Administrators

A groundbreaking, full-day, open educational resource (OER) curriculum for children birth through eight

“Your curriculum is a million times better than anything I have ever used. They are reading and engaged. I can’t wait to see where they are come March. I would definitely recommend Great First Eight.” – a veteran first-grade teacher piloting Great First Eight

As an administrator, Great First Eight offers you the best of all worlds: a comprehensive, open-source curriculum that is substantially better for children, teachers, and families than anything on the market. The current approach to curriculum has failed to lead to the achievement levels necessary to redress educational inequity. Great First Eight is the new and better approach that is urgently needed. Here are Great First Eight’s design features:

Necessary Conditions

Serve classrooms, in metropolitan areas, with a number of children from historically underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds.
Align with Great First Eight’s design principles.
Begin using the curriculum by or before kindergarten.
Use the curriculum exclusively and in its entirety within an age/grade level.
Provide all the necessary materials and technology
Engage in all of the professional learning required for the curriculum.
Ensure all key stakeholders are on board.
Align assessments, teacher evaluations, and other components of the system.
Commit for at least three years.

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Ready for a Radically Better K-2 Student and Teacher Experience?

A select group of leading districts are implementing Great First Eight Kindergarten this school year, followed by Great First Eight First and Second Grade in subsequent years. We are currently inviting inquiries for a second cohort of Great First Eight adopters: implementing Great First Eight K in ’24 – ’25, Great First Eight First Grade, PreK-3 and PreK-4 (if applicable) in ’25 – ’26, and Great First Eight Second Grade in ’25 – ’26. After reviewing the Necessary Conditions for Adopting the Great First Eight Curriculum and the Kindergarten Touring Guide, if your district or network meets the conditions, we invite you to submit a Great First Eight ‘24 – ’25 Adoption Inquiry. We will respond as soon as possible to all inquiries.

Inquire about Great First Eight
’24 – ’25 Adoption

Our Offerings by Age/Grade

Age/Grade

Infant & Toddler

Preschool

Kindergarten

1st Grade

2nd Grade

Curriculum Overview

The Great First Eight infant curriculum provides 12 four-week units that we call Explorations. In each, there are Learning Experience Guides for 16 daily routines (e.g., Meet & Eat, Book-share) and areas of the room (e.g., Sensation Station, Arts Studio). In addition, we provide tools for planning, for assessment and documentation, for setting up the classroom environment, for family engagement, and more. Learning experiences throughout each Exploration address, but aren’t limited to, the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework. The research-supported practices in each Learning Experience Guide help teachers respond to and strengthen infants’ amazing development across domains.

Professional Learning

Twenty-four hours of professional learning developed by leading experts prepare infant and toddler educators to begin teaching Great First Eight. Over the course of the year, another 15 hours of professional learning, as well as opportunities to build teacher knowledge that are embedded in the Exploration materials, support smooth and effective implementation. Combined with tools to support planning and individualization, you are set up to help children have tremendous growth in their first year of life.

View Infant & Toddler Sampler

Coming 2025

A top-of-field group of researchers and educators are hard at work developing Great First Eight PreK-3 & PreK-4! We have exciting plans in preschool science and engineering, mathematics, alphabetics, and more! The team is carefully connecting the preschool portion of the curriculum with its infant and toddler and kindergarten portions. By addressing the chasm between preschool and kindergarten found in most educational systems, we will help prevent the positive effects of preschool from fading out in early elementary education and provide a seamless experience for children throughout their pivotal first eight years of life.

Curriculum Overview

The Great First Eight kindergarten curriculum provides 165 full days of instruction divided across a launch week and seven project-based units. Children experience a mix of whole-group and small-group time, teacher- and child-directed learning. Lessons address standards in literacy, math, science, social studies, social and emotional learning, and social justice. Research-supported instructional practices motivate and accelerate learning.

Professional Learning

Thirty hours of professional learning developed by leading experts prepare teachers to begin teaching Great First Eight. Over the course of the year, another 16 hours of professional learning, as well as opportunities to build teacher knowledge that are embedded in the lesson plans, support smooth and effective implementation. Combined with weekly or biweekly meetings with a professional learning community or teacher study group and daily planning time, you are set up to help children make breakthrough learning gains in the first year of implementation and beyond.

View Kindergarten Touring Guide

Inquire about adopting Great First Eight in ’24 – ’25

Curriculum Overview

The Great First Eight 1st Grade curriculum provides 165 full days of instruction divided across a launch week and six project-based units. Children experience a mix of whole-group and small-group time, teacher- and child-directed learning. Lessons address standards in literacy, math, science, social studies, social and emotional learning, and social justice. Research-supported instructional practices motivate and accelerate learning.

Professional Learning

Thirty hours of professional learning developed by leading experts prepare teachers to begin teaching Great First Eight. Over the course of the year, another 14 hours of professional learning, as well as opportunities to build teacher knowledge that are embedded in the lesson plans, support smooth and effective implementation. Combined with weekly or biweekly meetings with a professional learning community or teacher study group and daily planning time, you are set up to help children make breakthrough learning gains in the first year of implementation and beyond.

Because schools must implement Great First Eight Kindergarten before Great First Eight First Grade, you cannot use Great First Eight First Grade in ‘25 – ‘26 unless you are currently implementing Great First Eight Kindergarten. If you want to use Great First Eight First Grade in School Year ‘25-’26, you must use Kindergarten in ‘24 – ‘25.

Apply to adopt Great First Eight Kindergarten in ’24 – ’25.

View 1st Grade Touring Guide

Coming August, 2025

Available for adoption in School Year ‘26-’27 by schools that adopt Great First Eight Kindergarten in ’24-’25 and Great First Eight First Grade in ‘25-’26.

The Great First Eight K – 2 team has also started developing Great First Eight Second Grade. In the final year of this state-of-the-art curriculum, children read and engage in mathematics at high levels, develop increasingly sophisticated social and emotional skills, and grow their substantial body of knowledge in science, engineering, and social studies. Second Grade culminates in a project in which children present who they want to be in the future. Architect? Computer Scientist? Engineer? Entrepreneur? We’ll find out!

To adopt Great First Eight Second Grade in ‘26-27, you need to use Great First Eight Kindergarten in ‘24-’25 and First Grade in ‘25-’26.

Apply to adopt Great First Eight Kindergarten in ’24 – ’25.

Questions & Answers for Administrators

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