It’s hard to define rigor. In fact, rigor is considered a bad word in some education circles. Does rigor mean that most of the students fail? Does rigor require hours of extra work, homework, or studying? Without clearly defining rigor, it’s hard to determine if we are teaching up or leveling down. As a result, we may over-scaffold or under-support students.
Baylor University defines academic rigor as “creating an environment in which each student is expected to learn at high levels, each student is supported so he or she can learn at high levels, and each student demonstrates learning at high levels.” They note several aspects of academic rigor, including:
- Rigorous learning experiences that build knowledge and skills, are aligned with grade-level content expectations, and include instructional support for students.
- Rigorous assignments that require students to think deeply—both critically and creatively—rather than just memorize and recall information.
- Rigorous learning environments that develop students’ sense of belonging, are safe places to take risks, and help students see value in what they are learning.
- Rigorous learning opportunities that push students to learn beyond what is described in the standards and curriculum and help them see connections between what they are learning and the world outside their classroom.
When it comes to the tasks and assignments that teachers develop, we believe that rigor is a balance between difficulty and complexity. Difficulty requires effort and time, whereas complexity involves background knowledge, multiple steps, and thinking. For example, assigning 10 more math problems does not automatically increase rigor, but it does increase difficulty. Ten strategically chosen problems could increase complexity, and thus rigor. When we compare difficulty and complexity, we can place these two concepts in a grid to create four conditions:
Source: Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey
1. Fluency tasks are not difficult or complex, but they are important. For example, note-taking, once taught and practiced, is not particularly complex or difficult. But if students want to study, it’s good to have notes. Rigorous classrooms provide time for students to maintain habits and practice fluent behaviors.
2. Stamina tasks require more time and effort but are not that complex. These tasks build students’ stamina, endurance, and grit. For example, practicing arithmetic facts promotes fluency. But applying arithmetic facts to 10 word problems extends a student’s stamina. Students must have regular exposure to stamina-building activities, such as extended independent reading and tasks that demand their attention and persistence to complete.
3. Strategic thinking tasks are those that are under our conscious and intentional control. These tasks are complex and are better learned when not too difficult. For example, making predictions or determining the reasonableness of an answer starts as a complex learning task, but can be learned on texts that are not too difficult. Students require examples, especially teacher modeling, as well as feedback to move from strategic thinking to fluent behavior.
4. Struggle tasks cause students to grapple with information and ideas. They are both complex and difficult—for example, a close reading lesson or project-based learning task that requires intentional instruction. While you don’t want students to struggle every day, all day, some cognitive struggle allows us to raise expectations and teach up. Wise teachers identify causes of the struggle and develop lessons to address those needs.
In the video that accompanies this column, 4th grade teacher Madeline Ruiz from Concourse Village in New York engages her students in a shared writing lesson. Notice that some of the lesson focuses on strategic thinking and other parts of the lesson focus on stamina. Students have previously read the text when it was much more of a struggle and now the tasks are rigorous in a different way. Rigor does not mean making things hard, but rather that teachers balance difficulty and complexity to ensure that they are teaching up to the high expectations they have for all students.
Video Reflection: Rigor in Action
After watching the video, use the following questions to reflect on and guide rigorous learning in your own classroom.
- Visit classrooms in your school or district. Where do you see examples of the four types of rigor identified by Baylor University (learning experiences, assignments, environments, and opportunities)?
- Identify tasks that you have assigned students in the previous 30 days. Where would these tasks fall on the grid of difficulty and complexity?
- Notice the response cards that students use in the video to universally share their thinking. What role do these play in the rigor of the experience?
- As you watch the video, monitor the role that students take in their own learning. How does this contribute to the rigor of the learning experience?
- In the video, consider the value of Ms. Ruiz doing the writing. How does this support high expectations for students?
