When teachers have clarity about what their students are to learn, John Hattie’s research (Visible Learning, 2009) reveals an effect size of 0.75—equivalent to almost two years of student growth in one year.

The “unwrapping” process is a powerful technique all K-12 educators use to gain that precise clarity. “Unwrapping” shines a bright light on every concept and skill within a standard. When educators “unwrap” prior to any instructional planning or assessment writing, they clearly understand the specific learning targets their students need to learn—and at the corresponding level of rigor. They can then create formative and summative assessments that align with that rigor and plan instruction to help all students achieve the clarified learning targets.