Start with the end - programming by assessment first

For most teachers their experience with programming a new unit is to begin with scaffolding the content week by week. But a simpler and less stressful approach is to start with the assessment task. It’s clearer, simpler and keeps the focus on what students actually need to demonstrate.

This isn’t just a teaching hack. It reflects the backward design model described by Wiggins and McTighe in Understanding by Design. Their work shows that when you begin with the assessment evidence, you can plan learning experiences that deliberately build towards success.

Here’s a straightforward process that teachers and schools can adopt.

1. Design the Assessment Task first
Before any lesson plans are written, create the assessment task. Link it directly to the syllabus outcomes or achievement standards. Make the criteria explicit so staff and students know exactly what “success” looks like.

2. Spend more time getting the assessment right

Take time to refine the task. Check that it assesses what matters most, is accessible to all students, and is easy to moderate. This is where collaborative planning pays off — co-writing tasks with colleagues ensures consistency across classes.

3. Backwards map from the task
Ask: “What do students need to know and do to succeed on this task?” Use the answers to plan the key knowledge, skills and formative checkpoints needed. Build these progressively over the unit.

4. Build the unit content from that map
Your map becomes the teaching program. Each week’s lessons develop the skills and understandings needed for the final task. This keeps teaching and assessment tightly aligned and avoids last-minute scrambling.

Why this works:

• Students see the purpose of their learning from day one

• Teachers can plan lessons that are more focused and sequenced

• Moderation and reporting become easier and more consistent

Planuva makes it simple to program this way. You can design the assessment task, link it to outcomes, backwards map the content, and store everything in a central place. Teachers can then feed their improvements back into the master program for continuous refinement.

Register your interest at https://planuva.com