In Backward Design, what is the purpose of the step 'Identify Desired Results'?

• A. Define learning goals or competencies.
• B. Decide how to assess mastery.
• C. Plan learning activities.
• D. Develop a grading rubric.

Answer: (A)

The main idea is to specify what students should know, understand, and be able to do by the end of the unit. In this initial step, you articulate clear learning goals or competencies aligned with standards and define enduring understandings and essential questions that frame the work. This sets the destination for the course design, guiding all subsequent decisions. The reason this is the best answer is that without precise desired results, you can’t reliably plan assessments or learning activities in a coherent way. Deciding how to assess mastery and planning learning experiences come after these goals are established, and any grading rubric is built from those outcomes as part of the assessment design rather than as the starting point.