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PPTs available soon at www.fisherandfrey.com

Click on Resources & Recordings and then scroll to the bottom of the page

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TNTP’s 2018 report, �The Opportunity Myth, examined the quality �of students’ academic experiences in school and its effect on their long-term success.

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In a single school year, the average student spends about 530 HOURS OF THE APPROXIMATELY 720 HOURS in their core classes on assignments that are not grade appropriate.�

After observing nearly 1,000 hours of classroom instruction and analyzing 5,000 student assignments, we found…

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Higher expectations

Deeper engagement

Stronger instruction

Better assignments

Overlooked in The Opportunity Myth were

4 key resources that made a difference.

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But access to the Four Key Resources can make a difference. �When students get greater access to them, outcomes improve.

1.7

months

In our sample, all students made:

0.2

months

2.5

months

4.6

months

More months of academic progress when they had access to BETTER ASSIGNMENTS.

More months of academic progress when they had access to STRONGER INSTRUCTION.

More months of academic progress when they reported being MORE ENGAGED IN CLASS.

More months of academic progress when their teachers had HIGHER EXPECTATIONS.

00:44-00:35

These four resources m

This was especially true for students who are below grade level. Students who started the year behind grew significantly more when they had access to grade-appropriate assignments, strong instruction, deep engagement, and teachers with high expectations.

This flies in the face of an implicit narrative we sometimes tell about students who are behind – which is that they can’t do grade level work. It also challenges the notion that students who are behind need less challenging work in order to "meet them where they are.” What we see here is that if students who are behind don't have access to grade-appropriate assignments, they never have the chance to catch up. Instead, teachers need stronger support and training to give students real access to challenging content, regardless of their starting point. ade a difference – for all students in the sample. Students grew more when they had access to our four resources.

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That’s especially true for students who started the year below grade-level.

Students who started the year performing substantially below average made:

7.3

months

6.1

months

0.9

months

7.9

months

More months of academic progress when they had access to BETTER ASSIGNMENTS.

More months of academic progress when they had access to STRONGER INSTRUCTION.

More months of academic progress when they reported being MORE ENGAGED IN CLASS.

More months of academic progress when their teachers had HIGHER EXPECTATIONS.

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https://tntp.org/publication/the-opportunity-makers/

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There are 51,000 public elementary, middle, and K-8 schools in the U.S.

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28,000 of them average below-grade performance in ELA and Math on state tests at the initial year of testing.

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Schools with

“a long arc of sustained improvement.”

TNTP, 2024

Photo by SpaceX on Unsplash

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5% (1,345) were “Trajectory-changing Schools,” averaging 1.3-1.7 years gain annually.

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A child one year below grade level in 3^rd grade is on grade level by 6^th grade:

a potentially life-changing difference.

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In three years, students gain a full extra year of learning.

What does it mean to average 1.3 years learning, year over year, for a decade? It means that a student who starts third grade a year behind in math is on grade level by sixth – a potentially life-changing difference. We call these schools these schools “trajectory-changing” because that’s exactly what they do for students.

We defined "trajectory-changing" schools as schools where the average student was not yet on grade level in the initial tested grade and students grew at least 1.3 relative grade levels per year. This threshold, while somewhat arbitrary, is also practical. Setting the bar at 1.3 relative grade levels per year pulls the top five percent of public elementary and middle schools in SEDA. At this growth rate, compounded over several years, most students who are behind in elementary and middle school can reach grade-level proficiency during their time in school.

For the last decade, students in these schools gained more than 1.3 years of learning each school year. Growing at this rate allows most students to catch up during their time in school. In three years, students gain a full extra year of learning. A student who starts third grade one year behind in math is on grade level by sixth grade—a potentially life-changing difference.

Critically, these trajectory-changing schools have bucked the national trend for a decade. Student academic growth was consistent across different demographic groups and consistent over time. Because their trends are long-term, this isn’t about a single heroic leader or group of self-sacrificing teachers. It’s not the result of a one-time investment or a one-off initiative. This isn’t a silver bullet story.

Instead, trajectory-changing schools show us a long arc of sustained improvement by helping students gain 1.3 years or more of learning, year after year. These schools have found a way to sustain progress despite changes in leadership and the education landscape. Clearly, there must be durable systems, practices, and daily habits that can create exceptional levels of learning for all young people.

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Belonging: Schools create an emotional climate for learning that activates students’ ability to excel.

Consistency: Schools deliver consistently good teaching and grade-level content for all students.

9 out of 10 classrooms were rated as “good” or “strong” instruction.

Coherence: Schools build a unified instructional program and set priorities that are clear to all.

3 Characteristics of Trajectory-changing Schools

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Coherence is focused direction to build collective purpose.

Fullan & Quinn, 2016

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Trajectory-changing schools understand that success requires a coordinated effort.

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Learning Intention

We are deepening our understanding of robust learning through relationships and instruction.

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.

Success Criteria

I can align characteristics of trajectory-changing schools to my own classroom.

I can foster belongingness through key practices.

I can generate evidence of learning in my classroom.

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Change the face of schooling for students by changing opportunity structures.

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Opportunity structures maximize consistency, coherence, and a sense of belongingness to build RIGOR.

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�

Team Talk: Make your learning visible.

What is your superpower?

What does your grade level, department, or school do well?

Belongingness

Consistency

Coherence

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Education Week reported that ”rigor was the least favorite buzzword of 2023” in a poll of principals and teachers.

Other despised buzzwords included PLC, differentiation, and fidelity.

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“I liked the word until it became overused and repurposed to create vague, unnecessary pressure on teachers.”

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Read “Misconceptions About Rigor” on p. 1 to prepare for a conversation you will have soon with your sole mate.

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What DOK can (and can’t) reveal

p. 2

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DOK is useful for designing and

analyzing assessment tasks

but has proven more difficult

to use in task design.

And not all standards require that

students perform at DOK

levels 3 and 4.

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This is not an accurate application of DOK!

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Compass Partners

Find 4 different partners that are nearby. Write each other’s names down. You’ll have short conversations with these partners throughout the session.

Which misconception is most common in our school or context? What makes you think so?

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Constructing an Evidence-Based Definition and Implementation Model of Rigor

Construction

Validation

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Rigor in teaching and learning means challenging students with high expectations, engaging them in deep and meaningful learning experiences, and supporting them to achieve their full potential.

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Crowdsourced with experts and practitioners through four review/reconsider/revision loops (Delphi methodology).

From 54 indicators to 25, with modifications and exacting all along the way.

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R

I

G

O

R

Relationships

Instruction

Goals

Organization

Relevance

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Relationships	Instruction	Goals	Organization	Relevance
Students’ names are used in positive and productive ways	Evidence of student learning is used to inform instruction.	Learning goals are aligned with grade-level expectations.	The physical environment is accessible for all students.	The learning process incorporates meaningful tasks that embed learning inside and outside the classroom.
Proximity is used to foster connections with students to ensure their learning.	Students interact with peers in meaningful discussions using academic language to complete tasks.	The level of knowledge expected of the learning goal aligns with the standard.	The physical environment is rich and recent.	Students describe the value of what they are learning and how they are learning it.
Students’ interactions with peers are respectful and productive.	Scaffolds are strategically used to support learning, invite productive struggle and ensure productive success.	Students can describe or demonstrate what successful learning looks like.	Grouping patterns are used flexibly to promote learning.	Students’ lived experiences, as well as those from backgrounds different from their own, are incorporated into learning experiences, making lessons culturally relevant and inclusive.
Academic risk-taking is encouraged and celebrated.	Lessons include input based on student learning needs.	Students regularly self-assess their learning and revise their actions based on the results.	Student behavior is proactively managed, monitored, and addressed through productive procedures and interventions.	Artifacts and materials reflect the unique identities and interests of students.
Student ideas are valued and explored as bridges to learning.	Students practice and apply what they have learned to familiar and new situations.	Students seek feedback, are provided with actionable ideas, and follow through with next steps.	The flow and pace of the lesson is aligned with the learning goals.	Learning activates students’ prior knowledge and experiences and fosters connections to new or more complex content.

p. 4

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84 educator schoolwide Rigor Tours in 4 states with ratings recorded anonymously using the scales.

5 RIGOR components returned high internal consistency (.81-.95)=measuring same domain, reliability
5 RIGOR components correlated to reading growth (.42 to .68; .68 for full model) = meaning predictive validity

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Validation to Date

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A Rigor Plan at Erle Stanley Gardner Middle School

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Relationships	Instruction	Goals	Organization	Relevance
Students’ names are used in positive and productive ways	Evidence of student learning is used to inform instruction.	Learning goals are aligned with grade-level expectations.	The physical environment is accessible for all students.	The learning process incorporates meaningful tasks that embed learning inside and outside the classroom.
Proximity is used to foster connections with students to ensure their learning.	Students interact with peers in meaningful discussions using academic language to complete tasks.	The level of knowledge expected of the learning goal aligns with the standard.	The physical environment is rich and recent.	Students describe the value of what they are learning and how they are learning it.
Students’ interactions with peers are respectful and productive.	Scaffolds are strategically used to support learning, invite productive struggle and ensure productive success.	Students can describe or demonstrate what successful learning looks like.	Grouping patterns are used flexibly to promote learning.	Students’ lived experiences, as well as those from backgrounds different from their own, are incorporated into learning experiences, making lessons culturally relevant and inclusive.
Academic risk-taking is encouraged and celebrated.	Lessons include input based on student learning needs.	Students regularly self-assess their learning and revise their actions based on the results.	Student behavior is proactively managed, monitored, and addressed through productive procedures and interventions.	Artifacts and materials reflect the unique identities and interests of students.
Student ideas are valued and explored as bridges to learning.	Students practice and apply what they have learned to familiar and new situations.	Students seek feedback, are provided with actionable ideas, and follow through with next steps.	The flow and pace of the lesson is aligned with the learning goals.	Learning activates students’ prior knowledge and experiences and fosters connections to new or more complex content.

August 2026

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Relationships	Instruction	Goals	Organization	Relevance
Students’ names are used in positive and productive ways	Evidence of student learning is used to inform instruction.	Learning goals are aligned with grade-level expectations.	The physical environment is accessible for all students.	The learning process incorporates meaningful tasks that embed learning inside and outside the classroom.
Proximity is used to foster connections with students to ensure their learning.	Students interact with peers in meaningful discussions using academic language to complete tasks.	The level of knowledge expected of the learning goal aligns with the standard.	The physical environment is rich and recent.	Students describe the value of what they are learning and how they are learning it.
Students’ interactions with peers are respectful and productive.	Scaffolds are strategically used to support learning, invite productive struggle and ensure productive success.	Students can describe or demonstrate what successful learning looks like.	Grouping patterns are used flexibly to promote learning.	Students’ lived experiences, as well as those from backgrounds different from their own, are incorporated into learning experiences, making lessons culturally relevant and inclusive.
Academic risk-taking is encouraged and celebrated.	Lessons include input based on student learning needs.	Students regularly self-assess their learning and revise their actions based on the results.	Student behavior is proactively managed, monitored, and addressed through productive procedures and interventions.	Artifacts and materials reflect the unique identities and interests of students.
Student ideas are valued and explored as bridges to learning.	Students practice and apply what they have learned to familiar and new situations.	Students seek feedback, are provided with actionable ideas, and follow through with next steps.	The flow and pace of the lesson is aligned with the learning goals.	Learning activates students’ prior knowledge and experiences and fosters connections to new or more complex content.

November 2026