While working through the summer reading book, we were asked to come up with our own definition of rigor. Here’s what I wrote, ‘Rigor requires a different, deeper way of thinking. It challenges students to struggle through intricate problems and reach their own conclusions with support and well thought out questions from the teacher.’ After further reading and research I came across many definitions that I really liked, but this was the one that made the most sense to me, ‘Rigor is the result of work that challenges students’ thinking in new and interesting ways. It occurs when they are encouraged towards a sophisticated understanding of fundamental ideas and are driven by curiosity to discover what they don’t know.’ (David Foster Wallace)

Rigor then, is quality of instruction that goes beyond the memorization of facts, understanding a basic concept, and developing a skill proficiency. Rigorous instruction asks students to create their own meaning, integrate skills into processes, and use what they have learned to solve real-world problems, even when the correct answer is unclear and they are faced with perplexing unknowns.

At Levine, we have committed to providing rigorous instruction for all students. Through reading, consulting the experts, training, coaching and collaborating with peers, we will continue to learn the best ways to plan for and deliver instruction that is rigorous and compelling.