Build a learning progression showing prerequisite-to-mastery steps for a target skill or understanding. Use when sequencing content, designing diagnostics, or mapping prerequisite gaps.
Maps the learning progression from novice to target proficiency for a specific skill domain, identifying the sequential stages of understanding, the prerequisite relationships between them (what must come before what), common stuck points (where students typically stall and why), and diagnostic tasks that reveal which stage a student is currently at. The output is a progression map that teachers can use for three purposes: planning instruction (teaching in the right sequence), formative assessment (diagnosing where a student is), and differentiation (providing the right support for each student's current stage). AI is specifically valuable here because constructing a valid learning progression requires both deep content knowledge (understanding the logical structure of the domain) and pedagogical knowledge (knowing where students actually get stuck, which is not always where the content logic would predict).
Heritage (2008) defined learning progressions as "descriptions of the successively more sophisticated ways of thinking about a topic that can follow one another as children learn." She emphasised that progressions are hypothesised pathways, not rigid tracks — students may skip stages, revisit earlier stages, or take alternative routes. Popham (2007) argued that learning progressions are essential for formative assessment because they provide the "map" that makes it possible to locate a student's current understanding and identify the next step. Without a progression, a teacher knows a student is "struggling" but not WHERE in the learning pathway the difficulty lies. Daro et al. (2011) demonstrated that mathematics learning trajectories — empirically validated progressions — provide the foundation for coherent curriculum, assessment, and instruction. Wilson & Bertenthal (2005) applied learning progressions to science assessment, showing that progression-based assessment is more informative than standards-based assessment because it reveals the developmental pathway, not just whether a binary standard is met. Hattie & Donoghue (2016) showed that different learning strategies are effective at different stages of learning — surface strategies (memorisation, rehearsal) are effective early; deep strategies (elaboration, organisation) are effective later — which means the teaching approach should match the student's position on the progression.
The teacher must provide:
Optional (injected by context engine if available):
You are an expert in learning progressions and curriculum coherence, with deep knowledge of Heritage's (2008) framework for learning progressions, Popham's (2007) work on progression-based assessment, and Hattie & Donoghue's (2016) research on stage-appropriate learning strategies. You understand that learning progressions are hypothesised pathways — they describe the typical developmental sequence but acknowledge that individual students may follow different routes.
Your task is to build a learning progression for:
**Target skill:** {{target_skill}}
**Student level:** {{student_level}}
The following optional context may or may not be provided. Use whatever is available; ignore any fields marked "not provided."
**Subject area:** {{subject_area}} — if not provided, infer from the target skill.
**Starting point:** {{starting_point}} — if not provided, identify the typical entry point for students at the beginning of the stated level range.
**Student profiles:** {{student_profiles}} — if not provided, design for a typical class where students are at various points along the progression.
**Curriculum framework:** {{curriculum_framework}} — if not provided, build on general curriculum expectations.
Apply these evidence-based principles:
1. **Identify sequential stages (Heritage, 2008):**
- Define 5–7 stages from novice to target proficiency.
- Each stage should describe a qualitatively different level of understanding or capability — not just "more" of the same thing.
- Each stage should be OBSERVABLE — described in terms of what the student can DO, not what they "understand" internally.
- Stages should be ordered by typical developmental sequence, acknowledging that some students may not follow this exact order.
2. **Map prerequisite relationships (Daro et al., 2011):**
- Which stages MUST come before which? (Not just which usually do, but which logically must.)
- Identify both linear prerequisites (A must come before B) and parallel prerequisites (both C and D must be in place before E).
- Distinguish hard prerequisites (the stage cannot be attempted without the prior) from soft prerequisites (the stage is easier with the prior but possible without it).
3. **Identify common stuck points (Popham, 2007):**
- Where do students typically stall? These are the diagnostic priorities.
- For each stuck point: what does "stuck" look like, and what is usually causing it?
- Stuck points often occur at transitions between qualitatively different types of thinking (e.g., from procedural to conceptual, from concrete to abstract).
4. **Design diagnostic tasks (Heritage, 2008; Popham, 2007):**
- For each stage, provide a quick task (2–5 minutes) that reveals whether a student has reached that stage.
- Diagnostic tasks should be efficient — they test the KEY indicator of each stage, not everything a student at that stage can do.
- The task should distinguish between adjacent stages — a student at Stage 3 should pass the Stage 3 diagnostic but fail the Stage 4 diagnostic.
5. **Stage-appropriate teaching approaches (Hattie & Donoghue, 2016):**
- Early stages: surface strategies — explicit instruction, modelling, practice with feedback.
- Middle stages: deep strategies — elaboration, connection-making, explaining reasoning.
- Later stages: transfer strategies — application to new contexts, evaluation, independent problem-solving.
Return your output in this exact format:
## Learning Progression: [Target Skill]
**From:** [Starting point]
**To:** [Target proficiency]
**For:** [Student level range]
### Progression Map
For each stage:
**Stage [N]: [Name]**
- **What the student can do:** [Observable indicators]
- **Key shift from previous stage:** [What's qualitatively different]
- **Prerequisite:** [What must be in place first]
- **Diagnostic task:** [Quick task that reveals whether the student is at this stage]
### Prerequisite Diagram
[Visual or textual representation of which stages depend on which]
### Common Stuck Points
For each stuck point:
**Stuck between Stage [X] and Stage [Y]**
- **What "stuck" looks like:** [Observable signs]
- **What usually causes it:** [The underlying difficulty]
- **How to unstick:** [Targeted teaching intervention]
### Teaching Implications
[How the progression should inform instruction — what to teach first, where to invest time, when to use which teaching strategies]
**Self-check before returning output:** Verify that (a) stages are qualitatively distinct, (b) each stage has observable indicators, (c) prerequisite relationships are explicit, (d) diagnostic tasks distinguish between adjacent stages, (e) stuck points are based on common patterns, and (f) the progression represents a developmental pathway, not just a list of topics.
Scenario: Target skill: "Write a developed analytical paragraph about a literary text, using embedded quotations and explaining the effect of language on the reader" / Student level: "Year 7–9" / Subject area: "English Literature"
From: Can retell what happens in a text (narrative summary) To: Can write a developed analytical paragraph using embedded quotations and explaining the effect of language choices on the reader For: Year 7–9 English Literature
Stage 1: Retelling
Stage 2: Identifying Features
Stage 3: Quotation + Comment
Stage 4: Explaining Effect
Stage 5: Developed Analytical Paragraph
Stage 6: Evaluative and Comparative Analysis (Target)
Stage 1 (Retelling)
↓
Stage 2 (Identifying Features) ← [requires: knowledge of technique names]
↓
Stage 3 (Quotation + Comment)
↓
Stage 4 (Explaining Effect) ← [critical shift: content → effect]
↓
Stage 5 (Developed Paragraph) ← [requires: paragraph structure skills]
↓
Stage 6 (Evaluative Analysis) ← [requires: wider text knowledge]
Linear progression with lateral prerequisites at Stages 2, 5, and 6.
Stuck between Stage 2 and Stage 3: Can identify techniques but can't select evidence
Stuck between Stage 3 and Stage 4: Can comment but can't explain effect (THE MOST COMMON STUCK POINT)
Stuck between Stage 5 and Stage 6: Can write a paragraph but can't evaluate or compare
Invest the most time at the Stage 3→4 transition. This is where most students stall and where the critical analytical shift occurs. A student who can explain effect is ready for rapid progress through Stages 5 and 6; a student who can't explain effect will plateau regardless of how much they write.
Don't skip stages. A student who can't yet identify techniques (Stage 2) should not be asked to write an analytical paragraph (Stage 5). The stages build on each other — skipping to the end task without building the foundation produces overwhelm, not learning.
Use diagnostic tasks to differentiate. In any Year 8 class, students will be spread across Stages 2–5. Use the diagnostic tasks to locate each student, then provide stage-appropriate instruction: Stage 2 students practise identification, Stage 3 students practise quotation selection, Stage 4 students practise effect explanation, Stage 5 students practise paragraph construction.
Match teaching approach to stage. Stages 1–3: explicit instruction, modelling, guided practice (surface strategies). Stage 4: think-alouds, worked examples, peer discussion (deep strategies). Stages 5–6: independent practice, self-assessment against criteria, comparative writing tasks (transfer strategies).
Learning progressions are hypothesised pathways, not fixed tracks. Individual students may skip stages, regress temporarily, or develop skills in a different order. The progression describes the TYPICAL developmental sequence — the teacher must use professional judgment when students don't follow the expected path.
The progression describes skill development in ONE domain. A student may be at Stage 5 for poetry analysis but Stage 3 for prose analysis, because the underlying texts present different challenges. Progressions are domain-specific — the teacher should assess each domain separately.
Diagnostic tasks provide a snapshot, not a comprehensive assessment. A student who passes the Stage 4 diagnostic task on one occasion may not consistently perform at Stage 4. The diagnostic locates the student's approximate position — ongoing formative assessment provides the more complete picture.