Great educators try their hardest to stay ahead and be prepared and ready for significant changes. But, fortunately, everyone does this differently, although most do not take the time to share. This post is to share one strategy to keep up with changes in education. Yes, you can know the future and what is coming to a classroom near you without a time machine. 

Just being an educator doesn't work anymore in today's world. We have to be diligent in our 24/7 learning. We have to keep learning, and we have to watch what is happening in our educational world. This post is to open one of those small windows and take a peek into what is coming in 2026. No, it's not fortune-telling. 

The National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) has struggled to update their framework guiding the National Assessment (NAEP) of reading from 2026 onward. What? Fire up the time machine or do a few Google searches and find out the details. You will find the following: The National Assessment Governing Board quarterly report.  https://www.nagb.gov/governing-board/quarterly-board-meetings/2021/2021-august.html They list all the materials which create a picture of their thinking processes as they build the new national reading assessment. The easy way is to download the zip files and have everything on your hard drive to sort through. Specifically, read the 2026 NAEP Reading Framework, Across the Board: Understanding Recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Results, and any of the other titles that interest you. 

The fun part is reading what different members thought and how hard it was to reach a consensus. The consensus was not easy and took considerable time. They even hired a framework review of their work. https://www.nagb.gov/focus-areas/framework-development/framework-development-reading.html Take a few minutes and read what each reviewer wrote. The information is incredible. We genuinely don't know what we don't know. These papers opened my eyes. 

While you continue to investigate, reflect and read this information, you will develop knowledge of what will be coming in the new framework. 

Do you believe they went far enough with Universal Design Elements? Feel free to leave your comments.