Instructional Playbook

Rigor

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Rigor refers to the level of difficulty, complexity, and depth of the learning experience. It involves setting high expectations for students and designing learning activities that require them to think critically, solve problems, and apply their knowledge in meaningful and novel ways. Rigorous instruction encourages students to engage deeply with content, develop a thorough understanding of concepts, and master essential skills. Difficulty and complexity must be balanced so that students experience a range of opportunities that foster fluency, stamina, strategic thinking, and expertise. Productive struggle is often avoided, but it is essential to the learning process. When students encounter challenges that require them to grapple with complex problems or concepts, they are pushed to think creatively, analyze information, and generate innovative solutions. Through this process, they develop the ability to persevere in the face of difficulties, build essential skills for success in both academic and real-world contexts, and discover that mistakes are learning opportunities. When planning for rigor, teachers should consider working through the 4 stages of learning in the instructional hierarchy: Acquisition: Students are initially learning the skill(s). The skill is laborious to perform and accuracy is variable. Fluency: Students are developing proficiency with the skill, perform it accurately, but not at an efficient rate. Generalization: Students can perform the skill accurately and with proficiency, but may perform it less fluently in novel settings. Adaptation: Students can perform the skill across settings with accuracy and proficiency. Rigor aims to prepare students for post-secondary success, and lifelong learning by fostering intellectual curiosity, resilience, and the ability to tackle complex challenges. *Adapted from AIR (2023), Fisher et al. (2017), and Hess (2023)

Maximize Building background knowledge to prepare for complex learning Guiding and grouping practices to develop skills while working

through complex tasks Providing students the opportunity for productive struggle

Minimize

Decreasing high expectations for some students based on a perceived deficit Overlooking the difficulty and complexity of tasks

More Complex

More Difficult

Generalization Adaptation

Low Difficulty High Complexity

High Difficulty High Complexity

Acquisition Fluency

Low Difficulty Low Complexity

High Difficulty Low Complexity

Less Difficult

Less Complex

DIFFICULTY COMPLEXITY A measure of

A measure of the thinking, action, or knowledge that is needed to complete the task. In assessment, how many different ways can the task be accomplished.

effort required to complete a task In assessment, a function of how many people can

complete the task correctly.