In backward design, which sequence of stages is identified by Wiggins and McTighe?

• A. Plan learning experiences; determine acceptable evidence; identify desired results.
• B. Identify desired results; plan learning experiences; implement instruction.
• C. Identify desired results; determine acceptable evidence; plan learning experiences and instruction aligned to those results.
• D. Assessments first; then content; then objectives.

Answer: (C)

Backward design starts by clarifying what students should understand or be able to do. The idea is to begin with the end in mind: first identify the desired results, then decide how you’ll know those results have been reached through acceptable evidence, and finally plan learning experiences and instruction that are aligned to those results and to the assessments. This order keeps everything—goals, evidence, and teaching—tightly connected, so activities and assessments actually drive toward the intended outcomes.

Other sequences tend to jump into planning activities or content before pinning down the outcomes or the evidence, which can lead to misalignment. For example, starting with planning learning experiences before deciding on acceptable evidence moves you away from ensuring assessments truly measure the desired results. Similarly, suggesting assessments first or shifting content and objectives around in a non-coherent order loses the deliberate alignment that backward design emphasizes.