A New Definition of Rigor

“Rigor doesn’t simply mean giving students more or harder work.” “Instead, it’s the result of work that challenges students’ thinking in new and interesting ways.” This simple statement grabbed my attention today as I read a blog post on Edutopia by Brian Sztabnik. Mr. Sztabnik’s thoughts about rigor and the need for educators to consider rigor as a way to challenge students’ thinking is important because I, too, believe rigor “comes from what students do and is individual to each student’s needs.” Therefore, as important as curriculum design is in any school, true rigor is “measured in the depth of understanding” of each student.

Isn’t it time that we get past the notion that academic rigor has to be “harsh, inflexible, strict, or severe?” How do you define rigor? tlb

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