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Selecting the right curriculum is important, but the curriculum can’t work if leaders struggle with implementation. During the edLeader Panel “Leading Through the 5 Stages of Curriculum Implementation for Student Success,” former educators Edwina Woods, Curriculum Services Director at UnboundEd, and Steve Sebelski, Vice President of Program Design at UnboundEd, discussed the five steps to successfully implementing a new curriculum or refining an existing one, plus the types of changes that must be made along the way.

5 Stages of Curriculum Implementation

There are five stages of curriculum implementation that leaders follow:

1. Non-Use: Characterized by there being no evidence or knowledge of the curriculum or tools.
2. Awareness: Practitioners train in and discuss curricula, but aren’t making changes or using tools.
3. Mechanical: Educators start implementing the curriculum, but implementation is inconsistent between classrooms. Educators struggle with parts of the curriculum, and it’s only somewhat apparent that the curriculum is being used.
4. Routine: The curriculum is clearly used but needs refinement. It’s followed closely, but educators aren’t comfortable. They’re getting coaching and feedback, but have trouble making changes. Desired student outcomes aren’t yet apparent.
5. Proficient: Educators easily and comfortably follow the curriculum, data and feedback are used to make decisions and improve implementation, and students show clear growth.

2 Types of Challenges

Leaders face challenges across all stages, which are divided into two types:

1. Technical challenges deal with the concrete problems that come from change. They’re straightforward issues and can be handled with facts, knowledge, and expertise. They’re often solved by experts in the field of the issue. For example, if teachers aren’t using certain tools, leadership can meet with them to ensure they have access to and can use said tools.
2. Adaptive challenges are more complicated and come from issues with the status quo, such as mindsets and preexisting approaches. They require learning new ways of doing things and changing mindsets. Changes must happen across multiple areas, and issues are solved by those who actually have the problem. Leaders can best handle these issues by empowering teams. An example would be a lack of a growth mindset, where educators deem a curriculum too difficult for students, so they don’t use it, perpetuating the status quo.

Navigating the 5 Stages

Navigating all five stages requires technical and adaptive changes. The Non-Use stage can be navigated with technical changes like setting non-negotiables around curriculum use and providing training. Adaptive changes include setting and communicating a vision for teaching and learning, and allowing educators to explore their beliefs, values, and roles in the new curriculum.

The Awareness stage’s technical changes include weekly observations looking for curriculum usage and establishing professional learning communities (PLCs) to support implementation. Adaptive changes include providing space to discuss implementation reservations and encourage collaboration, acknowledging success and growth, and ongoing training, observation, and feedback.

For the Mechanical stage, technical changes include setting clear expectations for PLCs to discuss lessons and peer observations to review lesson components. Adaptive changes are increasing teacher input through surveys or interviews and using PLCs to understand the curriculum’s principles.

In the Routine stage, technical changes include classroom observations with a focus on student-centered learning, and collecting and using student data. Adaptive changes include using PLCs to make decisions and adjustments regarding students and groups without changing the curriculum’s rigor.

Finally, there’s Proficient. The technical changes are minimal, since teachers are comfortable with the material, but include setting expectations for appropriate curriculum adaptations and data analysis. Adaptive changes are using PLCs to examine student data and ensure student growth.

If curriculum implementation is struggling, leaders must consider what stage the implementation is at and what technical and adaptive changes can help move it along. Working with teams can help identify how to proceed and resume implementation.

By looking at the technical and adaptive challenges and changes, leaders will have an easier time navigating through the five steps, ensuring that educators feel comfortable bringing a curriculum into the classroom in a way that helps students thrive. Take things one step at a time, and implementation leads to classroom success.

Learn more about this edWeb broadcast, Leading Through the 5 Stages of Curriculum Implementation for Student Success, sponsored by UnboundEd.

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Article by Jon Scanlon, based on this edLeader Panel