There is a lot that goes into developing a successful MassSTEP curriculum. The idea is to seamlessly integrate and contextualize academic skills, workforce preparation activities, and workforce training into a curriculum that meets student and employer needs. Some find that easier said than done!
This two-part offering provides participants with the skills to develop contextualized, relevant, and achievable MassSTEP lesson plans. All participating programs will receive feedback on their work and will be eligible to receive customized curriculum coaching from a subject matter expert.
Programs in any stage of MassSTEP curriculum development and implementation are welcome.
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Any MassSTEP team member who plays a role in planning, developing, or improving the MassSTEP program design and curriculum
*For this offering, we strongly encourage (but do not require) staff to participate in teams in order to facilitate collaborative learning and work.
This professional development activity/course is designed for:
In this two-part offering, participants work through an iterative curriculum and lesson planning design process, where they learn key alignment strategies, draft materials, receive expert and peer feedback, and refine their lesson plans for direct classroom implementation.
Session & Timeline Breakdown:
- Session 1: Participants explore framework strategies for aligning the three core components of MassSTEP into cohesive, contextualized lessons. Through guided exercises and example analyses, participants begin drafting or assessing their own integrated learning objectives and lesson plans.
- Asynchronous Work: Participants (individually or in program teams) apply session concepts by developing contextualized MassSTEP lesson plans and sharing reflections and progress within Canvas.
- Session 2: Participants re-convene to review feedback, analyze peer examples, address implementation challenges, and finalize their lesson plans for program use.
- Optional Follow-Up Coaching Following Session 2, participating programs have access to one-on-one or team coaching with a subject matter expert to receive customized guidance on specific curriculum or lesson plan challenges.
Format & Requirements: This course consists of two 1.5-hour sessions, and about two hours of independent work. There is also one hour of optional additional coaching. The total estimated time to complete this course is five hours.
- Part 1: Virtual session on Zoom (3/3/27, 2:00–3:30 p.m.)
- Part 2: Independent activities in Canvas (3/3/27–3/17/27)
- Part 3: Virtual session on Zoom (3/17/27, 2:00–3:30 p.m.)
- Part 4 (optional): Coaching available 3/17/27–3/31/27
Access & Support: You will receive instructions for accessing the synchronous sessions via Zoom and course materials in Canvas from Lucy Burriss from the SABES Program Support Team. If you need technical assistance to access the course or its features, please contact Lucy at lucy.burriss@jsi.org.
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Integrate adult education, workforce preparation, and technical training into a cohesive, contextualized MassSTEP curriculum framework
- Develop contextualized, relevant, and achievable lesson plans tailored to both student and employer needs
- Analyze peer and expert feedback to improve and finalize curriculum materials for program implementation
Upon completion of this professional development activity/course, you will be able to:
United States
