Is Curriculum Mapping? A Guide for Educators and School Leaders

Michael Healey — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 15:23:19 +0000

Key takeaways

Curriculum mapping provides a shared picture of what students should learn, when they should learn it, and how educators will know whether they have learned it.
An effective map creates consistency without requiring every teacher to teach the same lesson in the same way.
The process is most useful when teachers help build the map, use it regularly, and revise it based on student needs and classroom experience.

Students experience a school’s curriculum one class, one day, and one year at a time. They do not see the curriculum guides, pacing documents, standards, and planning conversations behind their lessons. They just know whether the learning makes sense and whether they are prepared for what comes next.

When a curriculum is well connected from grade to grade, students can build on what they already know. When it is not, they may repeat the same material, start new work without the background knowledge they need, or move into the next grade missing skills that were assumed to be in place.

These problems are rarely intentional. Teachers are working hard and making thoughtful decisions within their classrooms. The disconnect often occurs because no one has had the opportunity to step back and examine the full learning experience across classrooms, grade levels, and courses.

That is the purpose of curriculum mapping. It gives educators a clear view of the path students are expected to follow and a practical way to improve that path together.

What Is Curriculum Mapping?

Curriculum mapping is the process of documenting and organizing what students are expected to learn over a specific period of time. A map may identify standards, essential knowledge and skills, major units, assessments, instructional resources, and an approximate sequence for teaching the content.

Depending on its purpose, a map might cover one unit, a full course, a grade level, a subject area, or an entire K–12 program.

The map is not the curriculum itself; it represents the curriculum and helps educators see how the pieces fit together. A lesson plan describes what will happen during a particular class. A pacing guide provides a general timeline. A curriculum map offers the broader view: what students are learning, how that learning develops, where it connects to other content, and how students will demonstrate understanding.

Curriculum mapping is related to, but different from, curriculum planning. Planning includes the larger decisions involved in designing and supporting a program. Mapping puts those decisions into a structure educators can examine, use, and improve.

A useful map should provide enough direction to establish common expectations without attempting to script every classroom lesson. Teachers need clarity about the essential outcomes students should reach, along with the flexibility to adjust instruction and respond to their students.

Teachers should have flexibility in how they teach, but students should still receive the same core curriculum regardless of which classroom they are in.

What Are the Different Types of Curriculum Maps?

Schools may use several types of curriculum maps, depending on what they are trying to understand or improve.

Horizontal maps examine learning across classrooms or subjects within the same grade level or period. A fifth-grade team, for example, might compare when students complete research projects, use fractions, or write evidence-based responses. This can help teachers coordinate instruction and avoid placing several major assignments in the same week.

Vertical maps show how knowledge and skills build from one grade or course to the next. For example, a vertical writing map might show how writing skills develop from stating an opinion in the early grades to supporting an argument with evidence in high school. This can help schools see where important skills may have been missed, where students are repeating the same material, or where the work becomes too difficult too quickly.

Course and unit maps provide a closer look at a specific area of instruction. They may include essential questions, priority standards, concepts, assessments, learning experiences, and time frames. These maps are especially helpful for daily planning and for teachers who are new to a grade level or course.

Interdisciplinary maps connect learning across subject areas. For example, a local history project might combine social studies, research, writing, and technology as students learn and share information about their community.

Why Is Curriculum Mapping Important?

The primary benefit of curriculum mapping is greater coherence. Standards, instruction, assessments, and resources should work together toward the same outcomes. A map allows educators to determine whether that is actually happening.

This work supports curriculum alignment by making it easier to see where the instructional program is connected and where adjustments may be necessary.

Mapping can also improve consistency across classrooms. Consistency does not mean every teacher must be on the same page, using the same resource on the same day. It means all students should have access to the essential knowledge, skills, and learning experiences identified by the school or district.

Teachers should have room to bring their strengths and creativity to instruction. However, access to the core curriculum should not depend on a student’s teacher, schedule, or school.

Curriculum maps can also make collaboration more productive. Instead of spending a meeting simply identifying what everyone is teaching, educators can compare student work, discuss where students are struggling, share effective approaches, and prepare for upcoming transitions.

This gives professional learning communities a common starting point and keeps the conversation focused on teaching and learning.

From a leadership perspective, curriculum mapping can also help districts make better decisions about resources and professional learning. Schools invest in textbooks, digital tools, assessments, intervention programs, and supplemental materials. A clear map helps leaders see where those resources are supporting the curriculum and where additional support may still be needed.

A K-12 online learning platform can also support this work by giving teachers access to flexible resources that connect to specific parts of the curriculum.

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What Are the Challenges of Curriculum Mapping and How Can Schools Address Them?

Time is often the first challenge. Effective curriculum mapping cannot be completed in one planning period. Teachers need time to review standards, compare what is being taught, examine how learning happens across grades or courses, and agree on what matters most.

School administrators can make the work more manageable by starting small, establishing a clear process, and ensuring dedicated professional learning time for their teachers. Starting with one grade level, course, or subject is usually a better approach than trying to map the entire curriculum at once.

Another challenge is that we often make the curriculum mapping process too complicated. Some curriculum maps become large spreadsheets filled with information teachers rarely use. When completing the template becomes the goal, the map loses its value.

It’s important to keep in mind that a useful curriculum map does not need to include everything. Priority standards, key outcomes, major units, assessments, pacing, and core resources are often enough to get started. Add additional information only when it helps teachers make better instructional decisions.

Keeping the map up to date can be another challenge. A curriculum map is only effective if it continues to guide planning, instruction, assessment, and resource decisions. A regular review process allows educators to make the needed updates without making the curriculum feel like it is constantly changing.

Educators will not always agree about what is essential, how much content can reasonably be taught, or where a skill belongs. Those conversations are part of the process. Curriculum review teams should always return to the standards, student work, assessment results, prerequisite skills, and available instructional time to make decisions that give students the best possible learning experience.

How to Create a Curriculum Map in 8 Steps

1. Identify the Purpose

Start the process by deciding what you want the curriculum map to accomplish. The goal may be to improve consistency, strengthen transitions between grades, better align assessments, or address gaps in student learning.

Having a clear goal keeps the process focused and makes it easier to decide what to include on the map.

2. Establish the Scope and Team

Define the grade levels, courses, content areas, and time period the map will cover. Include the educators who teach the curriculum and understand the students it’s intended for.

Depending on the project, the team may include classroom teachers, special educators, instructional coaches, and school or district leaders. It may also help to include teachers from the grades immediately before and after the area being mapped.

3. Identify Essential Standards and Outcomes

Review the standards and identify what students need to know and be able to do. Teams should separate the most important learning goals from the content being used to support them.

If everything is treated as equally important, the map will not help teachers decide what to prioritize when time is limited.

4. Document What Is Currently Taught

Develop an honest picture of current instruction by identifying the units, skills, assessments, resources, and approximate time frames already in use.

It’s important to have a clear picture of what is happening now before deciding what should stay, change, or receive more attention.

5. Build a Logical Sequence

Organize the curriculum so students build on what they already know as they move from one grade or course to the next. Think about what they need to learn first, how the work should become more challenging over time, and where they will be able to practice and apply new skills.

Look at the sequence within each grade and across grade levels. A unit may work well on its own but still create a gap or repeat too much content when you look at the curriculum as a whole.

6. Connect Assessments and Resources

Identify how students will demonstrate the essential outcomes and where common assessments or shared tasks would provide useful evidence without creating unnecessary testing.

Then connect instructional resources to specific parts of the map. Include resources because they support an identified goal, not simply because the district has them available.

7. Review the Curriculum for Gaps and Pacing

Look for missing standards, gaps in content, unrealistic pacing, and areas where expectations may be too low or too high. Make sure the curriculum can be taught within the available time.

A curriculum map should be ambitious but also manageable. If teachers cannot reasonably cover what is included, they will be forced to decide for themselves what gets left out.

8. Use, Monitor, and Revise the Map

Use the map during lesson planning, team meetings, assessment reviews, resource selection, and professional learning.

Listen to your teachers. Ask them what is working, where the pacing is unrealistic, and where students need more support. Look at student evidence and adjust as needed. The goal is to create something teachers can actually use and improve over time.

Build a Curriculum Teachers Will Actually Use

Curriculum mapping is most valuable when it becomes part of the way educators work rather than another document they are required to complete.

A strong map gives teachers a shared understanding of the learning students should experience while preserving the professional judgment needed to respond to the students in front of them. It also gives school leaders a clearer basis for decisions about time, staffing, resources, assessment, and professional development.

Curriculum mapping works best when it helps teachers plan more clearly, reduces learning gaps, and helps students build on what they learned the year before.

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Curriculum Decision Making Process Guide for Educational Leaders

Michael Healey — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 17:30:03 +0000

Key takeaways

Curriculum decision making should start with a clear need, not with a new program, textbook, or the latest instructional trend.
Teachers should have a meaningful role in reviewing and testing curriculum because they know what works with students in real classrooms.
A curriculum decision does not end with the purchase. Districts need a plan for implementation, professional development, ongoing support, and review.

School districts make curriculum decisions all the time. Some are relatively small, such as replacing a resource for one course. Others affect an entire subject area across multiple grade levels and may require several years of funding, training, and implementation.

Either way, the decision can shape teaching and learning for years to come.

As a superintendent, I view curriculum decisions as both instructional and operational. A new program may look excellent during a presentation, but schools also have to determine whether it meets student needs, aligns with standards, integrates with existing technology, fits within the budget, and provides teachers with what they need to use it effectively.

That is why curriculum decision-making should be a process, not a purchase. The goal is not to find the newest resource or the program with the longest list of features. The goal is to make a decision that improves students’ classroom experience and can be sustained over time.

Establishing the Need for Curriculum Renewal

Curriculum review should begin with the reason for the review.

Sometimes the need is obvious. Standards may have changed, materials may be outdated, or a program may no longer be supported. In other cases, the need becomes clear through student performance, teacher feedback, inconsistent resources across classrooms, or gaps between grade levels.

Before looking at new options, districts should be able to explain what is not working well enough now.

For example, low reading performance does not automatically mean a district needs a new reading program. Leaders need to understand where students are struggling, whether the current curriculum addresses those skills, how consistently it is being used, and whether teachers have the training and resources to implement it.

A clear problem statement keeps the review focused. It also gives the district something concrete to measure later.

What Does the Curriculum Decision-Making Process Entail?

The curriculum review process should start with what is currently in place, not with replacement options.

Districts should review standards, student work, assessment results, current materials, pacing, teacher feedback, and the needs of different student groups. A��K-12 curriculum guide can also help school leaders think through the larger role curriculum plays across instruction, assessment, and student learning.

From there, establish the criteria any new curriculum must meet. Those criteria might include alignment with standards, usability, accessibility, assessment quality, instructional flexibility, support for diverse learners, technology requirements, and cost.

Only then should a district begin comparing materials.

This order matters. If leaders begin with vendor demonstrations, it is easy to evaluate products based on what looks impressive rather than on what the district actually needs.

Who Makes the Decision?

Curriculum decisions should include the people responsible for teaching, supporting, purchasing, and overseeing the curriculum.

Teachers should have a major role. They understand where students struggle, which materials are useful, and what will and won’t work during a normal school day. Administrators can help connect classroom needs to district goals, standards, budgets, staffing, and implementation requirements.

Depending on the decision, the process may also involve specific educators, instructional coaches, technology staff, business officials, students, families, and the board of education.

That does not mean every decision needs to be made by a large committee. It means the right people need to be involved at the right points.

Teacher collaboration is especially important during curriculum review because teachers need time to review materials together, discuss students’ needs, and share what they are seeing in their classrooms.

District leaders still have a responsibility to make sure the process moves forward. Input matters, but so do clear timelines, decision rules, and accountability.

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Key Considerations and Vetting Criteria for Leaders

A curriculum can be well designed and still be the wrong fit for a particular district.

Leaders should first look at alignment. The curriculum should address required standards at the appropriate level of depth and provide a clear sequence across grades or courses.

Then look closely at the materials themselves. Make sure they are clear, appropriate for students, and connected to what students are expected to learn. Teachers should also have enough flexibility to adjust instruction when students need something different.

Accessibility and technology should be part of the review from the start. Schools need materials that support diverse learners, including students with disabilities, multilingual learners, students who need extra help, and students ready for more challenging work. If the curriculum includes a technology component, it should integrate with the district’s existing devices and systems and comply with privacy requirements. Guidance on integrating EdTech into the curriculum can help your school ensure technology supports learning and has a clear purpose.

A K-12 learning platform can provide flexible content and instructional resources, but the same rule applies: the resource should meet an identified need and fit how the district expects teaching and learning to happen.

Running a Data-Driven Curriculum Pilot

When possible, test the curriculum before making a districtwide commitment.

A pilot does not need to involve every grade or every teacher. In fact, a smaller pilot is often easier to learn from because leaders can pay closer attention to implementation.

Before the pilot begins, decide what you want to know. That might include whether teachers can use the materials effectively, whether students are engaged, whether the pacing is realistic, whether technology works as expected, and whether student work shows improvement in the areas the district identified.

Use more than one source of information. Assessment results matter, but so do classroom observations, teacher feedback, student work, and student experience.

The purpose of a pilot is not to prove that the district’s preferred option works. It is to find out whether it works well enough to justify moving forward.

Budgeting, Purchasing, and Infrastructure Alignment

The cost of a new curriculum includes more than the purchase price. Districts also need to plan for textbooks, materials, licenses, devices, staff training, technical support, and replacement costs. It is important to look at the full cost over time, not just what the district will pay in the first year.

Purchasing also has to line up with the district’s budget cycle and local purchasing requirements. Large curriculum changes may need to be phased in over more than one year.

This is where instructional and business decisions have to come together. If the district cannot afford to train staff, replace materials, or maintain the technology needed to use a program, the program is not really affordable.

Plan for Success: Professional Development and Change Management

One of the easiest mistakes to make is spending most of the time choosing a curriculum and too little time planning how teachers will use it.

Teachers need more than an overview session before school starts. They need time to understand the materials, plan lessons, ask questions, try the curriculum with students, and make adjustments.

Effective professional development should continue after implementation begins. The questions teachers have in October are often very different from the questions they had during an August training.

Leaders also need to explain why the change is happening. Teachers are more likely to engage with a new curriculum when they understand the problem it is meant to address, what will be expected of them, and what support will be available.

Measuring Impact and Ongoing Review

The final step in curriculum decision-making is deciding whether the change is doing what the district expected.

Return to the need that started the process. If the district wanted to improve writing, strengthen math skills, create greater consistency, or better support struggling students, review evidence connected to that goal.

Look at student work and assessment results, but also ask teachers what is working and where the curriculum is creating problems. Some issues can be addressed through training, pacing changes, or additional resources, while others may require changes to the curriculum itself.

Curriculum should not be replaced every time challenges come up, but it also should not be kept simply because it is what the district has always used.

Making Curriculum Decisions That Last

The best curriculum decision is not necessarily the program that receives the highest score on a review sheet. It is the one a district can explain, support, implement, and evaluate.

For school leaders, that means starting with a clear need, gathering input from the people who will use the curriculum, piloting it before making a larger investment, and ensuring teachers have the support they need to use it effectively.

Effective curriculum decision-making takes time, but that time matters. The curriculum students experience every day is too important to choose based on a presentation, a trend, or a deadline. The decision should come back to the same place every time: what students need to learn and what teachers need to help them get there.

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Data-Driven Instruction: Turning Student Data Into Better Teaching

Michael Healey — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 16:40:07 +0000

Key takeaways

Data-driven instruction is a continuous process of gathering evidence, identifying what students need, responding through instruction, and checking whether the response worked.
The strongest decisions come from multiple sources of information. No single assessment, score, or data point can fully explain what a student knows or needs next.
Schools are more likely to improve outcomes when they keep the process focused, collaborative, and close to classroom practice.

A teacher gives an exit ticket at the end of a lesson. By the next morning, she knows that most of the class understands the concept, six students are missing the same prerequisite skill, and four are ready for a greater challenge. She changes the opening activity, works with a small group of students, and adjusts the next task based on student needs.

This is an example of data-driven instruction at its most useful and effective, using evidence to make a better instructional decision while there is still time for that decision to matter.

Technology can make that process easier by giving schools access to more timely and detailed information. A��K-12 online learning platform can help bring instructional resources, assessment information, and classroom tools together in ways that make it easier to act on that information.

The important question, however, is not how much data a school can collect, but whether that information reaches teachers in a form they can understand and use.

What Is Data-Driven Instruction?

Data-driven instruction is an ongoing approach in which educators collect and interpret evidence of student learning, use it to adjust teaching, and then monitor the results. The purpose is not to allow data to replace professional judgment. It is to give that judgment a stronger foundation.

Teachers have always observed their students working, listened to their questions, and adjusted their lessons when things weren’t going well. A formal data-driven instruction process makes those existing habits more intentional. It helps teachers move from “I think the class is struggling” to “Here is exactly what’s causing my students to struggle, here’s who needs support, and here’s what we will try next.”

How Does the Data-Driven Instruction Cycle Work?

An effective data-driven instruction cycle is developed around three connected stages: assess, analyze, and act.

Assess. Teachers gather evidence aligned to a learning goal. This evidence often comes from a benchmark, an exit ticket, a student conference, or a teacher observation. These are often quick, focused checks that help teachers understand how well students have learned a specific skill.

Analyze. Teachers need to look beyond the overall score to determine which skills students have mastered, where errors are occurring, and whether the challenge is a whole-class or a smaller-group issue. An incorrect answer might occur due to a misunderstanding, a missing prerequisite skill, or unclear directions. The goal is to use the results to identify what is hindering learning.

Act. Teachers respond by adjusting how they teach, providing a scaffold, forming a small group, or extending the lesson. After making an adjustment, educators revisit student learning to see whether the change had the intended effect. If students are still struggling, the next step is to determine what should change in the instruction, support, or learning task.

This process can happen over the course of a semester, within a unit, or in the middle of a lesson. The shorter the cycle, the sooner teachers can respond when students begin to struggle.

What Types of Data Are Used in Data-Driven Instruction?

Instructional data comes in several forms, and each answers a different question.

Diagnostic data establishes a starting point. A pre-assessment or review of prior work can reveal readiness and prerequisite skills. Formative data comes from questioning, observations, drafts, quizzes, and exit tickets during learning.

Interim or benchmark data helps show how students are progressing in a classroom, across grade levels, or even at different schools in the district. Summative data, such as final exams and state assessments, show what students have learned over a longer period of time and are often useful for identifying broader patterns and areas where the curriculum may need attention.

Student work and classroom observations matter too. What students say, the work they complete, their attendance, and their class participation can help explain what a test score alone cannot.

The clearest picture comes from looking at more than one source of information. When different measures point to the same need, teachers can respond with greater confidence. When the results do not line up, the next step is to look more closely rather than rely on the number that best fits an assumption.

Why Is Data-Driven Instruction Important?

The most important benefit is responsiveness. Instead of waiting until the end of a marking period to see that a student is falling behind, teachers can identify needs earlier and make adjustments. This makes differentiated instruction more focused because support is based on data rather than on a general impression of a student’s ability.

Data can also help schools promote greater support for everyone. Schoolwide averages can hide important differences among student groups, classrooms, or grade levels. Looking more closely at the data can show where some students may not have access to effective instruction or where a support is working for some students but not others. The goal is not to lower expectations, but to identify barriers and make sure support is available for the students who need it.

For school leaders, this process helps connect improvement goals to what is happening in classrooms each day. These goals become more meaningful when teachers understand how their work contributes and when leaders provide the time, tools, materials, and professional development needed to support that work.

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5 Effective Data-Driven Instruction Strategies for Teachers and Leaders

1. Begin With a Question

Before looking at the data, start with the decision that needs to be made. Teachers might be trying to determine whether students are ready to move on, which prerequisite skill is causing difficulty, or whether a recent change in instruction helped. Starting with a clear purpose keeps teams focused and prevents them from reviewing large amounts of data without knowing what to do with it.

School leaders can support this by keeping data conversations brief and focused. If a team cannot clearly explain what decision the information is meant to support, it may not be necessary.

2. Use Multiple Sources and Look at Student Work

Assessment results show where students are struggling, while student work often helps explain why. Looking at several student responses in addition to the assessment results is helpful in revealing patterns and the strategies students used.

This helps teachers avoid placing too much weight on a single score and keeps the focus on what students are showing through their work and what can be adjusted in instruction.

3. Turn Data Into Action

Data is at its most useful when teachers can review it easily and understand what it means. This information should lead to a clear next step, including which students need support, what that support looks like, and how teachers will know whether it is working.

A strongK-12 online learning platform can help by bringing high-quality instructional resources and flexible ways to demonstrate learning into the same planning process. Technology can make information and content easier to access, but teachers still determine which responses best fit their students.

4. Keep the Conversations Focused on Instruction

Meetings to review student progress should be focused on the next steps teachers can take, not just on reviewing data. Teachers need this time to adapt their lessons, choose different resources, and assess whether previous changes have made a difference in student learning.

School leaders should take part in these meetings to help solve problems and support teachers in their next steps. If disappointing results are treated as a judgment of performance, staff may be less willing to speak openly about challenges. When results are used to guide improvement, teams are more likely to have honest and productive conversations.

5. Keep the Process Manageable

Schools often make this much more difficult than it needs to be; most often by trying to do too much at once. Start with one priority standard, one common check, or one group of students. Work through the process, see what you learn, and build from there.

Students can also be part of the process. Clear goals, timely feedback, and opportunities to see their own progress help students understand what they are working toward and where they are improving. This can help them take a more active role in their learning.

From Data Collection to Better Decisions

The real benefit of effective data-driven instruction is whether teachers can use it to answer three practical questions: What do my students understand? What do they need next? How will I know whether my response helped?

Start small with a clear question, use the information that is already available, make one change, and then watch to see if it was effective. Over time, these small cycles can lead to something more valuable than a collection of scores. They can help create a culture where teachers use evidence to make decisions and students receive the support they need at the right time.

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What to Consider Before Purchasing AI for Schools

Michael Healey — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 13:36:19 +0000

Key takeaways

Begin with a clearly defined educational or operational need. An AI tool should solve a real problem, not just add another piece of technology to a district.
Pilot the tool in your own district with real students, real work, and a small group of users.
Decide what success should look like before the pilot begins so you can judge whether the tool is worth expanding.

School leaders are facing growing pressure to make decisions about artificial intelligence. New products appear almost daily, staff members are experimenting with free tools, and vendors are making ambitious claims about saving time, personalizing learning, and improving results. Boards of education and families also want to know how schools are preparing students for a world in which AI will be common.

Before making a purchase, a district should understand how a tool will be used, what problems it is expected to solve, and what new challenges it may create. The goal is to choose technology that improves teaching, learning, or school operations and is worth the time, cost, and effort required to implement it well.

For me, thinking about what to consider before purchasing AI for schools starts with a simple question: What problem are we trying to solve? Once that is clear, districts are in a much better position to determine whether an AI tool actually addresses that need and will make a meaningful difference for students and teachers.

What Should Schools Consider Before Purchasing AI Tools?

When determining what to consider before purchasing AI for schools, leaders should examine the tool from several perspectives. Instructional leaders need to consider educational value, technology staff must review privacy and integration, and teachers and students can speak to usability. Business officials need to understand the full cost and contract terms.

That review should also account for the fact that AI is different from many traditional digital tools. Its outputs can change based on the user, the prompt, and updates to the underlying model. It can generate inaccurate or biased content with complete confidence. A feature that performs well during a vendor demonstration may respond differently when used by hundreds of students across a range of ages, needs, and reading levels.

Schools should ensure the tool is a good fit for the students and staff who will use it, and that people, not the technology, remain responsible for important decisions. If the tool gives feedback, evaluates student work, or helps shape decisions about a student, schools should be especially careful.

Does the Tool Solve a Real Problem and Align with Your Goals?

Before scheduling demonstrations, write a short problem statement. Teachers may need a faster way to create accessible first drafts of materials, or students may need timely practice and feedback in a specific skill.

The more specific the problem, the easier it becomes to evaluate the product. Ask the vendor to demonstrate the tool using realistic district tasks, content, and users. A polished generic demonstration may show what the product can do under ideal conditions. It does not show whether it will work within the district’s curriculum, technology systems, policies, staffing, or daily schedule.

Leaders should identify what should improve if the purchase is successful. Will teachers save measurable planning time? Will students receive better feedback? The measure does not need to be complicated, but it should be established before the purchase.

AI should also fit within the district’s broader approach to teaching and learning. A strongK-12 online learning platform can provide high-quality content and flexible ways for teachers to engage students. AI features should strengthen that work while preserving the role of the teacher, the integrity of the curriculum, and the thinking students need to do for themselves.

How Should Schools Evaluate AI Data Privacy and Security?

A privacy review cannot be reduced to merely locating the words “FERPA compliant” on a vendor website. Districts need to know what the tool collects, why it collects it, where it stores the information, how long it retains it, who can access it, and whether it uses it to train an AI model. They should also determine what happens to district information at the end of the contract.

To do this effectively, it’s helpful to start with rules established at the federal level. The U.S. Department of Education’s provides FERPA guidance for schools, and the Federal Trade Commission’s covers the online collection of personal information from children under 13. Districts also need to follow state laws, board policies, records-retention rules, and local purchasing requirements. For example, in my state, New York Education Law § 2-d includes additional requirements for protecting student data and personally identifiable information.

The contract matters, too. District leaders should ensure it clearly explains who owns the data, how it can be used, how it is protected, what happens in the event of a breach, how information is deleted, and whether the vendor can use the data for advertising or other commercial purposes. It is also important to ask how the vendor tests its security and fixes problems when they are found.

Privacy and security should be part of the decision from the beginning. If a district cannot clearly explain what data is being collected, how it is being used, and how it is being protected, it is not ready to require the use of the tool.

Why Do Teacher Training and Total Cost of Ownership Matter?

An AI tool can be easy to access yet difficult to use well. Teachers need time to understand where it adds value, where it can make mistakes, what information may be entered, and when its output requires closer review. They also need examples connected to their actual responsibilities, not training built entirely around the “perfect” prompts to use.

Professional development should begin before the tool is rolled out and continue once staff start using it. Early training helps people understand how the tool should be used, while follow-up support gives teachers a chance to ask questions and work through problems that come up.

When it comes to cost, district leaders also need to look beyond the annual license fee. Other costs may include setup, rostering, data integration, staff training, substitute coverage, technical support, and future price increases. There is also a time cost to consider. Time spent implementing one product is time that cannot be spent on other district priorities.

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5 Questions to Ask Before You Buy an AI Tool for Your School

1. What Specific Problem Will This Solve?

Start by clearly identifying the problem the district is trying to solve and who the tool is intended to help. Be specific about what you want to improve and how the tool could help. If the main reason for purchasing it is simply that the features look impressive or other districts are using it, that is probably not enough reason to move forward.

2. Will the Tool Work in a Real School Setting?

Ask your vendors for more than testimonials. Take a look at who tested it, who participated, and what the results showed. Then try it in your own district with a small group of students, use real work, and set clear expectations for what success should look like.

3. What Could Go Wrong, and How Will People Remain in Control?

Test for inaccurate, biased, inappropriate, or inconsistent outputs. Determine how users report problems, how quickly the vendor responds, and which decisions always require educator review. The offers a useful structure for identifying and managing AI risk.

4. How Will the Tool Protect Student and Staff Data?

Do not rely only on a vendor’s word alone. Review the privacy policy, security information, and contract language. Make sure you understand what data the tool collects, how long it keeps that information, whether it is used to train the system, who else can access it, and how the data is deleted when it is no longer needed.

5. What Will It Take to Implement the Tool Successfully?

Look beyond the cost and consider what it will take to use the tool effectively. Decide who will introduce it, train staff, provide support, monitor use, and review the results. Set those expectations up front so the tool doesn’t become another subscription purchased but rarely used.

Making the Right AI Purchasing Decision

Schools do not need a complicated process for every AI tool, but they do need to evaluate each one consistently. A simple checklist can help define the need, review the evidence, check privacy and security, test accessibility and accuracy, and decide how to measure success.

Most importantly, test the tool on a real classroom or operational need before making a larger commitment. Listen to the people who will use it and to those responsible for privacy, security, and implementation. If the tool isn’t ready or doesn’t meet the district’s needs, don’t be afraid to walk away, even if the demonstration was impressive.

An AI purchase should make work easier, improve learning, and earn the trust of students, staff, and families.

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Co-Teaching Models: A Complete Guide to All 6 Approaches

Kayla Terry — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 13:19:56 +0000

Key takeaways

There are six recognized co-teaching models, each suited to different classroom needs, group sizes, and instructional goals.
Knowing how to choose a co-teaching model means matching the approach to your students' needs, not defaulting to the same model every lesson.
Successful co-teaching depends as much on the partnership between teachers as it does on which model you pick.

Co-teaching has become one of the cornerstones of inclusive education, and for good reason. Pairing two teachers, ideally with different content areas and expertise, helps students receive more one-on-one attention. An example teacher pairing could be an ESL teacher and a special education teacher. But co-teaching isn’t a single approach. It’s a family of distinct co-teaching models, each with its own structure, strengths, and ideal use case.

This guide walks through what co-teaching actually is, breaks down all six recognized models in detail, and gives you a practical framework for how to choose a co-teaching model that fits your classroom, your students, and your teaching partnership. By the end, you’ll have a clear picture of which model to reach for and when.

What Is Co-Teaching?

Co-teaching is an instructional approach in which two educators share responsibility for planning, delivering, and assessing instruction for the same group of students in the same classroom. Most commonly, co-teaching pairs a general education teacher with a special education teacher, though it can also pair content teachers with ESL specialists, reading interventionists, or other support staff. The goal is to blend each teacher’s expertise so that all students, including those with IEPs, 504 plans, or other learning needs, receive instruction designed with their success in mind from the start, rather than retrofitted after the fact.

Benefits of Co-Teaching for Teachers and Students

Students benefit from the opportunity to receive regular, specialized one-on-one support. Co-teaching creates an environment with individualized support instead of universal instruction.

Co-teaching also naturally supports inclusive education. Students with disabilities benefit from learning in general education classrooms and still need specialized support. Co-teaching provides additional support along with peer influence. Creating an environment where all students receive support, get questions answered as they pop up, and misconceptions are caught before they become habits.

For teachers, co-teaching offers built-in collaboration, shared planning, and the chance to learn from a colleague’s expertise and instructional style. It also means classroom management and student support don’t fall on one person alone — when one teacher is deep in a small group, the other can keep the rest of the class on track. Over time, many co-teaching pairs report that the shared workload and shared problem-solving make them more effective and less burned out than teaching solo.

What Are Co-Teaching Models?

Understanding the full range of co-teaching models gives you options for nearly any classroom situation. Each model structures the two teachers’ roles differently, and most co-teaching pairs use several models throughout the year, depending on the lesson and the students’ needs.

1. One Teach, One Observe

As stated in the title, one teacher instructs while the other observes. The role of the observer is to collect data, observe student behavior, and promote student engagement and understanding. This is a great way to initiate a co-teaching relationship, helping both parties better understand one another. It can provide a fresh set of eyes and perspective, including which students appear to be struggling or which students are active participants. Observation isn’t a passive role but an insightful one.

2. One Teach, One Assist

In this model, one teacher delivers a regular classroom lesson, and the other provides student support. The teacher circles the room, providing one-on-one support as needed, and helping students stay engaged. This model requires minimal planning and is, therefore, a great starting point for new co-teaching pairs. It is important to swap teaching and assisting roles to facilitate a fair partnership and avoid one teacher feeling like only a classroom assistant.

3. Parallel Teaching

This method helps reduce class sizes by half, improving the teacher-to-student ratio. The class is split into equal groups and receives the same information from both teachers. This facilitates smoother group discussions, one-on-one support, and a faster pace. Parallel teaching is effective for review, practice sessions, or guided discussion. Any time students need more time to share, discuss, or talk with the teacher and one another, parallel teaching implementation can help.

4. Station Teaching

Station teaching keeps students engaged and diversifies learning. During station teaching, there are multiple stations, and a teacher owns one. Using this model incorporates differentiation, student engagement, and skill-level-tailored instruction. Station teaching relies on heavy upfront planning more than other co-teaching models, but it also provides a multitude of benefits.

5. Alternative Teaching

Alternative teaching breaks the classroom into two groups: one that receives general, core instruction and the other receives additional support, enrichment, and a new instructional approach. This model is useful when a few students need remediation, allowing them to receive targeted instruction. It may also be utilized by students seeking challenges; they can go deeper through extended learning. The groups created for alternative teaching must not be static. All students will receive support and general instruction.

6. Team Teaching

Team teaching is a shared instructional responsibility of the entire classroom. Taking turns explaining concepts and answering questions, perhaps providing the same information delivered differently. Sometimes a student needs to hear it explained differently. It may take a few lessons to develop synergy, but eventually, teachers should trade off explanations, model concepts, and present a fluid lesson. Team teaching requires recurring planning, respect, and a solid working relationship. It requires both teachers to feel confident in their content knowledge and to be flexible when teaching the material, especially at the beginning. Once both teachers feel comfortable with each other and the material, it can be a deeply educational and engaging model.

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How to Choose a Co-Teaching Model

With six co-teaching models to choose from, the question isn’t which one is “best” — it’s which one fits the lesson, the students, and the teaching partnership in front of you. Most effective co-teaching pairs move fluidly between models throughout a unit rather than committing to a single approach for the entire year.

Aligning the Right Model to Your Classroom and Student Needs

Narrow down the core idea of the lesson. If the core concept is new and complex, it may require a Team Teaching approach. Both teachers will provide a layer, fit to their expertise, to help students get a well-rounded understanding. When implementing a review session, Parallel Teaching may be invoked. This leads to smaller groups and allows teachers to provide one-on-one support. Throughout the lesson, you may realize that some students are excelling and others need enrichment. Using alternative teaching methods creates an opportunity to help both groups without slowing the overall pace.

Student needs matter just as much as lesson content. A classroom with several students who have IEPs requiring frequent redirection might benefit from One Teach, One Assist, so support is available in real time. A classroom working on a hands-on, multi-part project might be perfect for Station Teaching, where content naturally divides into segments. How to choose a co-teaching model ultimately comes down to matching structure to purpose — and being willing to switch models as the lesson, the unit, or the students’ needs change.

Tips for Building a Successful Co-Teaching Partnership

To develop strong and successful co-teaching relationships, it is necessary to have a foundation of respect and a shared goal. To keep a co-teaching relationship efficient, it is necessary to have a regular prep or planning schedule. This is an agreed-upon time each day or week to discuss and align on course models. Implementing a habitual schedule helps both teachers keep clear communication, receive support, and brainstorm. Over time, this develops an equally authoritative role for the students.

It is important to meet according to the planned schedule; however, all teachers’ schedules rarely stand the test of time. As the school year goes on, there will need to be flexibility, new schedules, and reschedules. What matters is protecting planning time, not enforcing a rigorous schedule, as long as the teachers agree. Co-teaching models are most effective when viewed as a toolbox to be applied in the current classroom, rather than as a rigid system to be followed.

Remember to give your partner grace; this will make the relationship sustainable. A general education teacher, a physical education teacher, and a special needs educator each have different perspectives; together, they complement one another and benefit students. Be careful not to fall into a lead-teacher and assistant role; each teacher needs equal authority within the group to truly facilitate a successful co-teaching environment.

Closing Thoughts

Co-teaching, done well, isn’t just an accommodation strategy — it’s a genuinely powerful instructional approach that benefits every student in the room, not only those with identified learning needs. Whether you’re just starting to explore co-teaching models or looking to deepen an existing partnership, the six approaches outlined here give you a flexible toolkit to match instruction to your students’ real needs. For teachers looking to build out lesson content that supports co-taught classrooms, �Ǹ��’s K-12 learning platform offers standards-aligned resources designed to work across differentiated and collaborative teaching models.

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Teacher Observation Guide: Process, Tips, and Feedback

Alisa Kaczorowski — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 12:40:52 +0000

Key takeaways

Shifting the perspective of teacher observations from one of “surveillance” to one of trust will have a positive impact on teacher growth and development, as well as student academic outcomes.
The evaluation tool or rubric being used for formal teacher observations should be shared and reviewed with teachers at the start of the school year so that specific expectations are clear.
The number of teacher evaluations conducted each year will vary for different types of teachers, with new, inexperienced, and struggling teachers having more formal observations than veteran teachers.

For many educators, teacher observations bring about feelings of fear and anxiety. Will the lesson go well? Will the students behave and stay engaged and on-task? Will they be “caught” doing something wrong? Add in the element of surprise in the form of an unannounced observation, and teachers’ nerves tend to skyrocket.

Let’s bring down the fear factor by helping educators shift their perspective on teacher observations. Rather than seeing teacher observations as an opportunity for administrators to “catch” teachers doing something wrong, let’s integrate them into the school culture and use them as opportunities to build trust between teachers and administrators.

Teacher observations are a wonderful opportunity for educators to receive feedback on their craft, grow and develop, and make a real impact on student outcomes, but this can only happen if the evaluator’s true intention is to foster growth in teachers rather than pass judgment or nitpick their instruction and classroom management.

What is Teacher Observation?

A teacher observation is the process by which an observer (typically an administrator or supervisor but sometimes a colleague) uses an approved evaluation tool or rubric to observe a teacher’s instruction, classroom management, student interactions, and classroom environment.

The goal of a teacher observation is to provide the teacher with constructive feedback to enhance their skills and improve student academic outcomes. Teacher observations should support educator growth and development, in addition to evaluating their performance.

The evaluation tool or rubric should be approved by your school or state department of education, and teachers should be familiar with it. Just as teachers provide students with a rubric to guide the planning and execution of a project in the classroom, teachers should be introduced to the evaluation tool at the beginning of the school year and given an opportunity to familiarize themselves with it. Additionally, they should know what the expectations are when it comes to teacher evaluations – how many observations and/or walk-throughs to expect during the year, what the process looks like, etc.

What Are the Different Types of Teacher Observation?

There are many different types of teacher observations that are used for either formative or summative purposes. The goal of a formative teacher observation is to provide the teacher with feedback for growth, while the goal of a summative teacher observation is performance evaluation. Teacher observations can be further categorized as follows:

Formal Teacher Observation

A formal teacher observation is typically conducted by a school administrator or the teacher’s supervisor and is often unannounced. This type of teacher observation is usually done at least once per year and is a summative assessment of a teacher’s overall instruction and job performance, using an approved rubric or evaluation tool that has been provided to, and reviewed with, teachers in advance. A formal teacher observation typically includes a post-conference where the evaluation tool or rubric is reviewed and discussed with the teacher.

Informal Teacher Observation

An informal teacher observation is another type of observation that is usually conducted by a school administrator or the teacher’s supervisor. It differs from a formal teacher observation in that it is often scheduled ahead of time with the teacher. This type of observation is often completed several times per year, depending upon the teacher’s level of experience, and often uses the same evaluation tool as a formal observation. Informal teacher observations may be used for new or inexperienced teachers, as a way of helping them grow and develop over the course of the year. They may also be used for struggling teachers, as part of a broader improvement plan. Unlike other types of teacher observations, an informal teacher observation may include a pre-conference, in addition to a post-conference, since it is often an announced observation.

Walk-Through

A walk-through is a specific type of informal teacher observation where the evaluator is looking at a specific component of the teacher’s instruction. These are often shorter and use a separate, more concise evaluation tool or rubric. A walk-through may be done in response to professional development provided for teachers, as a way of measuring growth toward school improvement goals, or as part of a broader improvement plan for struggling teachers. An example of this is a walk-through that is conducted on one specific aspect of instruction, such as checks for understanding, or classroom management, such as non-verbal redirection of minor behaviors. Walk-throughs are typically discussed ahead of time and expected by teachers, but may be unannounced in terms of the specific time they occur.

Peer Evaluation

A peer evaluation is a type of informal teacher observation conducted by a fellow teacher. These are often used as opportunities for new, inexperienced, or struggling teachers to see veteran teachers in action. This may be part of a mentoring program, giving pairs of teachers multiple opportunities to observe and learn from one another over the course of a school year. Peer evaluations usually include a pre- and/or post-observation discussion between the teachers.

Self-Evaluation

Self-evaluation is a type of observation in which teachers record themselves teaching a lesson to reflect on their own behaviors, interactions, and instructional methods. They may track specific behaviors during the lesson, such as wait time, or analyze their real versus perceived behaviors and interactions. A self-evaluation often includes a pre- and post-observation discussion between the teacher and an administrator or supervisor.

What Is the Teacher Observation Process?

The teacher observation process will look a bit different, depending upon the type of observation. A formal teacher observation requires a lengthier process than an informal teacher observation or walk-through.

Formal, announced teacher observations usually begin with a pre-conference. A pre-conference is a meeting between the teacher and evaluator to discuss the lesson. This is the teacher’s opportunity to provide their evaluator with any necessary context around their lesson or students. This meeting should also be used to align the teacher and evaluator’s expectations. The evaluation tool or rubric should be reviewed to clarify expectations and lessen any anxiety the teacher is feeling.

During a pre-conference, the teacher and evaluator should be prepared to discuss the objectives of the lesson, any baseline student data collected by the teacher, anticipated challenges, and the teacher’s plan for assessing students at the end of the lesson.

The actual formal teacher observation should happen within a couple of days of the pre-conference. During the observation, it is essential that the evaluator stay in the classroom for the entirety of the lesson to ensure they have a clear picture of the teacher’s instruction and do not miss any key components. The evaluator should also plan to engage in the lesson by moving about the classroom, checking in on student work, and asking students questions. It is imperative, however, that the evaluator does NOT undermine the teacher’s authority by addressing classroom management issues or intervening in the instructional delivery of the lesson.

After the lesson is complete, a post-conference should be scheduled with the teacher. This should take place within a day or two of the observation, and the purpose of the post-conference is to discuss the lesson and review the completed evaluation tool or rubric. The post-conference is an important opportunity for the teacher to reflect on their instructional delivery, interactions with students, and any assessment data that was collected. This is also the time for the evaluator to ask for any clarifying information regarding the lesson and provide the teacher with both positive and constructive feedback.

The process for unannounced teacher observations will be exactly the same as it is for announced teacher observations, except the pre-conference will not occur. The process for a walk-through is also similar in that there is no pre-conference, and the post-conference may be shorter and much more informal. Additionally, the evaluator may not stay in the classroom for an entire lesson to complete a walk-through, as this type of observation is more of a glimpse into a particular aspect of instruction or management rather than a full picture of a teacher’s overall instructional and management abilities.

Both peer and self evaluations will likely include a pre- and post-observation discussion. This helps to clarify the objective or focus of the observation and allows colleagues or a teacher and supervisor to discuss, ask questions, and reflect.

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How Do You Give Feedback to a Teacher After Observation?

The trickiest component of a teacher observation is often how to give the teacher feedback after the observation. Many evaluators are uncomfortable giving constructive feedback, so they tend to focus only on positive reinforcement. This can leave teachers unsure of their areas for improvement and how to grow and develop as a teacher. Read on for a few tips to make this process more valuable and less awkward for everyone involved.

Celebrate

Praise the teacher on the parts of the lesson that went well or components of the classroom environment that are conducive to learning. Be specific in letting them know where their strengths lie.

Give specific, actionable, and timely feedback

Any feedback given should help the teacher strengthen one of the following areas: lesson planning, instructional delivery, student achievement, classroom environment, classroom management, or teaching technique. Feedback should be specific, given in a timely manner, and invite action from the teacher. Give examples of changes that can be made or alternative strategies or educational resources that could be used in the future.

Encourage reflection

Ask questions throughout the post-conference that invite the teacher to reflect on their instruction and classroom management. The more they can reflect and uncover their own areas for improvement, the better. Encourage them to think through how they could have done things differently, to result in a better outcome.

Collect data to support the evaluation tool or rubric

Have data to support the scores you give on the evaluation tool. It’s more difficult for the teacher to be offended or argue about their scores when you have specific data to support your observations and comments.

Avoid judgment

Your job as an evaluator is to help teachers become the best teachers they can possibly become. It is not to pass judgment. Be as objective and matter-of-fact as possible when observing teachers and giving feedback. Use collected data, in the form of specific examples, to support your claims.

Build trust

Building trust is key to changing teachers’ mindsets around teacher observations. While you are still their supervisor, teachers should view you as an ally who has their best interests at heart. Build that trust by being consistent and fair in your evaluations, timely with your feedback, and helpful as they reflect and strategize ways to improve their craft.

Maintain confidentiality

If we want to change teachers’ mindsets around teacher observations and build trust, the very first step is taking confidentiality seriously. No information about a teacher’s observation, whether formal or informal, should be shared with anyone who is not their superior. Refrain from discussing what you observe in one teacher’s classroom with another teacher, regardless of the intent.

Be compassionate

Put yourself in their shoes by remembering how anxiety-inducing a teacher evaluation can be and bearing in mind that each teacher has their own challenges and stressors they are dealing with outside of the classroom. Be understanding that life happens and some days we don’t bring our best selves into the classroom.

How Many Observations Should a Teacher Have?

The number of evaluations a teacher should have depends on their level of experience. All teachers, including veterans, should have at least one formal teacher evaluation every year, using the school or district’s approved evaluation tool or rubric. New teachers, as well as teachers in their first three years of teaching, should have 2-3 formal evaluations plus multiple walk-throughs each school year. Struggling teachers should expect 4 or more formal evaluations that align to their improvement plan, in addition to the multiple walk-throughs done for all teachers.

A good rule for walk-throughs is about once per month, so teachers should expect 6-10 of these each school year. Peer and self evaluations should be encouraged and used on an as-needed basis.

Overall, teacher observations provide teachers with a unique opportunity to receive feedback on many areas of their instruction. By implementing a consistent teacher observation process at regular intervals throughout the school year, providing timely, fair, and specific feedback for teachers, celebrating their strengths, and working together toward improvement, we can begin to eliminate many of the fears associated with teacher observations.

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What Is Formative Assessment? A Complete Guide for K-12 Educators

Key takeaways

With formative assessment, a teacher can gather evidence to guide their decision-making, rather than waiting until teaching is complete to know whether a student understands the content.

Formative assessment methods are powerful because they are quick and easy for teachers to use. This is not a tedious or labor-intensive process that will overwhelm educators or students.

Using formative assessment is more than gathering student responses. A teacher will need to incorporate specific feedback into their practice to ensure that changes in student understanding can occur quickly.

What Is Formative Assessment?

Formative Assessment vs. Summative Assessment

Key Differences and When to Use Each

Why Is Formative Assessment Important?

Benefits of Formative Assessment for Teachers and Students

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Types of Formative Assessment

Pre-Assessment, Self-Assessment, Peer Feedback, and Feedback Breaks

Formative Assessment Strategies and Examples

Exit Tickets, Think-Pair-Share, and Other Classroom Checks

How to Implement Formative Assessment in Your Classroom

Aligning Assessments with Learning Objectives and Providing Feedback

What Is Instructional Design? A Complete Guide for K–12 Educators

Key takeaways

Instructional design starts with what students need to learn and how they will show what they know.

Models such as ADDIE, Bloom’s Taxonomy, Universal Design for Learning, and Gagné’s Nine Events can help educators plan and make instructional decisions.

An effective design provides direction while giving teachers the flexibility to respond when students need additional time, support, or challenge.

What Is Instructional Design?

Why Is Instructional Design Important?

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Instructional Design Models: The Most Common Frameworks

The ADDIE Model Explained

Other Key Instructional Design Frameworks

The Instructional Design Process: Step by Step

1. Define the Learning Need

2. Set the Learning Goal

3. Decide How Students Will Show What They Learned

4. Build a Logical Learning Sequence

5. Choose How Students Will Learn

6. Plan for Different Learning Needs

7. Teach, Check, and Adjust

8. Review What Worked

Instructional Design Strategies and Best Practices

Key Principles of Effective Course Design

Keep the Focus on Your Students

Types and Components of Curriculum Explained

Key takeaways

The components of curriculum work together. Goals, content, learning experiences, and assessment should all point toward the same student outcomes.

Schools use several types of curriculum at the same time, from the written curriculum teachers are expected to follow to the curriculum students actually learn.

Curriculum is more than a document or textbook. What schools choose to teach, how teachers teach it, what gets assessed, and even what is left out all shape the student experience.

What Are the Components of Curriculum?

What Are the 4 Main Components of Curriculum?

1. Curriculum Intent: Aims, Goals, and Objectives

2. Content: Subject Matter

3. Learning Experiences: Instructional Methods and Strategies

4. Evaluation: Assessment of Learning Outcomes

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Types of Curriculum

What Are the Different Types of Curriculum?

Curriculum Based on How Learning Is Organized

Curriculum From Planning to Student Learning

Curriculum Students Experience Beyond the Written Plan

Keeping Curriculum Focused on What Students Learn

What Is Curriculum Mapping? A Guide for Educators and School Leaders

Key takeaways

Curriculum mapping provides a shared picture of what students should learn, when they should learn it, and how educators will know whether they have learned it.

An effective map creates consistency without requiring every teacher to teach the same lesson in the same way.

The process is most useful when teachers help build the map, use it regularly, and revise it based on student needs and classroom experience.

What Is Curriculum Mapping?

What Are the Different Types of Curriculum Maps?

Why Is Curriculum Mapping Important?

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What Are the Challenges of Curriculum Mapping and How Can Schools Address Them?

How to Create a Curriculum Map in 8 Steps

1. Identify the Purpose

2. Establish the Scope and Team

3. Identify Essential Standards and Outcomes

4. Document What Is Currently Taught

5. Build a Logical Sequence

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