Increased Rigor in the Standards of Learning: Setting a New Trendline for Virginia Schools Dr. Linda Wallinger Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Virginia Department of Education July 1, 2012

2 Standards of Learning Revision and Assessment Dates Subject AreaStandards of Learning & Curriculum Framework Approved Year of Full Implementation - Assessments Based Entirely on New Standards History and Social Science Mathematics English Science

3 New Standards of Learning Assessments More information on Virginia’s Standards of Learning and assessments is available at

4 What is “Rigor”?

5 What Rigor Is Not Endless repetition and long hours of completing worksheets The quantity of material covered or the number of times it’s covered More worksheets for students who finished the assignment early Covering more material in a shorter amount of time

6 Descriptions of Rigor The quality of thinking High expectations Deep immersion in a subject, which also includes real-world applications The depth and attention devoted to an assignment, for example a scientific experiment or literary analysis done thoughtfully, with sufficient depth and attention to accuracy and detail The capacity to understand content that is complex, ambiguous, provocative, and personally or emotionally challenging

7 Importance of the Teaching Environment Creating an environment in which each student: Is expected to learn at high levels Is supported so he or she can learn at high levels Demonstrates learning at high levels

8 What Does Rigor Look Like? Critical thinking and problem solving Collaboration and leadership Adaptability Motivation and initiative Effective oral and written communication Accessing and analyzing information Curiosity and imagination

9 What Does Rigor Mean to You? Think of a personal learning experience that you felt was rigorous What did it look, feel, sound like? What were you doing? What were others doing to create that experience for you?

10 What Does Rigor Mean To Others?  “Rigor is an experience. It stretches your mind, engages your body and soul.”  “Rigor involves both challenge and frustration. It’s important to manage the frustration so it doesn’t overwhelm you. But in most cases, the more challenging the learning, the more satisfying it is when you succeed.”  “I did a lot of reading and independent research and worked on asking well thought-out questions. This was self-motivated, self-directed learning that came from my personal commitment to do the very best I could.”  “I had to go through the stages of inquiry, discovery, and self-questioning that are all part of rigorous learning.”

11 Rigor in the Classroom  Active, either through conversation or hands-on or minds-on activity. There’s questioning and discovery going on.  Deep rather than broad; project-based. The learners are digging into a topic or project.  Engaging. The learner has made a real connection with the material to be learned, either on his or her own or with the help of the teacher. There’s a sense that the learning was “hard but satisfying.”

12 Teaching Methods to Support Rigor  Using inquiry methods to help students seek their own answers  Finding ways to make learning relevant to the real world  Helping students learn strategies they need to attack challenging text, detect bias, gather relevant information, and decide how to put what they’ve learned to work in a useful way

13 Rigor in Education Rigor means providing challenging content through effective instructional approaches that lead to the development of cognitive strategies that help students know what to do when they don’t know what to do next. It requires active participation from both teachers and students. It involves high-level content and instruction that may ask teachers to think about teaching and assessment in a different way. It asks students to use content and skills to: – Solve complex problems – Develop strategies that can be applied to other situations – Make connections across content areas, and – Draw conclusions and create solutions on their own.

14 For More Information Information about Virginia’s Standards of Learning is available at: and You may also call the Department of Education at

15 Resources Used In This Presentation include the following: Blackburn, B.R. & Williamson, R. (November 2009). “The Characteristics of a Rigorous Classroom” in Instructional Leader. Austin: Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association. (Retrieved April 30, 2012.) Is it Rigor? Or is it Something Else? (September 4, 2007). An American Teacher. (Retrieved April 30, 2012.) Small Schools Project. (April 2004: Volume 3, Number 9) Focus: A Newsletter for Selected School Board Members in Washington State. Seattle: Abeo School Change. (Retrieved April 30, 2012.) Virginia Department of Education. (February 22, 2012) Mathematics Standards of Learning Testing: Start of a New Trend Line in Student Achievement. (Retrieved April 30, 2012.)