The maintenance and refinement stage should be ongoing until the next round of revisions occurs. This stage includes establishing structures to support continuous improvement surrounding implementation of new standards, including: ongoing, current, and timely adjustments, onboarding of new and transitioning teachers and administrators, and establishing processes/networks to address individual situations that may occur.

Through the vigilant monitoring of existing system supports, the identification and development of structures ensures that new practitioners, administrators, and leaders develop the competencies to successfully implement content area standards. It is important to note that while this stage is ongoing, it does require planning and reacting. Having a timeline in place that includes benchmarks and milestones ensures that appropriate progress is being made and creates opportunities to change course, if needed. Through the monitoring of short- and long-term consequences of instruction and assessment based on the new standards, states and districts can address smaller issues before they grow into larger, more problematic issues.

To support the meaningful implementation of content standards at a deep level, states should move forward with the work outlined in Stage 4 as well as plan to engage in activities that promote continuous improvement. Considerations should be made for both new and existing staff and educators (e.g., visible policies, appropriate training), changes to assessments and accountability systems to meet stakeholder needs, communication of research-based best pedagogical practices, as well as development of resources that support areas of weakness. States, districts, and schools should continue communicating internally and providing guidance around areas of need to staff, whether that is related to the use of available resources and supports or the use of data and feedback to make adjustments and improvements (e.g., instruction, stakeholder group composition, etc.). Utilizing these types of feedback loops at the state, district, and school levels allows for timely and appropriate responses to pressing needs.

An approach for continuing to keep stakeholders engaged is through the strategic use of data that targets areas of emphasis, which may include assessment data, data collected through evaluation of offered professional development, and access/use data related to provided resources. Following the developed communication plan will ensure consistent messaging and data sharing with stakeholders. States and/or districts will want to continue to meet with key stakeholders regularly to review data and make decisions that strengthen the system, as part of maintaining support for standards implementation. They will want to continue to work with a wide range of stakeholders and meet regularly to understand and support systemic implementation of standards and continue to conduct periodic satisfaction surveys/targeted evaluations.

As part of the maintenance stage of implementation, states can begin to build and/or revise data systems that will support ongoing implementation, which may include monitoring systems (e.g., alignment of implementation, alignment of curriculum, etc.). States may also need to create new data collections or produce new evidence based on Federal Peer Review results. If not previously done, districts should determine whether all materials and instruction in schools are aligned to new standards based on an independent third-party analysis as well as teacher-submitted data. If the determination is made that materials are not fully aligned, a plan should be created to procure new materials and/or enhance or supplement current materials. By developing and sharing reports containing information about evidence of alignment between intended and enacted curriculum with all stakeholders, states and/or districts can build on the repository of evidence of success.

The data that is collected and analyzed throughout the standards revision process will serve as a foundation as states and/or districts begin developing their plans for the next cycle of standards review and revision, updating existing materials based on lessons learned, and begin initial communication about standards revision processes. This is also an opportunity to reflect and communicate with higher education partners regarding enhancements needed for teacher preparation programs related to standards implementation.