How to track curriculum coverage across a year

Tracking curriculum coverage helps you see where each part of the learning fits across the year. You can check which assessments will use it, spot gaps and make time for useful practice.

Start with your plan, then review it as you teach. Check what happened in class and what student work shows. A curriculum code in a plan is a starting point for that review.

Ask five questions about the learning

• Planned: where does this learning appear in the year, term or unit?
• Taught: what teaching and practice actually took place?
• Revisited: when did students return to it and use feedback?
• Assessed: what did student work show about their learning?
• Reported: which evidence supports the judgement required by your school?

These are questions for your teaching review. The TeaCheese coverage view described below shows planned assessment links. Keep your own notes and student evidence for what was taught and learned.

ACARA’s curriculum planning guidance explains the roles of content descriptions and achievement standards. Read the wording behind each code. Some parts need much more teaching time than others, so give them space in the plan.

Lite example: follow the learning through a History unit

The real Year 10 History example explores World War II and the Australian home front. It uses selected sentences from the Year 10 History achievement standard. The focus includes change and continuity, historical explanations and source evidence.

Its chosen content descriptions are AC9HH10K04 for the home front and AC9HH10S08 for historical writing. The teacher copy lists the curriculum and its links to the task.

1. Curriculum gives the learning its focus.
2. The marking guide describes what student work needs to show.
3. The assessment asks students to use that knowledge and those skills.
4. The unit plans teaching and practice before the task is due.
5. The lessons turn the weekly plan into classroom activities and checks.

ACARA’s curriculum and assessment guidance explains the connection between intended learning and assessment evidence. Read the actual task alongside the curriculum and guide. Check that students have a way to show each selected part.

Here, the final task is an individual historical explanation of 400 to 500 words in 50 minutes in Week 4. The unit has four weeks and eight lessons. Comparing sources and practising explanations help prepare students for the task.

Use the full History example and blank template to explore the sequence. It covers selected learning within one unit, rather than the whole Year 10 curriculum. The backward design guide explains how to plan the teaching from the task.

Planning Wizard example: see which standards need a task

The following screenshot shows a separate Year 5 Mathematics plan in the Planning Wizard. It was captured in TeaCheese. Its figures belong to that Mathematics plan, not the Lite History example.

The screen lists 19 standards. Four are named by assessments in the plan, and 15 still need an assessment link. The screen calls the linked standards Assessed and shows 21 percent coverage. Read this as a planning total. Student achievement still needs a review of student work.

A link gives you somewhere to start checking. Open the saved assessment and read the questions against the standard. Check that the task gives students enough opportunity to show the selected learning. A named standard alone cannot tell you how strong that evidence will be.

In the Planning Wizard, use the curriculum map, guide, assessment, unit and lessons together. See the Planning Wizard coverage steps for the workflow. The Lite files above remain separate resources and do not automatically count in this view.

Spot gaps before the task

• A standard has no planned assessment. Decide when and how students will show that learning.
• An assessment names a standard but misses an important skill. Review the questions, guide and selected curriculum together.
• The task is due before students have practised. Review the teaching weeks and assessment date.
• A lesson needs a source or material you do not have. Prepare it or adapt the delivery before teaching.
• Several tasks check the same narrow skill. Look for important learning that still needs attention.

For the History task, students need to explain and support a judgement. A lesson that only lists wartime events may leave a gap. Check that students practise using evidence in an explanation and receive feedback before the final task.

When you find a gap, name the missing learning or resource. This makes the next step easier to choose. You might add a worked example, revisit a skill, prepare a source or review a task date.

Make repeated learning useful

ACARA’s sequencing guidance describes learning that is introduced, strengthened and applied. Returning to an idea can be useful when students build on what they know.

• Introduce: explain the idea and model what to do.
• Practise: give students time to try it with support and feedback.
• Apply: ask students to use it with less help or in another situation.
• Review: use their work to decide what comes next.

In History, students might first identify details in a source, then compare sources, then use evidence in an argument. The topic may return, while the thinking becomes more demanding. Repeating the same easy question gives you less information about progress.

Review the plan at the end of a term

1. Compare the planned teaching with what actually happened.
2. Note learning that was delayed, shortened or missed.
3. Review student work for ideas and skills that need more practice.
4. Check which planned assessments gave useful evidence.
5. Look for gaps and unnecessary task repetition in the next term.
6. Agree on one clear action for each important gap.

ACARA’s wider planning guidance connects teaching, assessment and review. Keep a brief note of what you will change and why. For example, a class may need more guided writing before another independent explanation.

Keep team notes useful

Before teaching

Agree on the learning, the task and the evidence you expect. Check dates and resources. Make sure the unit gives students time to prepare.

During teaching

Record changes that affect the plan. Note a missed lesson, extra practice or a source that needs replacing. You do not need a diary of every activity.

After teaching

Compare examples of student work and decide what to keep or change. The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers connect planning, teaching, assessment and review. Use notes that help you make those decisions.

Use the right curriculum for your school

The History downloads use Australian Curriculum v9. Check the curriculum source, version and year or level required by your school. Keep official wording and codes together when planning.

Use the official guidance for your context: NSW curriculum guidance, Victorian Curriculum guidance, Western Australian guidance or Northern Territory guidance. Confirm school assessment and reporting requirements as well.

TeaCheese curriculum support explains the product choices and availability limits. The public curriculum directory on this site remains ACARA v9. Changing a code alone does not adapt a unit to another curriculum.

Start with a short, useful record

• The curriculum source and selected learning.
• The unit and weeks where students will learn and practise it.
• The assessment and marking guide that use it.
• Classroom resources and support students will need.
• A note about what was taught and what student work showed.
• The next teaching or planning action.

Use your existing planning records where you can. Keep the information that helps you notice a gap or make a teaching decision. Review the links as the year changes.

For downloadable resources, explore the Lite History example. For a connected term or year plan and planned assessment coverage, explore the Planning Wizard. Choose the workflow that suits the work you need to do.