Backward Design
A curriculum planning approach where teachers first decide what students should be able to do at the end of a unit, then design assessments, and only then plan lessons — the reverse of traditional planning.
The three stages of backward design
Backward design, popularised by Wiggins and McTighe in Understanding by Design, has three stages — identify desired results, determine acceptable evidence, plan learning experiences. Most traditional planning starts from textbooks and moves forward, often arriving at vague outcomes. Backward design reverses this so the learning journey points clearly to a defined destination.
Why this matters for parents
When a school uses backward design, you can ask a Class 4 teacher 'what should my child be able to do at the end of this unit?' and get a clear answer. The teacher's plan, the assessments and the daily lessons are aligned to that outcome.
Backward design at Yajur
Yajur Public School's curriculum planning follows the backward design model. Each OIC unit begins with a learning outcome, a defined performance task, and only then a sequence of lessons. Parents see the outcome upfront in the term curriculum letter.
Related terms
Concept-Based Curriculum
A curriculum designed around enduring concepts (change, systems, identity, balance) rather than discrete facts, so children build transferable understanding that lasts beyond the next test.
Rubric Assessment
A grid that lays out what 'beginning', 'developing', 'proficient' and 'excellent' look like for each criterion — turning subjective judgement into transparent, consistent evaluation.
Formative vs Summative Assessment
Formative assessment is in-progress feedback to improve learning; summative assessment is end-of-unit judgement to measure learning. Both are necessary; the balance matters.