A description of increasing levels of difficulty and complexity in acquiring knowledge, skills and attitudes within a domain. It implies that learning is a process of increasing difficulty and complexity, rather than a body of content to be covered within specific grade levels. Teachers need to have in mind a continuum of how learning develops in any particular knowledge domain so that they are able to locate students’ current learning status and decide on pedagogical action to move students’ learning forward. Learning progressions that clearly articulate a progression of learning in a domain can provide a comprehensive view of what is to be learned, support instructional planning, and act as a touchstone for formative assessment. (Adapted from: CCSSO 2008).
See also ‘
Formative assessment’.
