Leading Modern Learning. Jay McTighe

impacts and not on inputs or outputs. Thus, backward design departs from the common practice of thinking about evaluation as something participants do at the end of a project. You need clarity about the success indicators from the start, and you should designate these indicators through the lens of student performance. In other words, you need to get in the habit of asking the assessor’s questions, as in the following.

      • “How will we know if we have achieved the desired results?”

      • “What will see in terms of student performance if we are successful?”

      • “What data do we need from the start to set a baseline related to our goals—to measure the gap between our goals and our current reality?”

      • “How will we collect this evidence?”

      • “How will we track our progress along the way?”

      Such questions and their answers are key not only for making wise plans but also for clarifying an understanding of your mission and the impacts it will have on student learning. Only with clear and appropriate evidence in mind can you gauge your progress and know when you need to adjust your actions. Waiting until the end to see how (or if) they worked is simply too late.

      In addition to impact evidence, you must also gather evidence related to inputs and outputs—for example, the actions you take to achieve the desired impacts for student learning. To arrive at these actions, consider the answers to questions like the following.