Fix the Plan, Not the Teaching: Aligning Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment, and Support

When great teaching doesn’t lead to great learning, the problem often lies in fragmented planning--not teacher performance.

This book introduces the Instructional Coherence Model, showing educators how to align curriculum, instruction, assessment, and support into unified learning progressions. It includes ready-to-use templates for immediate classroom implementation, offering practical frameworks that help educators integrate principles of coherence, inclusivity, and disciplinary rigor into daily lesson design. Readers will learn to:

• Design learning journeys that build deep understanding over time
• Connect standards to classroom experiences
• Implement High-Impact Teaching Strategies (HITS) alongside disciplinary thinking

This isn’t another initiative--it’s a practical framework for creating educational experiences where every component works together, empowering K-12 educators to shift from improving instruction to designing coherent learning systems that ensure all students succeed.

Erma Anderson is an internationally recognized mathematics and science education expert who has transformed teaching practices in over 150 international schools worldwide. She is the lead consultant for Project AERO, has served as an Albert Einstein Distinguished Fellow, and contributed to the National Science Education Standards. She is also a former physics and mathematics teacher.