Rigor By Design Not Chance

A practical and systematic approach to deepening student engagement, promoting a growth mindset, and building a classroom culture that truly supports thinking and learning. Every student deserves access to deep and rigorous learning. Still, some persistent myths about rigor can get in the way—such as the belief that it means more or harder work for everyone, rather than challenging and advancing students' thinking. So how can teachers get more clarity on rigor and foster more meaningful learning in their classrooms In Rigor by Design, Not Chance, veteran educator Karin Hess offers not only a clear vision of what makes learning deep and rigorous but also a systematic and equitable approach for engaging students of all ages in rich learning tasks. To that end, she outlines five essential teacher moves that foster thinking and learning: 1. Ask a series of probing questions of increasing complexity. 2. Build schemas in each content area. 3. Consider ways to strategically scaffold learning. 4. Design complex tasks that emphasize transfer and evidence-based solutions. 5. Engage students in metacognition and reflection throughout the learning process. From there, Hess details how to create an "actionable" assessment cycle that will drive learning forward in any classroom. This book offers a treasure trove of strategies, student "look-for" behaviors, and templates to guide teachers in their work as well as an array of rich performance-based assessments to engage and challenge students. School leaders and instructional coaches can also benefit from the variety of teacher-friendly supports to foster rigorous learning in their schools. Ultimately, Rigor by Design, Not Chance helps educators empower students to take greater ownership of their own learning.

For years, educators have turned to the Hess Cognitive Rigor Matrices (CRM) when it comes to assessment. Now for the first time, the modules are packaged into one resource to help teachers evaluate the quality and premise of their current assessment system.

This practical, easy-to-read guide explains how to raise the rigor for students with special needs so they can achieve higher levels of learning. Learn how to set clear goals and expectations establish a climate of success scaffold and model lessons use graphic organizers and "think-alouds" apply modifications and accommodations use rigorous questioning strategies differentiate instruction increase family involvement Get even more out of this book by discussing it with others! It’s ideal for study groups and the appendix features a detailed guide on how to make it work for your group! Bonus! You get a great variety of handy black line masters for use in your own classroom.

The roadmap for your school’s CBE journey! Employ the WHAT (deeper academic and personalized learning), the WHY (equity), and the HOW (learner-centered approaches) of Competency-Based Education, maximizing the time, place, and pace of student learning. Make the shift to CBE using best practices from the authors’ CBE implementation experiences across states, districts, and schools. Build the foundation with organizational shifts - policy, leadership, culture, and professional learning Shift teaching-learning structures—rigorous learning, performance assessment, and evidence-based grading and reporting Dive into student-centered classrooms—personalized instruction and shifting mindsets for teacher-student roles, responsibilities, and classroom culture

In this book, Erik M. Francis explores how one of the most fundamental instructional strategies—questioning—can provide the proper scaffolding to deepen student thinking, understanding, and application of knowledge. You'll learn: Techniques for using questioning to extend and evaluate student learning experiences. Eight different kinds of questions that challenge students to demonstrate higher-order thinking and communicate depth of knowledge. How to rephrase the performance objectives of college and career readiness standards into questions that engage and challenge students. Francis offers myriad examples of good questions across content areas and grade levels, as well as structures to help teachers create and use the different kinds of questions. By using this book to fine-tune your approach to questioning, you can awaken the spirit of inquiry in your classroom and help students deepen their knowledge, understanding, and ability to communicate what they think and know.

In this book, William Powell and Ochan Kusuma-Powell provide a practical map to navigate some of today's most complicated instructional challenges: How do you help all students succeed when every classroom is, in effect, a global classroom? And what does a successful education look like in a world that is growing smaller and flatter every day? Drawing on research and years of experience in international schools, the authors identify five critical keys to personalizing learning for students who have wildly different cultural, linguistic, and academic backgrounds: * Focus on your students as learners through systematic examination of their cultural and linguistic identities, learning styles and preferences, and readiness. * Focus on yourself as a teacher and investigate your own cultural biases, preferred teaching style and beliefs, and expectations. * Focus on your curriculum to identify transferable concepts that will be valuable and accessible to all students and further their global competence. * Focus on your assessments to ensure cultural sensitivity and improve the quality of the formative data you gather. * Focus on your collegial relationships so that you can effectively enlist the help of fellow educators with different experiences, backgrounds, skills, and perspectives. The way to teach now is to focus on your students both as individuals and as members of a multifaceted, interdependent community. Here, you'll learn how to design and deliver instruction that prepares students not just to meet standards but to live and work together in our complicated, 21st century world.

Better Learning Through Structured Teaching describes how teachers can help students develop stronger learning skills by ensuring that instruction moves from modeling and guided practice (situations where the teacher has most of the responsibility) to collaborative learning and, finally, to independent tasks. You'll find out how to use the four components of this approach to help meet critical challenges, including differentiating instruction and making effective use of class time: 1. Focus Lessons: Establishing the lesson’s purpose and then modeling your own thinking for students.2. Guided Instruction: Working with small groups of students who have similar results on performance assessments. 3. Collaborative Learning: Enabling students to discuss and negotiate with one another to create independent work, not simply one project. 4. Independent Tasks: Requiring students to use their previous knowledge to create new and authentic products. The authors explore each component using student dialogues and examples from a variety of disciplines and grade levels. They provide tips and tools for successfully implementing this instructional approach in your own classroom, including checklists for classroom setup and routines, critical questions, real-world lesson plans, and more. No matter what grade level you teach, Better Learning Through Structured Teaching is your essential guide to helping students develop and expand their capacity for authentic and long-lasting learning.

Learn how to increase instructional rigor so that all students can reach higher levels of learning! In this new edition of a best seller, author Barbara R. Blackburn offers practical ideas for raising expectations, increasing complexity, integrating scaffolding into instruction, creating open-ended choices and projects, and much more. This timely new edition provides connections to rigorous standards, plus it features new sections on topics such as questioning models, student ownership, Genius Hour, summative assessments, becoming a teacher-leader, and increasing rigor in instructional technology. Appropriate for teachers of all grade levels and subject areas, the book is filled with helpful strategies and tools that you can implement immediately. In addition, full-sized templates are available as eResources on our website (www.routledge.com/9781138569560) so you can download and print them for classroom use. With its practical advice and helpful tools, Rigor Is NOT a Four-Letter Word will set you and your students on the fast track to higher learning and sustained success.