Fishtank Learning

The relationships we build and the support we provide to our school partners are just as important as the curriculum itself. Tajalli Horvat, our Managing Director of Growth & Strategy, shares what that commitment looks like from the inside. — My mornings usually start the same way. Coffee in hand, inbox full. And somewhere in the mix, a Slack from someone on our team sharing a note from a school partner about how responsive we've been, or how much the relationship has meant to them. That's why I'm here. I'm Tajalli, Managing Director of Growth & Strategy at Fishtank Learning. My days bounce between partnerships, marketing, people, and operations. But it all comes back to one thing: making sure the schools we serve feel genuinely supported, not just handed a product and wished good luck. Here's what I hear over and over from our school partners: our team shows up in a big way. We listen. We respond. We build real relationships. We're focused on helping schools assess if Fishtank is the right fit for their schools and community and then we do everything we can to support them ongoing. That matters because teachers and instructional leaders are already carrying so much. The last thing they need is another vendor that disappears after the contract is signed. Fishtank gives schools high-quality K-12 ELA and Math curriculum built by former teachers. But what keeps our partners coming back is the people behind it. That's the work I get to support every day. And I wouldn't trade it. 👇 Instructional leaders, what's one thing you wish more curriculum partners got right? We'd love to know. #FishtankLearning #ThePeopleOfFishtank #TeacherSupport #K12Education

Evaluating a new curriculum is a major commitment for any district. Our pilot program is designed to let your team experience the impact of Fishtank ELA or Math firsthand before a full-scale implementation. Participants receive access to our digital platform, a dedicated Partnership Manager for ongoing support, and tools and resources designed to help your team assess whether Fishtank is the right fit. Bring Fishtank to your district. Schedule a time to meet with our team to get started with our 2026-27 pilot program → https://lnkd.in/dEfiJHTF

Every student deserves access to a research-based, high-quality curriculum. At Fishtank Learning, we meet that bar by ensuring our ELA and Math materials are grounded in the latest cognitive science and instructional best practices. From knowledge-building in ELA to the focus and coherence of our Math units, we provide the rigorous instructional materials students need to succeed. Find out more about our approach on our website → https://lnkd.in/gJeC-CDW

Choice. That’s what you’ve told us you’re looking for in your ELA curriculum. You want choices when it comes to what texts the students read, while having the same standards, focus areas, and writing tasks. So, we're pleased to announce that we'll offer real choice for the 2026–27 school year. For Grades 1–5, we'll be offering at least one additional unit option. By 2027-28, we’ll offer choices for three units per grade. You can get a summary of these updates and preview the new options on our website → https://lnkd.in/gSRhvhGF

Why does the same tool work brilliantly in one classroom and fall flat in another? Posie Wood, who leads product development at Fishtank, has spent a lot of time thinking about this and what it means for building tools that work for every student. — Have you ever seen a tool work really well in one classroom but flop in another? Why is it that so often the digital solutions one teacher finds delightful, another teacher struggles to use successfully? While factors such as pedagogical approach and comfort with technology play a big role in these scenarios, I’ve also learned that the product development processes underpinning edtech tools can inadvertently reinforce and widen inequities—resulting in tools that work best in well-resourced classrooms while falling short in those confronting systemic challenges. ✨ My main role at Fishtank is to determine which problems we should solve next with our tools. ✨ This can range from small enhancements, like making it easier for users to sequence and download handouts, creating a customized unit workbook for students, to big initiatives, like developing our digital assignment and assessment platform, Fishtank Student. Making these determinations involves gathering hundreds of smaller data points and making dozens of related decisions along the way: - Which users can we talk to about this concept? - What makes some users skeptical about this idea while others are excited? - What work must our team deprioritize in order to build this? In other words, developing any new feature, tool or product is all about managing trade-offs, and those trade-offs often determine which classrooms a tool works best for, and which are left to work around its limitations. If we want our tools to support all students, we have to understand these trade-offs and be intentional about not reinforcing existing gaps between classrooms. What does this look like in practice? First, we talk to our teachers and partner schools and districts. A lot. Not one, not two, but as many as feasible, to understand the range of needs and constraints. We listen to their stories and look for patterns. Across all these conversations, we pay close attention to whose perspectives we’re hearing, and whose we might be missing. Second, we resist the temptation to let the squeakiest wheel drive the roadmap. Squeaky wheels are important (and I urge anyone reading this to raise their questions, concerns, and ideas frequently), but I’ve also learned that sometimes the biggest pain points and problems to solve are the ones we don’t hear about because they’re often encountered by teachers or administrators with the least time to advocate for their needs. As an organization, we must (and are) working hard to make sure we have opportunities to understand these hidden challenges. Third, we interrogate the assumptions behind our ideas by asking (and testing) - “How will this play out in the most resource-constrained classrooms?” (continued in comments!)

Data-driven coaching just got a lot simpler for Fishtank Student users. 👏 Our 2026-27 Fishtank Student updates help district and school leaders make it even easier to turn raw data into a clear roadmap for student growth. Here’s how: 📊 Export performance data to spreadsheets for deep dives into standards and unit trends. 👯 Maintain systemic consistency by easily sharing custom assignment and assessment templates across the district. 🔴🔷🔴🔷 Identify patterns for targeted teacher coaching and growth celebrations. Data is only as powerful as the action it inspires. And we’re building the infrastructure to help your district identify challenges, celebrate the wins, and rise together. Read the full 2026-27 digital platform update → https://buff.ly/Vk5Aeid

Let’s talk about rubrics. Specifically, let’s talk about how students perceive rubrics. Too little detail and they don’t provide enough room for nuance. Too much detail and they become overly rigid. Either way, they often aren’t clear enough for students to really understand the bar for excellence and how their own writing measures up. We’ve changed that. For 2026-27, we’ve aligned and streamlined our 6-12 writing rubrics to make progress visible and attainable for everyone in the classroom. See how → https://buff.ly/5w8Tdkg What’s new? ✔️ Vertical Alignment: Common categories across grade levels for Narrative, Informational, and Argumentative genres. ✔️ Single-Point Rubrics: Task-specific versions that narrow the focus to the primary learning objectives of the assignment. ✔️ Student-Friendly Language: Written so that students can reflect and gauge their *own* progress. Quality work shouldn’t be a mystery. When expectations are clear, students know what to strive for and can work toward becoming confident writers.

Conferring is one of the biggest drivers of student progress, but it can be hard to identify the highest-leverage feedback before or during a writing check-in. That’s why every Fishtank 6-12 writing lesson now includes a Teacher Feedback & Conferring section, with specific “Look-Fors” and coaching areas, to guide your observations. Now you never have to guess what to prioritize during a writing conference.

Appreciating teachers means trusting them. Teachers know their students better than anyone else. They see strengths others miss and understand what each student needs to take the next step. That belief is at the core of our work. We trust teachers as essential partners in fulfilling our mission, because they are in the best position to understand the unique strengths and needs of their students. That’s why great curriculum doesn’t script every word or dictate every move. It provides strong foundations, then gets out of the way. It gives teachers the right balance of support and flexibility so they can deeply internalize content, adapt, and differentiate for the students in front of them. This Teacher Appreciation Day, we’re grateful for the educators who bring Fishtank to life in their classrooms. Thank you for everything you do. We trust you, and we’re honored to support your work.

Counting down the hours (less than 24 left!) until The Reading League Summit! Come meet Jessica Lamadieu, our Director of School Partnerships, at Booth 14 (Exhibition Hall B) to chat about all things assessments and how our ELA curriculum—reviewed by The Reading League—helps educators turn data into next steps. Plus, enter our contest for a chance to win a classroom bundle full of books and goodies for your grade band! Comment “🐟” if you’ll be there! #TRLSummit2026 #LiteracyLeaders #FishtankLearning