On the morning of May 27, shock took over the educational community with a single tweet from Grant Wiggins, written by his beloved wife Denise:

It was followed up with this:

Wiggins was the co-author of "Understanding by Design" and the author of "Educative Assessment," two works that have shaped a number of global education reform initiatives over the past two decades. Wiggins' work included the Coalition of Essential Schools, the International Baccalaureate Program and the Advanced Placement Program. He also led state reform initiatives in New Jersey, New York and Delaware, as well as national reforms in China, the Philippines and Thailand.

Terry Heick from Te@chThought referred to Wiggins as a "champion of understanding." He reflected back on the first time he met Wiggins and heard his simple message to teachers: authenticity, understanding, design and transfer. Heick referred to it as the blueprint for the modern teacher.

"As an educator, Grant was able to deftly balance the trivium of education improvement — thought, research and practical tools teachers can use in the classroom," Heick wrote. "As a result — in my opinion — there are few who have done more to change education in the last 50 years."

That same day, ASCD's Ross Romano posted a great tribute, "Thank You, Grant Wiggins." Romano stated that because of Wiggins' work, "hundreds of thousands of educators have changed their thinking and their instruction."

"ASCD expresses our profound sadness upon learning of the loss of Grant Wiggins, an author, presenter and lifelong educator," Romano wrote. "Grant's many contributions to education throughout his distinguished career have provided students and educators with access to quality learning and increased achievement."

Wiggins maintained an active blog on education. Just a day before his death, he posted Part 2 of his reply to a Washington Post article on reading comprehension. Over the years, his blog posts and articles for publications like Educational Leadership have helped educational reformers around the world.

One of his more notable blog posts from August of 2014 — "Assessment, grading and rigor: toward common sense and predictable outcomes on tests — served as a catalyst for schools looking to move to a competency-based grading system, a move that is growing in popularity each day.

Many will remember Wiggins for the inspiring messages he gave teachers every day in his writing, his presentations and his daily interactions. As a tribute to his work, I leave you with this Wiggins quote: "It's not teaching that causes learning. Attempts by the learner to perform cause learning, dependent on the quality of feedback and opportunities to use it."

Your legacy will live on for many years, Dr. Wiggins. Thank you for inspiring teachers all over the world. Rest in peace.