Increasing Rigor to Develop
Critical Thinking Skills
PRESENTED BY KIM LAWRENCE
AND MELANIE GARNETT
Find Someone Who…
Let’s get to know each
other a little!
Rigor-the latest cliche
A
search for “rigor” on the
VDOE site returned 974 hits
A
search for “rigorous” on the
VDOE site returned 1,470 hits
Rigor-the latest cliche

The word “rigorous” appears 16 times in the U.S.
Department of Education Document “A Blueprint
for Reform”

Rigorous Standards

Rigorous Assessments

Rigorous Interventions

(The word America appears 9 times)
What is rigor?

With a team of 2 or 3 discuss the
following:
 What
is RIGOR?
 What
does RIGOR look like in the
classroom?

 Why
is it important?
 How
do you implement it?
Construct a poster using your
creativity
Rigorous Learning Experience
Non-rigorous Learning
Experiences
Many Definitions of Rigor

Rigor requires active participation
from both teachers and students.

Rigor asks students to use content
to solve complex problem and to
develop strategies that can be
applied to other situations, make
connections across content areas,
and ultimately draw conclusions
and create solutions on their own
Many Definitions of Rigor

Rigor requires teachers to create a
learning environment where
students use their knowledge to
create meaning for a broader
purpose

Rigor requires students to learn how
to develop alternative strategies if
their first attempts are unsuccessful
OLD SOL Question
NEW SOL Question-More
Rigorous!!!
Comprehensive
interpretation of SOL and
Curriculum Framework
SOL 3.11
The student willa) tell time to the nearest minute, using analog and digital
clocks; and
b) determine elapsed time in one-hour increments over a 12hour period.
Under Essential Knowledge and Skills, the
third bullet says:
 When given the beginning time and
ending time, determine the elapsed time
in one-hour increments within a 12-hour
period (times do not cross between a.m.
and p.m.).
There are three elements in this type of
problem: a beginning time, an ending
time, and the amount of time that has
elapsed. If given ANY two of these three
elements, the students should be able to
find the missing piece.
Additional Ways for Students
to Demonstrate Understanding
Addition of non-multiple choice items
called technology-enhanced items
(TEI):

Fill-in-the-blank

Drag and drop

Hot-spot: Select one or more “zones/spots” to
respond to a test item; i.e. select answer option(s),
shade region(s), place point(s) on a grid or number
line

Creation of bar graphs/histograms
BREAK!
How Can Teachers Achieve
and Maintain Instructional
“Rigor”?

Engage students in the learning process, providing
relevant activities and tasks that require a high
level of cognitive demand

Ask high-leverage questions that require students
to think, process, and communicate

Require students to justify their thinking and
reasoning
Math Rigor
Provide instruction that requires students to
 become
mathematical problem
solvers that
 communicate mathematically;
 reason mathematically;
 make mathematical
connections; and
 use mathematical
representations to model and
interpret practical situations
Reading Rigor








Standards at each grade address
reading fiction and nonfiction
Nonfiction emphasizes text structures
and organizational patterns
Inferences and conclusions based on
explicit and implied information
Differentiate between fact and
opinion
Increase rigor by choice of texts
Offer students choice in
reading/writing topics
Use project-based learning
Use cooperative groups
Evidence of Rigor

Students not only learn, do, and reflect.

They also master skills such as:


Critical thinking,

Problem solving,

Creativity,

Collaboration,

Project management, and

Written and oral communication.
21st century skills are embedded in all of the
above!
Examples from L.A.

Take a look at the vertical alignment of the
Reading Comprehension SOLs for grades K-2

Read excerpt about the Gradual Release of
Responsibility

Video of a Teacher Think-Aloud
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00-i6m8ELiw

Share examples of rigorous comprehension
instruction
Examples from Math

Take a look at the vertical alignment of the math
SOLs for grades K-2

Read the “Rigor in Mathematics Teaching and
Learning” article

Share examples of rigorous math instruction
Time for you to work

Now we are going to give you more time to
explore:

Professional books

Blackboard site

VDOE website (Enhanced Scope and Sequence)

Number/Number Sense Module

How do you plan on incorporating more rigor to
your math and/or reading instruction?