How to Master Your Midyear Content Check-Up Without Stress

It’s the middle of the school year, which means it’s time for a content check-in! We need to see what standards we’ve already taught, whether they need to be reviewed, and which standards still need to be introduced. In order to keep things stress-free, I have everything you need for you to assess your current content calendar and long-range plan for the rest of the year! Let the midyear content check-up begin!

Grab Materials Needed

This blog post will help you master your mid-year content check-up. With pacing guides, planning sheets, and more! Assess your standards progress, which common core standards you've already taught, which still need to be taught, and which need to be reviewed. This is perfect for your long-range lesson planning and student skill assessment.

First, you will need to gather your long-range planning materials. Grab some paper, pencils, and highlighters! Then, pull out your pacing guide, your original month-by-month guide, and a fresh month-by-month guide.

If you didn’t use the Common Core ELA Pacing Guide or Month-by-Month Guide pages for your planning before school started, no worries. You can start fresh now! Just grab yours from one of the buttons below:

Time to Highlight Standards Missed or Not Mastered

Next in your midyear content check-up, take some time to look through your pacing guide and planning sheets. If you have been using your CCSS Tracking sheets, you should be able to see which of the CCSS ELA Standards you have already taught. And, you will be able to see which ones still need to be introduced. Be sure to take some time to look through the standards already checked off on your list, though. Circle or take note of any standards your students will need additional review or reteaching.

If you don’t have your CCSS Standards checked off on a tracker, look at your pacing guide. Highlight any standards you were able to teach in the first few months. For the standards that were mastered, you can mark them in a way you like (a checkmark or smiley face, etc). If they are standards that your students need extra time with, retaching or review, circle them. Lastly, if the standards have not been taught, leave them unhighlighted (or highlight them in a different color). Create a list of standards to review and a list of standards to introduce.

Check Flexibility in Pacing Guide

Now, if you are using my CCSS ELA Pacing Guide for your grade level, there are times allotted for the review of previously taught standards. If those review standards aren’t the right fit for your class of learners, swap them out for some of your higher need review skills!

On the other hand, if you aren’t using that pacing guide, take a look at yours. Be sure to include any standards from the “Introduce” part of your list. Look for any open spots or correlating skills to build in those standards from your review list.

Revise Your Month-to-Month Guide If Needed

Finally, you can wrap up your midyear content check-up by refreshing your Month-to-Month Guide, if you like to plan that way. Overall skills and unit ideas can be listed here to keep your planning and instruction on track in an “at-a-glance” form. This is where I like to keep overarching ideas and projects listed. I have found this helpful to pull out in my weekly planning meetings.

So, now you should have an updated pacing guide, standards tracker and monthly planner! Keep these close-by for your weekly lesson planning and it will save you lots of time and effort!