What are Milestones?
Milestones are short videos in English and Spanish created by GreatSchools that show real teachers working with students to demonstrate end-of-the year grade level expectations in reading, writing, and math from Kindergarten through 8th grade. By seeing what success looks like at the end of each year, parents can get a good understanding of their own child’s educational development. Milestones are available in English and Spanish.
Who created these videos?
GreatSchools developed these videos with advisory support and collaboration from multiple partners, including Student Achievement Partners, the Vermont Writing Collaborative, and teachers and students at a number of schools. Each video was filmed with real teachers and real students of the appropriate grade level.
Why did GreatSchools create Milestones Videos?
We wanted to give parents a tangible way to understand if their child is on track in school by seeing what mastery of important math, reading and writing actually looks like on a grade-by-grade basis. Our objective was not to cover all the standards in depth, but to highlight for parents the most important 3-5 elements of the standards in each subject and grade so that they can better understand what success looks like for their child.
Who are Milestones for?
Milestones are a resource for parents, teachers and any other adults who are supporting
children, including afterschool professionals, tutors, mentors, and volunteers.
How do I use Milestones?
We suggest starting with videos relevant to your child’s grade level. For example, if you have a third grader, start with third grade, but the videos for second and fourth grades also might all be relevant.
My child is in 6th grade or higher. Will there be Milestones for my child’s grade?
Milestones are an ongoing project for GreatSchools, so please check back later, as we add more videos for upper grades in the coming months. Better yet, sign up for our newsletter and be the first to know when we add more Milestones.
What order should I watch the Milestone videos in?
There is no particular order to watch Milestones. If it makes sense for you to jump into different grade levels or subjects, that’s fine with us! We created playlists on our YouTube channel for each grade, so you may find it more convenient to watch there.
Will Milestones work on my mobile device?
Yes! Milestones are easily viewed on your computer, phone or tablet. Simply visit greatschools.org/milestones in your mobile browser, or check out our YouTube channel.
I watched a video, what do I do now?
For every video our editors have curated articles, worksheets, and booklists to help you support your child. Find them to the right of each video. If watching a video makes you interested in supporting your child more in school, try showing the video to your child’s teacher to start a conversation about your child’s skills.
What if I have further questions about my child’s education after watching a Milestones video?
If you have questions about how your child is doing in school, it’s probably best to set up a meeting with his or her teacher.
As a teacher, can I share Milestones with my students’ parents to spark discussion?
Absolutely! We believe Milestones will be a useful tool for teachers to us in conversations with parents. Feel free to share them with anyone and everyone.
What if I have a question that’s not covered here?
If you’d like to contact GreatSchools directly with questions or feedback regarding Milestones videos, you can either reach us via our Facebook Page, or send in a question via our contact form.
