California Educators Gain a Trusted Resource Thanks to Kern-Led Digital Lessons Project

When schools pivoted to distance learning during the pandemic, Sheri Dees, a high school history teacher within the Tehachapi Unified School District at the time, saw firsthand how unprepared many classrooms were. Understanding there was a need for more training, Dees took on the role of a tech coach within the district and directly assisted teachers in creating digital instruction materials. 

“Most teachers were doing pencil-and-paper instruction,” Dees said. “Suddenly, they were expected to move everything online, and a lot of them didn’t know where to start. My job was to help them get through that.”

She immersed herself in every training she could find, including those offered by KCSOS. She didn’t realize it then, but those trainings would eventually set her on a path that would ultimately lead her to a new role where she could help spearhead a statewide effort to support teachers in a whole new way.

After the California Department of Education (CDE) saw these challenges, it launched an online platform in January 2021 designed as a central space where educators, administrators, and program leaders could collaborate, share strategies, and access high-quality instructional resources. Later that year, the state directed the CDE and the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE) to award KCSOS with a grant to lead the curation of free, standards-aligned digital lessons that could be shared with teachers across the state.

In August 2022, Dees officially joined KCSOS as the High Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM) coordinator of academic technology, working alongside Edward Gonzalez, who was brought on as the project’s director. Together, they set out to build a library of high-quality, classroom-ready lessons that teachers could use on-demand — without a paywall and with full confidence that the content aligned with California state standards.

Since then, the team has grown to include Program Specialists Cecilia Estrada, Kimberly Larkin, and Jami Butler; Program Facilitator Jade Bumatay; and Secretary Brittany Williams. With this dedicated group in place, the HQIM project has surpassed 5,000 published lessons — each one created by California educators.

“These lessons aren’t just slide decks,” Dees said. “They’re complete, high-quality lessons that can be customized by any teacher, anywhere.”

Each lesson includes a standards-based learning goal, an English Language Development (ELD) standard, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) elements, and a formative assessment. Every submission is carefully reviewed through a two-step vetting process by trained educators to ensure quality, clarity, and accessibility.

During the project’s lesson development phase, HQIM provided multiple ways for teachers to participate: in-person institutes, hybrid workshops, and a self-paced online course. To keep up with demand, the team has trained veteran contributors to lead workshops in their own regions, creating what Dees calls “a small army” of curriculum writers and reviewers.

Among those reviewers is April Raguindin, a first grade teacher at Fletcher Elementary in Bakersfield City School District, who joined the CA Educators Together team after attending a lesson design workshop last summer.

“I loved that it was standards-based and free,” Raguindin said. “Too often, teachers end up paying out of pocket for fluffy content that doesn’t really hit the standards. This is different — it’s quality, vetted material.”

Raguindin now uses the platform regularly to supplement her core curriculum. She recently adapted a science lesson on the sun to create an engaging classroom activity using photo stations and whiteboards.

“The lesson I used had a full slide deck, pictures, everything I needed,” Raguindin said. “It just made my job easier. I didn’t have to create it all from scratch — it was already there.”

The program’s depth of resources has also proven essential for instructional leaders. Blair Davenport, an academic coach at Bill L. Williams Elementary in the Panama-Buena Vista Union School District, uses the CA Educators Together platform to support new teachers and to spark ideas when curriculum materials fall flat.

“Post-COVID, students’ needs have increased, but the number of minutes in the day hasn’t,” Davenport said. “Being able to save teachers’ time without sacrificing quality means they can focus on differentiating, building relationships, and meeting students where they are.”

Davenport also emphasized the platform’s trustworthiness and impact.

“When you go online, you’re never sure what you’re getting,” she said. “But with this platform, it’s all vetted. I’ve seen full units with teacher scripts, sentence frames — everything you’d need to walk into a classroom and teach with confidence.”

The program has expanded its reach through partnerships with universities and statewide subject matter projects. Recent collaborations include workshops with the California History-Social Science Project at UC Davis, the Central California Science Project at Cal Poly, and even National Geographic and California State Parks.

“We’ve gone from being at conferences trying to get the word out, to teachers now coming to us,” Dees said. “It’s been a full-circle moment.”

With the grant set to conclude this year, the HQIM team is awaiting news on potential future funding. However, its legacy is already taking root, especially since the website will remain live as a hub for future California Department of Education initiatives.

“Teachers need more support,” Dees added. “This program gave them not just resources, but confidence, peace of mind, and a little more space to breathe.”

Educators can continue creating free accounts and accessing all lessons and resources at caeducatorstogether.org.