Learning Progressions become the instructional “ladder” that educators will build and then use to teach their students the prerequisite concepts and skills in the “unwrapped” Essential Standards. When educators plan their Learning Progressions, they begin “with the end in mind”, deciding what concepts and skills—from simple to complex—that students must progressively acquire so they can ultimately demonstrate their understanding of the more rigorous concepts and skills on the end-of-unit assessment. The unit’s less rigorous supporting standards often provide the first “rungs” of this instructional ladder. Learning Progressions are arranged in a logical order, or “instructionally defensible sequence” (W. James Popham, 2008), to serve as Lesson-Specific Learning Targets throughout the unit of study.

Related Workshop:

LEARNING PROGRESSIONS: THE “BUILDING BLOCKS” OF DAILY INSTRUCTION