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Six Assumptions That Can Shortchange Learning

Our assumptions can have a powerful influence on what we see, how we interpret, and how we respond to what happens in our classroom and our interactions with students. When our assumptions are correct, this process can increase efficiency and improve our effectiveness. Unfortunately, when our assumptions are incorrect, they can launch a narrative that can lead to misunderstanding, misdiagnosis, and unproductive—and even harmful—responses.

We might think of our assumptions as stories we tell ourselves that can drive our beliefs and actions. We carry them with us in our interactions, decisions, and relationships. These narratives are typically shaped by what we have been told, our experiences, our perceptions of students, and our perspective on our work.

We need to be aware of assumptions we hold, regularly test them, and be willing to adjust them when they fall short. Here are seven of the most common assumptions that can get in the way of our success with students. Do any of these assumptions sound familiar?

I must be in control, or students will not learn.

This story assumes that learning is based on compliance. In fact, quality learning requires students to build ownership and engage in sense-making. These are processes that we can facilitate, but students must perform for themselves. When students have choices and a voice in learning, they are more likely to develop understanding, agency, and recall. Learning over which students feel no control tends not to be deep, nor is it retained for very long.

Good teaching means that students should not struggle.

This assumption sets a very high, even unrealistic standard for teaching. In fact, even if we meet it, we may not be doing a learning favor for students. Learning that comes too easily is often forgotten quickly. Struggle is often a key element in learning that is deep and lasting. We need to be ready to coach, guide, and support students in their learning, but preventing them from any struggle can deprive students of experiencing learning in ways that make it durable, transferable, and retainable.

These students do not care.

It may be that students are not responding to the way in which learning is being presented, or it may be that something is getting in the way. Though some of it certainly is, not all student disengagement is apathy. In fact, it may be a signal that something is interfering. What we are seeing might be confusion, uncertainty, or evidence of being overwhelmed. Of course, it might be a signal that students are not connecting with the content or our approach. Fortunately, we can adjust either or both factors. While we may not reach every student every day, we can do our best to maintain high expectations and use what we know about our students to position learning for the best chances of success.

These students cannot handle challenging work.

This statement is more likely to reflect our judgment than students’ capacity to learn. Our expectations matter. When we hold high expectations and support students to meet them, they are more likely to do so. On the other hand, if we lower our expectations, we risk not exposing students to learning that is deep and rich. We deprive them of the possibility of achieving more than they have in the past. We also risk underestimating our potential to lift the learning of our students to new and expected heights.

I must cover all the content.

This assumption prioritizes pacing over understanding. Coverage does not usually lead to competence, and superficial exposure does not lead to learning success. Time and curriculum requirements are certainly pressures teachers face, despite us knowing that choosing to prioritize coverage risks fragile learning and quick forgetting. A better choice is to decide what learning is essential, or at least the highest priority, and focus on those concepts and skills, even if it means some other content might not be addressed.

This is the way I have always done this, so it must work.

This statement falls back on tradition as a predictor of correctness. In fact, the first part of this statement may be correct, but it does not mean that the second part is also. Just because something worked in the past does not mean that it is the best approach today. The students we are teaching may have changed. Expectations may have shifted. Or some other factor may have been altered. The key is to focus on the needs, readiness, and characteristics of the students in front of us and ask what will work for them.

We want our students to succeed. We also want to be confident in our ability to make their success possible. Consequently, we need to be thoughtful about the assumptions we make and their impact on our teaching and our students’ learning. Are there other assumptions you would add to this list? If so, what impact might they have on students and learning?

August 06, 2026

Five Times Memorization Will Help Learning—and Five Times It Won’t

Traditionally, memorization has played a significant role in the history of formal learning. Students were expected to memorize a wide variety of facts, terms, formulas, and other elements that adults deemed important to be recited. To some extent, memorization was especially important because students, during their education and later, did not always have immediate access to a wide range of information relevant to their success. Memorization was also seen as a key intellectual pursuit. Being able to recite poetry, significant quotes, and literary passages was considered a sign of an educated person and evidence that someone values and respects culture.

The omnipresence of information today calls into question the role of memorization in education. The ability to recall and recite information and quote from important statements and writings of the past conveys a level of exposure and attention to what is historically significant. Having immediate access to some information, even when it can be obtained with little effort, remains useful.

The key question is whether memorization still has a place in formal learning. If so, what role should it play and when? Conversely, when does memorization not have a role, and when should it be assigned a lower priority? Let’s explore five times when memorization continues to be beneficial to learning and five occasions when it is best to avoid or not require it.

Times when memorization can be useful and important:

Building mental muscle memory. Some elements of learning need to be immediately available for recall. As examples, emergency and safety procedures, musical notes, and grammatical rules benefit from immediate access. Memorizing can free up working memory to focus on urgent and important elements and actions.

Learning important terms and concepts. Students often need to know key vocabulary words to engage in some types of learning. Memorizing procedures, processes, formulas, and terms is crucial for most complex, scientific, and technical activities. Unless students are familiar with key terms, time can be lost searching for definitions and building understanding.

Creating processing efficiency. Memorization can create brain space for higher-order thinking such as analysis, synthesis, and problem solving. Automaticity frees up mental bandwidth. For example, confidence with basic math facts can free up attention to focus on more complex operations.

Constructing foundational understanding. Memorization can be the foundation for critical thinking. It can function much like scaffolding, providing support for higher-level mental activities. Memorized core principles and parameters can create anchor points to support complex concepts and ideas.

Recognizing and using patterns. Memorization can build confidence and offer empowerment for performing complex tasks. Understanding patterns can stimulate curiosity. Seeing patterns can also lead to deeper insight and recognition when something does not fit or is incorrect.

Occasions when memorization should be avoided, or at least given a lower priority:

Interpreting experience and sifting information. Sense-making is an important learning element. Memorizing a procedure or formula without understanding why it works and how to apply it accomplishes little. Being able to recite a definition without understanding its implications or significance is of limited value to understanding or solving a problem.

Seeking original thinking or creativity. Memorized information can provide context for creativity and serve as a launch point for original thinking. However, creativity and original thinking require more depth, flexibility, and judgment than memorization typically can offer.

Building learning transfer. Information memorized for one purpose can be inadequate for another. For example, memorizing specific types of math problems can ignore the importance of learning strategies, and relying on writing templates can distract from the importance of addressing the purpose of communication and the intended audience.

Exercising judgment and navigating moral dilemmas. Memorization can provide structure and parameters for behavior, but making important decisions and finding a path through complex and conflicting options calls for more than a list of rules or a checklist of items.

Developing declarative learning skills. Facts, formulas, procedures, and vocabulary can help to frame higher-level work. But activities such as scientific inquiry, collaboration and discussion, artistic techniques, and other complex and creative activities require a level of thinking and understanding beyond what can be memorized.

We might think of memorization as a useful tool to assist learning rather than a goal to achieve. Memorization can help to filter, sort, retain, and apply information. It can also be a path to processing efficiency, a launch point for complex thinking, and a context for creativity.

In addition to asking yourself when memorization is an appropriate learning goal, consider the following activities to broaden the scope of this conversation: Teachers, ask your students where they see the most value in memorization; you might need to guide them toward seeing examples in their everyday lives. Administrators, ask your teachers where they see the most value in memorization and how they can frame tasks that ask students to memorize information.

July 30, 2026

Recognize and Avoid These 7 Common Teaching Fallacies

Teaching is complex work, and we—like all professionals—use shortcuts to manage the complexity. We make assumptions and form judgments in real time, even when we may not have complete information. We use observations and clues to assess and adjust our instruction and anticipate and manage behavior. However, sometimes what we think we are seeing is not what is actually happening.

The cues and strategies on which we depend can be flawed, and priority choices we make may be limiting the learning we intend. We might think of these common assumptions, perceptions, and conclusions as teaching fallacies. They may be practiced with good intentions, but they can still get in the way of learning. Let’s explore seven common teaching misconceptions, the consequences they can produce, and how we might overcome them.

The compliance fallacy.
Students may be quiet and doing as they are told. They may be looking at us and following instructions. Yet, what we are saying may be going in one ear and out the other. It is said that we can demand our students’ presence in seats, but learning is voluntary. Compliance might be a starting point, but learning that is captured and retained is more likely to result when students find relevance, utility, and meaning in what they are learning. The resulting commitment is a far better path to learning than demanded compliance.

Insight: Learning requires a level of structure and order, but compliance is often not adequate for learning to occur. Learning requires interaction, reflection, and sensemaking—actions not assured when compliance is the only driver.

The activity fallacy.
Learning often comes through activities. However, not all activities result in learning. Students may participate in enjoyable experiences without learning and may be active without gaining insight and understanding. The experiences we design for students must begin with a focus on and lead to learning. If they don’t, they serve little purpose.

Insight: Activities need to serve learning, not just entertain. Worthy activities are tightly tied to, support, and lead to learning outcomes.

The engagement fallacy.
We might think that if students are smiling, looking at us, and participating, then they must be learning. Yet, multiple studies have shown that adults tend to significantly overestimate student engagement. In fact, students are often skilled at looking engaged when their minds are a million miles away. On the other hand, students who may not appear to be engaged may be thinking deeply, considering implications, and making connections in their learning.

Insight: We must do more than assume engagement based on nonverbal signals. Checking for understanding, structuring active participation, and asking for feedback can offer more reliable evidence.

The learning retention fallacy.
If students understand today’s lesson, we might think we can move forward with confidence that they will be able to remember and use what they have learned. However, this can be a flawed assumption. Initial learning may have yet to be transferred into long-term memory and, consequently, can quickly be lost.

Insight: We need to follow new learning up with opportunities for students to practice and develop long-term recall if we want them to retain what they learn.

The first idea fallacy.
We can become overly enamored with the first idea we have, what feels like an obvious solution, or an action that will release the pressure we feel. Yet, ignoring alternatives, overlooking assumptions, failing to iterate, and discounting implications can be expensive in time, effort, and outcomes. This approach stymies our creativity, limits our flexibility, and can deprive us of promising alternatives that would better serve the needs of our students.

Insight: Taking time to consider alternatives, explore options, and press our thinking can make the difference between just pushing through and finding new ideas, fresh approaches, and solutions that best serve our goals.

The gut feeling fallacy.
Intuition can be accurate, but it can also ignore factors that are not apparent or known to us. We can risk losing time and wasting energy when we rely on our gut feelings alone. We can even make the situation worse when we depend on perceptions and assumptions over data and evidence. Of course, solid evidence is not always available to us, and sometimes we have no alternative than to fall back on our gut feelings. However, we need to be cautious and avoid overdependence on what we assume when we really do not know.

Insight: Intuition can be useful in many circumstances. However, gut feelings informed by evidence hold the greatest promise for finding answers and designing interventions.

The coverage fallacy.
We may feel pressure to cover everything in the curriculum, especially as the end of the grading period, semester, or school year looms. However, hurrying through concepts, skimming over content, and lightly touching skills accomplishes little when learning is our goal. We may need to prioritize and even skip some elements. However, if the time we recoup results in the learning of important concepts, content, and skills, the tradeoff will be well worth it.

Insight: Remember that what counts most is what students learn, not what we teach. Pacing matters, but pacing needs to respond to learning progress, not just the week of the year.

Many of these fallacies may seem obvious and familiar. A simple reminder to avoid them may be all you need. Of course, the list is not exhaustive; you may also want to add to it. When you do, please share your insights with your colleagues.

July 15, 2026

Teaching for Knowledge or Building Skills: When to Choose

When designing learning experiences, we face a crucial question: Do we primarily want students to know something, or do we want them to do something? Should the focus be on content they will need to absorb or on skills we want them to develop? Our answers to these questions should guide our decision about the best instructional approach.

It goes without saying that learning often—maybe even mostly—involves a combination approach, but sometimes the focal point needs to be on one or the other. At times, we need to build context and activate background knowledge to create a foundation for learning. At other times, we want students to build specific competencies and practice crucial skills. These two approaches are, respectively, commonly known as content-focused instruction and skill-based instruction.

As the names suggest, content-focused and skill-based instructional approaches serve related but separate goals. We might think of content-focused instruction as providing broad context, emphasizing concepts, and building a foundation for understanding. Content-focused instruction is more likely to emphasize content knowledge, facts, sequences, concepts, and procedures. Skill-based instruction, on the other hand, emphasizes analysis, problem solving, application, and communication. Skill-based instruction focuses more on competencies and processes that enable learners to apply what they are learning. Content-focused instruction aligns well with building foundational knowledge and intellectual development, while skill-based instruction emphasizes hands-on learning and the development of transferable skills. Both types of instruction are valuable, but they serve different priorities.

Traditionally, skill-based instruction has been more closely linked to practical skill classes and job training, while content-focused instruction has been more associated with traditional academic classes. However, today’s students and the world they are preparing for require foundational knowledge and skills to apply what they learn practically. Equally important, students want to understand why they are learning and what they can do with that knowledge. 

So, how might content-focused and skill-based instruction look in practice, and how can we decide which approach fits best? Here are five considerations to guide us:

What is our instructional goal? Do we primarily want students to acquire knowledge or use what they learn? In many instances, we might choose a content-focused approach to introduce a new concept or create a foundation for understanding context. Once the foundation is established, we might move to a skill-based approach to help students use what they have learned to solve problems, analyze relationships, or apply it in other ways.

How much do students already know? If we are introducing new information that students will need later, a content-focused approach may be best. If students are familiar with the context and purpose of what they are learning, a skill-based approach will likely advance their learning and sustain their motivation and engagement.

What will students be expected to do with what they are learning? If theoretical knowledge, understanding concepts, and seeing relationships are goals, a content-focused approach makes sense. If students will be expected to analyze situations, participate in simulations, and demonstrate competency, a skill-based approach will likely be more successful.

Is long-term learning retention and transfer crucial? General awareness and understanding can be generated through a content-focused approach. However, to ensure long-term retention and the ability to transfer learning to novel situations, a skill-based approach with frequent and spaced practice is likely to be a better choice.

How will learning be assessed? If students will be expected to explain processes, sequence information, or draw conclusions, a content-focused approach may offer the best alignment. On the other hand, if students will be expected to demonstrate competencies, use new learning to solve problems, or analyze approaches, a skill-based approach is the better choice.

Obviously, content-focused and skill-based instruction each has a role to play in the learning experiences we design for students. The key questions are, “What is our primary instructional goal?” and “What do we expect students to do with what they learn?” We might use a combination of approaches in some lessons or choose a single approach, depending on our students' readiness, the complexity of what they are learning, and how their learning will be assessed.

July 09, 2026

Study: Four Skills Today’s Students Must Develop for Future Success

What are the most important skills to nurture in our students? How can we best prepare them for a future filled with new challenges, changing expectations, and emerging demands? The task can seem overwhelming, especially in the face of traditions, practices, and assumptions about schools and learning that are often more backward-facing than aligned with what the future will ask of our students. Fortunately, a recent global study explored this question and provides some answers to consider.

Conducted by Cambridge International, the study sought to identify the essential knowledge and skills students need in order to be prepared for the future. The results somehow seem both obvious and surprising. After surveying more than 3,000 teachers and 4,000 students in 150 countries, researchers found wide agreement in four areas: knowledge, self-management, communication, and adaptability.

While the opinions and perspectives of educators and students certainly matter on their own, the findings of the Cambridge International study are also strongly supported by research in education, psychology, and neuroscience. The broad consensus is that students need:

a solid knowledge foundation across academic disciplines and the skills to apply what they have learned,

to manage their emotions, thinking, and behavior,

skills in communicating their needs, what they know, and what they want to learn, and

readiness to adapt to changing circumstances and expectations.

On the surface, these areas of learning and skill focus may not seem surprising. However, in the flurry of competing agendas, distractions of technology and social media, and preoccupation with grades, we and our students can both lose track of what really matters. Let’s examine these four crucial areas of knowledge and skill and their implications.

Subject knowledge

Some might assume that in an era increasingly influenced by artificial intelligence, deep subject knowledge may be less important. Yet, the opposite is more likely to be accurate. Subject knowledge can inform areas of inquiry, stimulate curiosity about what-ifs, and help determine whether the information presented is credible. In contrast, insufficient subject-matter expertise and limited comprehension may prevent students from critically evaluating the information they receive, potentially leading them to accept incorrect conclusions. Furthermore, a superficial and incomplete understanding of the content can leave students unsure of which questions to ask.

Self-management

The world we are preparing today’s students for will be filled with distractions, uncertainty, and conflicting perspectives. The world they inherit will present more complexity than any previous generation has faced. Learning to focus, manage time and priorities, sustain attention, delay gratification, and persist in the face of challenges will be crucial success skills. The ability to manage oneself is a better predictor of future physical health, personal financial success, and pro-social behavior than either IQ or social class, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Communication

The ability to communicate is among the most urgent needs in global society, and it represents one of the greatest gaps. A common theme in the Cambridge report was that possessing knowledge and skills is important, but if what people know cannot be communicated, it is of little value. If we hope to prepare students for their future, we need to help them develop a communication skill set that supports expressing empathy and understanding, techniques for nurturing and supporting collaboration, strategies for persuasion, approaches for navigating conflict, explanations of technical processes, and descriptions of complex concepts.

Adaptability

The ability to shift, adjust, and adapt is likely to be among the most important life and work skills students will need for success in their futures. For example, gaining and practicing a variety of learning skills will help students avoid being overly dependent on what they already know and what has been useful in the past. The need to learn will present itself in varied forms. Assuming that students will be able to rely on their ability to learn in response to carefully and professionally prepared lessons is unrealistic. Learning opportunities are as likely to come in the form of experiences, expectations, and observations as a formal instructional context. Resilience, too, will play an important role in navigating life’s challenges and setbacks. The ability to “bounce back” better, with new learning and even broader, stronger skills, will accelerate career success and life satisfaction.

Without question, the life for which we are preparing today’s students will be filled with challenges, opportunities, and unexpected demands. The four key skills identified in the Cambridge International study may not be all-inclusive, but they represent excellent anchor points and a foundation on which to build the array of skills we want and need our students to develop.

References:

Baker, S. (2025). Preparing learners to thrive in a changing world. Cambridge International. https://www.cambridge.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/Cambridge%20-%20Preparing%20learners%20to%20thrive%20in%20a%20changing%20world%20FINAL%207.pdf

Moffitt, T. E., Arseneault, L., Belsky, D., Dickson, N., Hancox, R. J., Harrington, H., Houts, R., Poulton, R., Roberts, B. W., Ross, S., Sears, M. R., Thomson, W. M., & Caspi, A. (2011). A gradient of childhood self-control predicts health, wealth, and public safety. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108(7), 2693-2698. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1010076108

June 26, 2026

What the Most Successful Teachers Do Differently

No two classrooms operate exactly the same way. Teachers choose different teaching strategies. They may choose different materials to support their instruction. They have students engaged in different learning activities. They may even have entirely different classroom management systems.

Yet, these are not the elements that usually separate the most successful teachers. In fact, it is not the programs and techniques they adopt. What sets them apart is much deeper. Their secrets of success lie in the ways they think about and approach their practice. Their success is shaped by hundreds of small decisions made every day. These decisions—and the habits associated with them—over time quietly compound and generate momentum for learning that can be profound.

Remarkably, the practices and habits in which highly successful teachers engage do not require special talent or unusual intellect. Their power is found in authenticity and consistency. Let’s examine seven of these habits and the power they possess to positively impact students and learning.

Habit #1: They prioritize relationships that support learning. Highly successful teachers understand that relationships are the grease that makes many important aspects of learning possible. Building trust, showing respect, and making connections leads students to feel valued and as though they belong. The presence of strong, positive relationships creates a foundation for high expectations, confidence in feedback, and commitment to persist and succeed. Of course, these relationships are not confined to students. They extend to families, colleagues, and others whose support is important in fostering learning.

Habit #2: They reflect regularly and improve deliberately. Highly successful teachers recognize that experience is not the same as expertise. Taking time to reflect on what worked, what did not work, what was anticipated, and what surprised are starting points for gaining insight and strengthening professional practice. Growth comes from examination, analysis, and adjustments, not repetition.

Habit #3: They remain fully present, despite distractions. Successful teaching requires constant awareness. Students signal their confusion, engagement, emotions, curiosity, and other learning-related information constantly. Being fully present makes it more likely that subtle cues are noticed so that adjustments can be made in real time.

Habit #4: They avoid unnecessary multitasking. Like being fully present, focusing attention on what is most important increases the impact and boosts the productivity of highly successful teachers. Obviously, teachers face multiple competing demands, but trying to do too many things at once diminishes effectiveness. Focusing on what matters most for learning also minimizes the energy lost to less important and impactful activities.

Habit #5: They treat mistakes as feedback, not failure. Highly successful teachers understand that mistakes are nothing more than data that provides clues about what to avoid, adjust, and improve. When errors are seen as evidence, experimentation is easier, risks are less scary, and refinement is more likely. Additionally, when teachers see and use mistakes as information for improvement, mistakes become less risky for students.

Habit #6: They constantly check for understanding. Highly successful teachers know that instruction is important, but learning is what counts. Regularly gathering evidence of learning during instruction ensures that students remain engaged, are in sync with teaching, and are processing the information shared with them. As a result, instruction can be adjusted before confusion and misconceptions become entrenched. Checking for understanding following instruction allows teachers to discern where students need reinforcement, clarification, and additional practice.

Habit #7: They prioritize impact over affirmation. Not all teaching-related decisions are popular with students and not all decisions that are popular result in learning. Learning can be challenging, and it is not always enjoyable. Prioritizing actions that produce important learning and lasting growth leads to the success students deserve, even when other options may generate short-term enthusiasm.

These habits make one thing clear: Teaching success is less about activities and techniques and more about the ways we think about and approach our work. When we consistently practice these and similar habits, we create conditions to support learning growth and position us to become more effective.

May 01, 2026

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Share your story and the tips you have for getting through this challenging time. It can remind a fellow school leader of something they forgot, or your example can make a difficult task much easier and allow them to get more done in less time. We may publish your comments.

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Finishing Strong: Making ESY Decisions That Actually Make Sense

It’s hard to believe that we are already approaching the end of the school year. With spring in full swing, school teams are balancing progress monitoring, end-of-year meetings, and planning for what comes next. For many educators, Extended School Year (ESY) decisions are either already underway or quickly rising to the top of the to-do list. The question is: Are our ESY decisions thoughtful, individualized, and truly aligned to student needs? Or are we rushing to check a box?

As educators and leaders, you know that ESY is not about simply offering more school. It is about ensuring continuity of critical skills for students with disabilities. Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, ESY must be determined on an individual basis, grounded in data, and designed to support a student’s ability to make meaningful progress. When done well, ESY decisions protect hard-earned gains and set students up for a stronger start in the fall.

As you head into ESY planning, it’s important to consider a few key areas that can strengthen both your process and your outcomes:

Start with Clarity: What Does the Student Truly Need?

Strong ESY decisions begin with the right lens. Shifting the conversation from “Does this student qualify?” to “What does this student need to maintain or continue progress?” keeps the focus on the student, where it belongs.

Teams need to ground that conversation in data. Progress monitoring, service logs, and work samples can help identify patterns of regression, recoupment, or emerging skills that may be at risk. While professional judgment plays an important role, pairing it with clear data ensures decisions are both thoughtful and defensible.

Just as important is identifying the most critical skills; it’s important to recognize that ESY is not intended to replicate the full school year. Instead, teams should prioritize a small number of foundational skills—specifically, those skills that have the greatest impact on the student’s overall progress and independence.

Strengthen the Process: Thoughtful, Collaborative Decision-Making

ESY decisions are strongest when they are intentional and collaborative, not rushed or routine.

Avoid patterns where decisions are made based on special education programs, disability categories, or “what we’ve always done.” Each student’s needs should drive the recommendation. Taking time to individualize decisions not only ensures compliance but also builds trust across teams.

Preparation is a key component of the process. When teams come to IEP meetings with data reviewed, observations gathered, and a preliminary recommendation in mind, conversations are more productive and focused.

Equally important is ensuring that all voices are part of the discussion. General education teachers, special education providers, related service staff, and families each bring valuable insight. Creating space for those perspectives leads to stronger, more well-rounded decisions.

Plan for Follow-Through: From Recommendation to Reality

A well-written ESY decision is only effective if it can be implemented with fidelity!

Think ahead about logistics, including staffing needs, scheduling, service delivery models, locations, and materials. Aligning these details early helps to ensure that what is written in the IEP translates into a meaningful summer experience for students.

Clear communication with families also plays a critical role. ESY can sometimes be misunderstood, so taking time to explain how decisions were made, what data was considered, and what services will look like helps build clarity and trust.

Finally, don’t underestimate the importance of documentation. Capturing not just the decision, but also the reasoning behind it and the data used to support it, reinforces continuity and strengthens the team’s position if questions arise later.

As the school year winds down, ESY decisions are an opportunity to ensure that student data, critical skill priorities, and individualized needs are driving team decisions. This is the time to be intentional about how those decisions are made and documented. A little focus now can prevent skill loss, reduce frustration, and create a smoother transition into the next school year.

Finishing strong isn’t just about closing out the year. It’s about setting students up for continued success. The care and intention behind your ESY decisions is a powerful part of that work.

April 28, 2026

The Unusual Power of Low-Stakes Collaborative Assessments

We know that having students engage in low-stakes assessments can ultimately lift their learning and improve performance on subsequent high-stakes assessments. When students have more comfortable opportunities to test their knowledge, understand where they are confused, or identify gaps in what they know, we can support them by reteaching and coaching, helping them to grow what they know. As a result, they typically perform better on assessments with greater significance. In other words, low-stakes assessments are typically focused on sense-making and knowledge growth, while high-stakes assessments render judgments.

With this understanding, the obvious question is: What are the best knowledge-building low-stakes assessment practices? It so happens that many of the most effective forms of low-stakes assessment are conducted collaboratively. When students share, discuss, explore, and practice what they are learning in pairs or groups, learning grows—usually more quickly and significantly than when they study alone.

Nevertheless, tapping the benefits of collaborative low-stakes practices involves more than simply putting students together to study or work. The structures and tasks students engage in matter. Learning grows the most when students think together, not just work together. Students learn more when they are evaluators as well as performers, and understanding expands when students analyze errors as well as the correct answers. With these insights in mind, here are five collaborative, low-stakes assessments and learning activities to consider trying.

Collaborative Concept Mapping

Concept maps help learners to see relationships among factors and elements. The more complete the concept map, the clearer the concepts become. However, when students complete concept maps on their own, they only benefit from what they already know. When concept maps are developed collaboratively, students benefit from others' perspectives, have opportunities to discuss and clarify relationships, uncover gaps in their knowledge, and deepen their understanding. Of course, collaborative groups may need guidance and coaching to avoid a single student creating the concept map without discussion, debate, and input from other group members.

Reciprocal Teaching

The power of explaining what we are learning and teaching others what we understand is well-documented. Explaining and teaching forces the organization of information and consolidation of understanding to a level where it can be shared with and understood by others; this process deepens understanding and builds long-term memory. When students teach each other, both parties benefit. Attempting to explain a concept can uncover confusion and knowledge gaps, and questions and clarification can further broaden and deepen new learning. That said, we may need to monitor this activity to ensure that misconceptions are not being passed along and that accurate information is exchanged.

Collaboratively Constructed Success Criteria

When students participate in defining what quality looks like, they are more likely to focus on meeting the criteria they have created and understand. Yet students working individually can struggle to understand and articulate success criteria that reflect more than what they understand and can perform. On the other hand, group discussions can surface additional areas of understanding to capture in a list of criteria. We might provide groups with examples of varying quality for students to examine and then use to stimulate discussion and clarify which important concepts and elements to include. The outcome of the sample examination and the criteria clarification might be a rubric to guide the assessment of the work they will produce. Student-produced rubrics might be compared across groups and with a rubric we create to identify areas of consensus and further clarify what constitutes quality. In the end, students will have criteria that they own and understand, not just receive.

Team-Based Error Analysis

Errors can be excellent prompts for learning. Studying the nature and causes of errors can stimulate discussion and deepen understanding. Depending on students’ maturity and readiness, groups might analyze examples we provide or use the work of one or more group members. We might provide prompts to focus the group's attention or allow them to search out, analyze, and provide corrections they see as necessary, along with an explanation of why. The goal is to have students discuss and gain an understanding of what caused errors and how they might be corrected. However, in this context, some benefit can be gained even when a single student can identify errors, analyze their cause, and make corrections, if the student provides (teaches) this information to other members of the group.

Collaborative Self-Assessment

This low-stakes activity borrows from the practice of self-testing for students to analyze their work before submitting it. When students have developed drafts, models, or outlines in response to a task or challenge, they might share their work with other members of a student group for analysis, feedback, and suggestions for improvement. This practice gives students opportunities to share and explain their work as well as chances to gain access to other students' understanding and ideas. They also see the work and hear the perspectives of other students through the work products they share. Student groups might utilize self-created or teacher-developed rubrics to guide their discussion and feedback. Of course, we may need to reinforce positive group norms to ensure that feedback and suggestions are offered in a helpful and supportive manner.

The power of collaborative low-stakes assessments lies in the thinking and sharing it invites, not in the activity itself. When we position students as contributors, critics, and co-constructors of their learning, assessment shifts from exercises in judgment to opportunities for growth and sense-making. In truth, our goal is not just to prepare students for future assessments, but to prepare them to be capable, confident learners.

April 23, 2026

How to Help Students Recognize and Develop Their Talents

Our first responsibility as educators is to ensure that students develop the broad base of knowledge and the skillset necessary to prepare them for life after they leave formal education. While this challenge is, of course, worthy of our time and attention, there is also a second challenge to which educators need to attend: to scout, find, and develop students’ special interests, aptitudes, and talents.

Gaining skills and a broad understanding across the general curriculum provides students with important preparation for life. However, when we find and tap students’ special gifts and interests, we open the door for them to move beyond compliance with what is expected of them and to pursue a deeper learning experience featuring a sense of purpose, persistence, and commitment that drives their learning.

A first step in discovering a student’s special gifts and talents is to simply be aware of the student's potential and look for these gifts and talents. When we believe every student has talent—even though it may be hidden or undiscovered—our relationships with them shift. We pay attention to signs and signals in students’ words and behaviors that might be evidence of academic, artistic, physical, creative, or leadership talent. We see flashes of creativity, a facility for problem-solving, or a spirit of compassion and empathy as potential evidence of a latent talent to be developed.

While we want all students to grow and progress across a broad array of areas, talent cultivation focuses on an area or areas in which a student might continue to grow in depth and at a rate that exceeds what might be envisioned or expected in the general education context. Often, these specific areas of interest can lead to focused career exploration and help the student make decisions that chart a course for their future.

Of course, uncovering areas of potential interest and talent is only the first step. Our most impactful work lies in cultivating the potential students possess. We can begin by helping students to be aware of what excites them, comes easily for them, or attracts their energy. However, we need to be careful to nurture what the student finds interesting or is passionate about, not what we believe should drive them.

We also need to define talent broadly. Academic, artistic, physical, creative, and leadership talent are commonly noticed, but we might also include empathy, compassion, persistence, and problem-solving in our definition of talent. Many emerging careers and employment options depend on talents that have not traditionally been recognized and celebrated.

Further, we can think of talent development as a continuum. A student may not demonstrate a high level of accomplishment now, but their talent can grow and become increasingly apparent and valuable over time. Talent rarely comes fully developed. Time, practice, commitment, and support are crucial elements for moving toward full development.

We can match growth opportunities with practice and exploration. Students need opportunities to practice and develop new skills. Depending on their ages, we might identify and encourage students to engage in internships, apprenticeships, and other related experiences to grow their talent and skills.

We need to treat mistakes and setbacks as learning opportunities. Students can easily become discouraged when they attempt a difficult task or a challenge and are not immediately successful. We need to help them see less-than-successful attempts as important opportunities for learning rather than evidence of inadequacy or reasons to give up.

We can give students choices and space to develop. Students grow and develop at their own pace. They also need to feel ownership for the path they are pursuing. We may need to step back and give students opportunities to try and fail and make choices about the path that is best for them. In the end, students need to feel ownership and commitment on their own terms, not in response to our and others’ expectations.

Finally, we can allow students to see us stretch and grow. We can be useful models for students when we take risks and continue to grow our skills. When students see us stretching, making mistakes, and learning from our experiences, they can feel freer to try difficult tasks and take on significant challenges without expecting perfection.

Helping students build the knowledge and skills contained in the curriculum can often be a challenge. Students may struggle to see relevance and perceive learning as a compliance activity. When students find areas of special interest and uncover their unique talents, they’re more likely to persist in the face of challenges and commit to their learning path. Our job is to notice, nurture, and nudge.

Visit our Paraeducator Career and Technical Education Pathway page to see how this program for high school students aligns with your school’s Grow-Your-Own program!

April 09, 2026

Checking for Evidence of Understanding: 3 Levels to Examine

We typically think of checking for understanding as an activity that occurs in the context of instruction to ensure that students are following and understanding. Of course, this is an important component of learning. If students are confused or unable to grasp concepts and skills as they are presented, it is unlikely that much learning will occur.

Yet, checking for understanding encompasses much more than determining whether students are keeping up with instruction. While it is important for students to grasp what they are hearing, doing, and experiencing, learning requires students to do more than follow along. Learning happens when students reflect on what they are learning, connect new information to what they already know, apply what they are learning, and use it to create new insights and extend their understanding.

Checking for understanding that informs us of whether and how students are learning needs to encompass the rest of the learning process. We might think of checking for understanding as a multi-level process: The first level features common activities and signals that students are following along and keeping up. The second level occurs following instruction and focuses on elements such as whether students can explain, summarize, or demonstrate the target skill or concept. The third level goes even deeper to understand whether students can apply new learning in novel and authentic contexts.

Each level of evidence is important in evaluating learning progress and diagnosing areas of struggle, confusion, or disconnection. Equally important, each level builds on the one above it. Obviously, students will not be able to explain or summarize information about which they are confused, nor would they be able to apply and transfer learning they cannot summarize or demonstrate.

So, what might a layered process of checking for understanding look like, and what activities might fall into each level of evidence? Consider this example as a place to start and build on.

Level 1: Real-time Confirmation and Feedback. At this level, we are checking for confusion, misconceptions, and disengagement. We want to know that students are tracking our instruction so that we can adjust our instruction to clarify and correct anything that may be getting in the way of learning.

Potential activities:

Nonverbal signals such as “thumbs up/thumbs sideways/thumbs down”

Confidence ratings like the tried-and-true Fist to Five

Mini white board responses

Digital polls or a show of hands

Choral responses

Visual or graphic representations

Level 2: Post-Instruction Traction. Following instruction, our checking for understanding shifts to determining whether new learning has stabilized. We want to know whether new learning has reached the level where students can explain what they have learned, summarize their learning, and demonstrate the new skill or concept.

Potential activities:

Exit tickets

Turn-talk-share

60-second summaries

Teach a peer

Compare/contrast prompts

Retrieval practice

Level 3: Application, Transfer, and Extension. At this level, we are checking for evidence of understanding that reflects students’ movement beyond recognition and short-term recall. We want to confirm that students have gained the clarity and confidence to use what they have learned independently and apply it in unfamiliar contexts. We want to see whether students can use what they have learned to create new insights, discover new uses, and solve problems that extend beyond what they have been taught.

Potential activities:

Project-based learning

Simulations

Performance tasks

Socratic seminars

Design challenges

Case studies

We need to know what students are learning, and checking for understanding is a great strategy for collecting evidence. However, we should be careful to avoid confusing participation for understanding, surface engagement for learning, and memorization for insight. Only when we intentionally seek out evidence can we be confident that learning has the depth, strength, and sticking power necessary to serve our students’ needs.

April 02, 2026

We’re In Your Corner!

We might think that working long hours is the best way to be productive, but cognitive science paints a different picture.

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