Organizing and tracking curriculum has long been a headache for educators. Overstuffed binders, clunky software – the tools meant to streamline the process often create more work than they save. The Diocese of Lansing, Michigan, was no exception. Fed up with their overly complicated curriculum mapping software, they sought a simpler, more intuitive solution. Could Google Sheets be the answer?

Curriculum mapping is challenging 😥

The Diocese faced several familiar problems:

• Overly complex software: The existing system was cumbersome, difficult to navigate, and required extensive training. Teachers were reluctant to invest time in using the system because it didn’t benefit them in the classroom. 
• Lack of flexibility: The software offered limited options for customization, making it difficult to adapt to the Diocese’s unique needs.
• High cost: The expensive software strained the budget without delivering the desired results.

Enter Google Sheets: The Unexpected Hero

Google Sheets, a well known and familiar tool, emerged as a surprising solution.  

• Simplicity and ease of use: Many teachers are already familiar and comfortable using Google Sheets which means it’s easy to get up to speed quickly, without the need for extensive training. Any training that is provided returns value in many areas, not just curriculum mapping. 
• Flexibility: Because nearly all Diocese schools are using Google Workspace for Education, the ability to link to existing resources saved to Google Drive provided the flexibility the Diocese needed to collect and organize teaching resources with minimal extra effort. 
• Collaboration: Google Sheets’ collaborative features allowed teachers and administrators to work together seamlessly, sharing updates and accessing information in real-time.
• Cost-effective: The fact that Google Sheets is free eliminates the financial burden of expensive software. Tough to beat that! 

Note: click the button at the bottom of the post to make a copy of my template.

Custom Curriculum Mapping Database

The diocese obtained a state grant to overhaul their curriculum mapping system and hired me to help them manage the project. My task was to develop a Google Sheet template that teachers could use each year to track coverage of curriculum standards developed by the Diocese. Our initial focus was on theology standards unique to the diocese with plans to expand to other curriculum areas in the future. 

There were three key elements to this project: 

• Standards document: The diocese provided me with a list of elementary theology standards organized into domains with a description of each standard.  This document is the foundation of the entire project. 
• Lesson submissions: My task was to create a simple way for teachers to record and tag lessons to the standards document, making note of student mastery levels with the option of including lesson resources and personal notes.
• Dashboard view: The final piece of this project was the development of a dashboard that teachers can review to quickly see which standards have been met and where they need to focus their efforts. This dashboard can also be reviewed by administrators to review instructional progress across the school. 

Is Google Sheets up to the task? 

It took a while for us to map out exactly what data we needed to collect, how to record that data and how to make it all look good while being easy to use. I met with the curriculum team multiple times during the school year as we developed and revised our system until we felt comfortable sharing it with a focus group in the spring of 2024. 

The end design is a simple database that only requires teachers to fill in three columns: 

• Lesson date
• Standard (selected from a list)
• Mastery status (introduce, developing, mastery)

Though the use of various formulas, the following fields are auto-populated:

• Standard description
• Marking period
• Mastery level (updated if a standard is re-taught) 

Google Forms & Sheets for Educators: improve your use of educational data and sharpen your spreadsheet skills!

We also included optional fields that may be required in the future: 

• Textbook – specific textbook resources or links used for the lesson
• Teacher made – links to teacher-created resources (takes advantage of the ability to quickly link files via Drive). 
• Assessment – links to assessments
• Teacher Notes – custom notes from the teacher

Mastery Dashboard

As teachers begin entering their lessons, the mastery dashboard updates automatically, showing coverage of each domain by mastery level. Our hope is that this simple tool will allow teachers to more effectively focus instruction on critical areas. 

Each school will save these spreadsheets in a shared drive which is accessible to the school principal and curriculum team. Future updates could include linking all of the spreadsheets into a master dashboard created in Looker Studio.

Do more with the tools you know!

This project demonstrates the power of simple, accessible tools like Google Sheets to transform complex challenges. Most schools understand how to use Google’s tools for instructional needs, but haven’t harnessed the power of tools like Docs, Slides, Sites, Sheets, and Forms to enhance internal systems. We were able to create a customized solution that met the unique needs of the diocese without the need to implement a new, expensive, and unfamiliar tool. Ultimately, this project empowers educators to focus on what matters most: student learning.

If you’re looking for a cost-effective, flexible, and collaborative solution for curriculum mapping, the Google Workspace family might be the tool you need!