A curriculum is your actual contentโthe lessons, units, and activities that make up an educational program. Every curriculum is based on a structure that defines what types of content it can contain and a standards framework for alignment.
Before You Begin
You need:
- Author or Admin role in your account (Editors and Viewers cannot create curricula)
- At least one structure available in your organization
- Decision on standards framework (this cannot be changed after creation)
If you don't have the necessary permissions or structures, contact your administrator.
Creating a New Curriculum
Step 1: Navigate to Curricula
- Click the Content menu in the main navigation
- Select Curricula from the dropdown
- Click the amber Create Curriculum button in the top right
You'll see the "Create New Curriculum" form.
Step 2: Fill Out the Form
The form has four fields:
Name (Required)
Enter a descriptive name for your curriculum. This appears in lists and helps your team identify the curriculum.
Best practices:
- Include grade level: "Grade 3 Math"
- Include edition or year: "2024 Edition"
- Include variant type if applicable: "Texas Edition", "Spanish Version"
Examples:
- โ
"Grade 5 Science - 2024 Edition"
- โ
"AP Biology - California Standards"
- โ
"Kindergarten Literacy - Spanish"
- โ "New Curriculum" (too generic)
- โ "Test" (not descriptive)
Description (Optional)
Add a longer description to provide context about this curriculum. This field supports multiple lines of text.
What to include:
- Purpose or target audience
- Key differentiators from other curricula
- Development status or notes
Example:
Full-year Grade 5 Science curriculum aligned to Next Generation
Science Standards. Includes hands-on activities and digital simulations.
Draft for 2025-2026 school year.
Structure (Required)
Select the structure template that defines your content organization. The dropdown shows:
- Structure name
- Number of node types in parentheses
Example: "K-12 Mathematics (4 node types)"
What this means:
- The structure determines what content types you can create (Course, Unit, Lesson, etc.)
- The structure's hierarchy rules control how content can be nested
- You cannot change the structure after creation
Choosing a structure:
1. Review the available options
2. Select the one that matches your content organization needs
3. If none fit, contact your administrator to create or modify a structure
4. Hover over structures to see which node types they include (feature in progress)
Standards Framework (Required)
Select the educational standards framework this curriculum aligns to. The dropdown shows:
- Framework name or state code
- Number of standards in parentheses (if loaded)
Examples:
- "CCSS" (Common Core State Standards)
- "CA (1461 standards)" (California)
- "IM-CCSS (746 standards)" (Illustrative Mathematics CCSS alignment)
Important:
- โ ๏ธ This field cannot be changed after curriculum creation
- Choose carefully based on your alignment requirements
- All content nodes in this curriculum will align to standards from this framework
- If you need to change frameworks later, you must create a new curriculum
Choosing a framework:
1. Determine your compliance requirements (state, district, or national)
2. Select the matching framework from the dropdown
3. Verify the standard count matches expectations
4. If you need a framework not listed, contact your administrator
Step 3: Create the Curriculum
- Review your entries for accuracy
- Click the amber Create Curriculum button
- If there are errors, you'll see validation messages:
- "Name can't be blank"
- "Structure must exist"
- "Standard set must exist"
- Fix any errors and click Create Curriculum again
On success:
- You'll see "Curriculum created successfully" message
- You'll be redirected to your new curriculum's page
- The curriculum starts empty, ready for content
After Creation
Once your curriculum is created, you can:
Add Content
Start building your content hierarchy by adding root nodes. See Working with Content for details.
View Curriculum Details
From the curriculum page, you can see:
- Curriculum name and description
- Structure name (read-only)
- Standards framework (read-only)
- Content tree (initially empty)
Create Variants
Create localized or adapted versions while maintaining a connection to the parent curriculum. See Using Variants for details.
Note: Variants must use the same standards framework as their parent, or a compatible framework for crosswalking.
Align to Standards
Link content nodes to specific standards from your chosen framework. See Standards Alignment for details.
Edit Metadata
You can edit the curriculum name and description at any time. The structure and standards framework cannot be changed after creation.
Common Questions
Can I change the structure later?
No. The structure is locked when you create the curriculum. If you need a different structure:
- Create a new curriculum with the correct structure
- Manually recreate your content in the new curriculum
- Delete the old curriculum if no longer needed
Can I change the standards framework later?
No. The standards framework is permanent for compliance and data integrity. If you need a different framework:
- Create a new curriculum with the correct framework
- Content and standards alignments must be recreated
What if I don't see the structure I need?
Contact your administrator. They can:
- Create a new structure
- Modify an existing structure
- Grant you access to structures from other accounts
What if I select the wrong standards framework?
You must delete the curriculum and create a new one with the correct framework. Standards alignments are tied to the framework and cannot be migrated.
Can I create a curriculum without a standards framework?
Yes. Select "none" from the Standards Framework dropdown. This creates a curriculum without standards alignment capabilities.
How many curricula can I create?
There's no hard limit, but consider organizing with variants instead of creating many similar base curricula. Variants maintain connections and make updates easier.
Curriculum vs. Variant
When creating new content, decide:
Create a base curriculum when:
- Starting completely new content
- Using a different structure than existing curricula
- Using a different standards framework
- Content is independent from other curricula
Create a variant when:
- Adapting existing curriculum for a different audience
- Localizing for a different region or state
- Creating a translated version
- Maintaining a connection to source content
See Using Variants for more details on when to use variants.
Next Steps
Now that you have a curriculum:
- Add Content - Start building your content hierarchy
- Standards Alignment - Link content to standards
- Using Variants - Create adapted versions
Troubleshooting
"You are not authorized" error
You don't have permission to create curricula. Contact your account administrator to:
- Grant you Author or Admin role
- Verify your account membership
No structures appear in dropdown
Your account has no structures defined. Contact your administrator to:
- Create a structure
- Import a structure from another account
Standards framework dropdown is empty
Your account has no standards loaded. Contact your administrator to:
- Load standards data
- Configure standards access for your account
Form fields are disabled
You may be viewing an existing curriculum. To create a new curriculum:
1. Navigate to Content โ Curricula
2. Click Create Curriculum (not an existing curriculum row)
Related Documentation:
- Author Overview - Role and responsibilities
- Working with Content - Adding nodes
- Using Variants - Creating adapted versions
- Standards Alignment - Aligning to standards