By Cheryl Abla
The concept of a guaranteed and viable curriculum (GVC) has been around for a while, but its purpose remains significant: ensuring all students have access to high-quality instruction that aligns with curriculum, standards, and assessments. For many educators who are familiar with GVC, the conversation has shifted from aligning curriculum to a more pressing question: how do we move from structure to impact? More specifically, how do we ensure that a GVC does not become a rigid set of requirements that stifle teacher creativity and student-centered learning? The answer lies in effective GVC implementation that supports both consistency and innovation.
Moving Beyond Alignment to Implementation
For years, the focus of GVC conversations centered on alignment, ensuring that what is taught is consistent across classrooms and schools and matched to the expectations of the district’s/state’s standards. While this consistency is essential so that every student experiences high-quality teaching and learning, alignment alone does not guarantee student success. The key to transforming curriculum from a static document into meaningful learning experiences lies in how teachers bring it to life in their classrooms.
High-impact teaching strategies bridge this gap by emphasizing instructional approaches that actively engage students and lead to deeper learning. Instead of treating a GVC as a checklist of content to be covered, educators can leverage research-based strategies—such as formative assessment, engagement techniques, and differentiated instruction—to ensure that all students not only receive the curriculum but truly learn from it.
GVC and Student-Centered Learning: A False Contrast
A common concern among educators is that a strong focus on GVC can restrict flexibility, making it harder to differentiate instruction or incorporate student interests. However, this frames structure and creativity as opposing forces rather than balancing elements of effective teaching. A well-designed GVC should provide a foundation that supports innovation, not one that limits it.
Rather than seeing GVC as a restriction, educators can view it as a launching pad for student-centered learning. For instance, project-based learning, inquiry-driven lessons, and student choice can all exist within the framework of a GVC. The key is to balance essential learning goals with opportunities for student voice and ownership. When teachers have clarity on what students need to learn, they can make more informed instructional choices about how to teach it in ways that engage and motivate learners, beginning by using an evidence-based practice like cognitive interest cues, for example, that ignite student curiosity and make them interested in learning more.
The Role of Instructional Leadership
Shifting from curriculum alignment to high-impact teaching requires strong instructional leadership. School and district leaders play a crucial role in fostering a culture where GVC is not about compliance but about ensuring all students thrive. Leaders can support teachers by providing professional learning that emphasizes instructional best practices, creating collaborative spaces for educators to share strategies, and ensuring that curriculum resources are adaptable rather than prescriptive.
A Path Forward
The goal is not to abandon GVC but to refine how it is implemented so that it serves both students and teachers successfully. A guaranteed and viable curriculum should be seen as a tool that helps educators provide a common foundation while still allowing the flexibility needed for student-centered, high-impact instruction. By focusing on the intersection of structure and innovation, we can ensure that curriculum does not become a barrier to creativity but rather a catalyst for deeper learning and meaningful student engagement.
Cheryl Abla, M.Ed., a senior consultant at McREL, works with K–12 teachers and school leaders to develop and implement sustainable plans for improving their professional practices. She is a co-author of The New Classroom Instruction That Works and Tools for Classroom Instruction that Works: Ready-to-Use Techniques for Increasing Student Achievement and facilitates professional learning and coaching sessions on the research-based instructional strategies from these books.
