With prescribed curriculum, overly
strict pacing guides and the like, teachers have been given little to no opportunity to innovate and design for learning.
On the one hand we say that online learning is truly flexible, but we also construct
strict pacing guides and completion dates in order to ensure that students are doing work in a timely matter and also to ensure they are doing «enough» work.
In many cases, curriculum and instruction have been stifled by
strict pacing guides and a focus on discrete learning.
Over the past seven years, my district has mandated quarterly and mini-testing leading up to the state test at the end of the year, homogeneously - leveled classes according to test scores, double - blocked reading and math classes for students who do not pass the state tests, detailed lesson plans aligned to tested reading skills, and
a strict pacing guide designed to cover all skills on the state test.