As we head into the end of the year, it is time to review your pacing guide to really figure out how you did this year.
You know that feeling at the end of the year when you’re equal parts relieved, exhausted, and maybe even a little reflective?
It’s the perfect time to press pause, look back, and think forward.
Before the school-year chaos fades too far into summer break mode, take a moment to revisit your pacing guide or curriculum plan.
This doesn’t have to be a major overhaul, but doing a quick review now can save you hours of scrambling come fall. Plus, it’s a great way to make next year even more efficient, effective, and stress-free.
Make Data-Based Decisions
When you’re reviewing your pacing guide, you’ll want to take some time to write in some notes about student success and create a system to rate how each activity went.
Take notes as you review your pacing guide.
What goes on in a classroom is similar to what happens in a business. You have to see a good ROI (return on investment) on your efforts; otherwise, you need to pivot.
As you review, be really honest with yourself, and take the time to pull any data you have available to you to justify each part of the school year.
The Perfect Time for Review
The end of the school year is the perfect time to reflect on what worked and what didn’t because it’s still fresh. Come August, you’ll remember way less than you think you will, so now’s your chance to tweak your pacing guide and make it even better for next year.
Ask Yourself These Questions:
- Did I hit all the standards?
- Which units felt too rushed? Which ones dragged on?
- Were there any concepts that needed more time than I planned for?
- Did my assessments actually measure what I wanted them to?
- Where did students struggle the most, and what could support them better next year?
Color Code As You Review Your Pacing Guide
Print (or digitally mark up) a copy of your pacing guide and color-code it:
- Green = It worked!
- Yellow = Needs adjusting
- Red = Rework or replace entirely
This visual approach makes it easy to see what parts of your year need the most love, and you’ll put your mind in the right place when you come back to your pacing guide in the fall.
Plug the Gaps
If you noticed any standards that didn’t get the time or focus they deserved, now is a great time to find a way to fix the problem.
- Add mini-lessons or short activities to fill the gap
- Replace lower-impact activities with more targeted, standards-based resources
- Plan for spiraling review throughout the year, instead of waiting until test prep season
We have a couple of different product lines that are specifically designed to help teachers plan.
Standards-Based Checklists
These checklists break down each ELA standard by grade level and make it easy to see what you covered, what needs reinforcement, and where your students grew the most. They’re perfect for planning next year’s pacing—and they can even help students reflect on their own progress, too!
Click on the one that makes the most sense for your class below!
Standards-Based Units for EVERY Middle School ELA Standard!
Looking ahead to next year? We’ve created Standards-Based Units for every single Middle School ELA standard in the Common Core (yep, all of them). Each unit is designed to cover one standard in-depth and includes everything from instructional materials to practice activities, assessments, and even visuals. So when you’re ready to plan (without reinventing the wheel), you’ll have exactly what you need to hit every standard with confidence and ease.
Ease the Stress by REARRANGING
Were there months where everything felt crammed?
Maybe a unit didn’t align well with the testing schedule?
Make note of that now so you can shuffle things around for a better flow.
You don’t need to do a complete overhaul—but small shifts now will make next year feel a whole lot smoother.
Be Thoughtful, but Don’t Linger Too Long
This doesn’t have to be a huge project. You’ll thank yourself later when back-to-school season hits and you’re already 10 steps ahead.
By taking the time to review your pacing guide, you’ll wrap up the year with intention and walk into the next one with confidence.
You’ve got this!
Want a little more guidance? Here are a few additional blog posts about end-of-year practices for teachers.
