Instructional Minute
October 11, 2022
Key Definitions:
Essential Standards- the critical learning outcomes that teacher teams agree all students must master. They represent the most important knowledge and skills within a curriculum — not everything that could be taught, but the content every student must know and be able to do. They help PLCs answer the key question: “What do we want all students to learn?”
Prioritized Standards- Once the district has identified essential standards, individual buildings identify those essential standards that need the most focused attention instructionally, based on student data (for example, NWEA or interim assessments). These standards are then a priority of the school.
Use Ongoing Formative Assessment to Monitor Learning
Formative assessment is a continuous process that provides teachers with real-time evidence of student understanding so instruction can be adjusted immediately. It is the engine that drives responsive teaching.
A. Use Multiple Quick Checks for Understanding
Formative assessment should be:
Frequent (daily or near-daily)
Brief (1–5 minutes)
Targeted to one learning target of the priority standard
Examples include:
Exit tickets
Quick writes
Whiteboard responses
Turn-and-talks
Digital polls (e.g., Google Forms, Mentimeter)
These checks help teachers gauge progress without interrupting instruction.
B. Analyze Evidence Through the Lens of the Standard
Ask:
Did students meet the intended learning target?
What errors or misconceptions are emerging?
What patterns are showing up across the class, small groups, or individuals?
The goal is to understand what students can and cannot yet do.
C. Use Data to Make Immediate Instructional Adjustments
Based on evidence, teachers might:
Reteach a concept briefly to the whole class
Pull a small group for targeted instruction
Provide additional modeling or examples
Offer enrichment tasks to students who have already mastered the target
Instruction becomes more precise and efficient when driven by current data.
D. Provide Clear, Timely, Actionable Feedback
Effective feedback:
Focuses on the learning target
Is specific (“Your claim is clear, but the evidence doesn’t fully support it…”)
Helps students understand how to improve
Occurs during learning, not after a unit has ended
Feedback accelerates mastery when it is both timely and actionable.
E. Track Progress Over Time
Teachers (or students!) should maintain simple systems to track mastery of each learning target:
Checklists
Tracking sheets
Digital dashboards
Student portfolios
These tools help teachers verify that all students ultimately master the priority standard—not just isolated pieces of it.
Ensuring Consistency with Daily Instructional Minutes
These guidelines are in place to ensure that all students have access to a guaranteed and viable curriculum—one where every learner receives the essential content and skills needed for success.
Intention to daily instructional minutes supports learning retention, builds routines, and ensures equity across classrooms and schools.
By adhering to the daily instructional minutes, we create:
Consistency – Students know what to expect and can build stronger learning habits.
Equity – Every child has access to the same high-quality learning opportunities.
Progression – Skills and content build in a logical, intentional sequence.
Your commitment to this practice ensures that our students benefit fully from the curriculum we’ve adopted and are better prepared for future success. Thank you for your dedication to maintaining this consistency for all learners.
