This study sheds light on Swedish teachers’ pedagogical digital readiness by highlighting the connections between curricular goals and teaching practice. Based on an ongoing research project aiming to explore and develop primary teachers’ digital multimodal teaching and assessment of three iterative cycles in the study design, the analysis focuses on teacher teams’ reflective discussions (cycle 2) of meaning potentials in students’ knowledge representations and the alignment of these with teaching designs previously implemented in the classroom (years 1–6). The findings demonstrate the development of new understandings, beliefs, and critical pedagogies challenged by the broad goal of adequate digital competence in subject-based curricula promoting mainly the competent use of digital resources. Swedish teachers struggle with digital readiness to develop subject-specific pedagogical knowledge attuned to the critical recognition of students’ engagement in digital multimodal practices without support for qualitative knowledge assessment. © 2024 selection and editorial matter, Sara Willermark, Anders D. Olofsson and J. Ola Lindberg. All rights reserved.