A Different Kind of AP Course

Across American high schools have added Advanced Placement classes. The program is booming. Those classes are known for their rigor and the way they help students prepare for college. But six years ago AP teachers in the Bellevue School District near Seattle teamed up with researchers from the University of Washington to make their AP government classes far more interactive and project based. Role plays and simulations are a central part of their curriculum. What began as a change in AP government and politics courses now includes AP environmental science and AP physics.

The results are impressive. Students in five dozen classrooms in Washington, California and Iowa score as well or better on AP exams compared to students in lecture-heavy traditional AP programs. For example, last year 88% of students in two high-poverty schools that are part of the program passed the AP US government test compared to 24% for comparable schools across the nation.

Here's a story from the Seattle Times describing the changes. You can also watch a short video about the program. I'd enjoy hearing from you about your AP program and what you think about this modification.

Confronting Myths About Rigor

When Barbara Blackburn and I wrote Rigorous Schools and Classrooms we spent a lot of time talking about the challenges principals face as they work to improve the rigor of their schools. We began to talk about the myths that are associated with the concept of rigor and identified four of them that we think impact the way parents, teachers and administrators think about rigor.

• Myth #1: Lots of Homework is a Sign of Rigor - For many people this is the most prevalent indicator. Many teachers are proud of the amount of homework they expect of their students. It is often built on the idea that "more is better." Unfortunately the evidence is that "more" often means doing more low-level activities, often repetition of things done earlier. Because students learn differently it is important to vary the instruction with the student and to use homework as an opportunity to deepen understanding of what has been learned.
• Myth #2: Rigor Means Doing More - There is also a belief that students need to do more than they are currently doing. Tony Wagner of Harvard found that classrooms are often characterized by low-level, rote activity. Howard Johnston and I asked parents about rigor and found that they believe rigor is doing less but doing it more in-depth. That is often difficult for principals to reconcile when talking with teachers and other school personnel. True rigor is expecting every student to learn and perform at high levels and requires that students delve deeply into their learning, engage in critical thinking and problem solving, and be curious and imaginative.
• Myth #3: Rigor is Not For Everyone - There is a belief that if everyone is engaging in rigorous activity, it somehow lowers standards and lessens the value. There is growing recognition that all students must be provided an opportunity for a rigorous educational experience that is more than just a set of courses. It is anchored in the belief that every student can be successful if given adequate time and sufficient support.
• Myth #4: Providing Support Means Lessening Rigor - Rugged individualism characterizes the fourth myth. There is a belief that if students are provided, and accept support, it is a sign of weakness. We've found that providing support is an essential component of a rigorous school. Students are motivated to do well when they value what they are doing and when they believe they have a chance for success. When Howard and I talked with teachers and parents about their own rigorous experiences they invariably described the support they were provided.

I'd like to hear your reaction to these four myths and about your experience increasing the rigor of your school and classrooms. I look forward to hearing from you.

Principals and the Common Core

Early in February I spent a week working with several middle and high schools in Oregon. In every school the principal talked about adoption of the Common Core and how they were working with their teachers to be ready for the implementation. As many of you know implementing Common Core standards will change the way many schools and classrooms are organized. An emphasis on greater rigor, higher-level thinking and authentic assessments may challenge some of your teachers and may not be well understood by families.

This week I read a thoughtful eduptopia blog by Erin Powers How Will the Common Core Change What We Do. It's a really helpful summary of the anticipated changes and how to plan for their arrival.

I'd enjoy hearing from you about how your planning for implementation of the Common Core.

Myths About Rigor

In recent years I've found that the mere mention of "rigor" provokes a variety of reactions. Some see rigor as an agenda that undermines the student centered school. Others see rigor as some political agenda. Others see rigor as a commitment to assuring that every student is provided the tools for success in school.

I've written a lot about rigor the last few years and with my colleague Barbara Blackburn have provided principals with tools they can use to work with their teachers, families and communities to improve the rigor of their schools. Our books, Rigorous Schools and Classrooms: Leading the Way, and Rigor in Your School: A Toolkit for Leaders, have proven to be useful guides for school leaders.

We identified four myths that exist about rigor.

• Myth 1: Lots of Homework is a Sign of Rigor - For many people rigor is measured by the amount of homework and many teachers pride themselves on the amount they assign. But the evidence is that lots of homework is not an indicator of rigor because "doing more" often means doing more low-level activities. Rigorous and challenging learning experiences take many forms and will vary with the student. More homework is not the answer.
• Myth 2: Rigor Means Doing More - Some suggest that rigor means doing more than they currently do. The evidence is just the opposite. It shows that more often leads to low-level activities rather than the more in-depth analysis and synthesis that is important for long-term learning. True rigor is expecting every student to learn and perform at high levels.
• Myth 3: Rigor is Not For Everyone - There is also a belief that the only way to assure success for every student is to lower standards and lesson rigor. The National High School Alliance says that an agenda of rigor must assure that every student is prepared for post-secondary education, a career and participation in civic life. It is about high-quality, rigorous learning for every student.
• Myth 4: Providing Support Means Lessening Rigor - The belief in rugged American individualism---doing things on your own, often gets in the way of student learning. Barbara and I've found that supporting students so that they learn at high-levels is central to a rigorous school and classrooms. Howard Johnston and I conducted a study where we asked adults, teachers and parents, about rigorous experiences. They invariably described the challenge and the high levels of support and encouragement they experienced. The same is true for students. They are motivated to do well when they value what they are doing and when they believe they will be successful.

The most successful schools are those that build a culture of success, celebrate success, and build a success mentality. I'd enjoy hearing from you about your response to these four myths and how you're working to provide a rigorous, challenging and engaging educational experience for your students.

Rigor in Your School: A Toolkit for Leaders

This week I'll be in San Francisco to speak at the NASSP Annual Conference. In addition to speaking on Friday about leadership strategies for creating rigorous schools and classrooms, my latest book, co-authored with Barbara Blackburn will be released by Eye on Education.

Rigor in Your School: A Toolkit for Leaders complements Rigorous Schools and Classrooms: Leading the Way. It is organized around our COMPASS model of change and provides over ninety tools that school leaders can use to work with their teachers, families and community to improve the rigor of their school.

If you're attending the NASSP conference I'd enjoy meeting you in our session on Friday morning or in the bookstore following the session. A copy of the handout used at the conference is available on my website at www.ronwilliamson.com. As always, I'd enjoy hearing from you about the book or about your efforts to improve the rigor of your school.

Myths About Rigor

When Barbara Blackburn and I were writing Rigorous Schools and Classrooms we spent a lot of time talking about the challenges that principals face when working to improve the rigor of their schools. The conversation led us to talk about the myths that are associated with rigor in schools. We identified four of them that we think impact the way parents, teachers and administrators think about rigor.

• Myth #1: Lots of Homework is a Sign of Rigor - For many people this is the most prevalent indicator. Many teachers are proud of the amount of homework they expect of their students. It is often built on the idea that "more is better." Unfortunately the evidence is that "more" often means doing more low-level activities, often repetition of things done earlier. Because students learn differently it is important to vary the instruction with the student and to use homework as an opportunity to deepen understanding of what has been learned.
• Myth #2: Rigor Means Doing More - There is also a belief that students need to do more than they are currently doing. Tony Wagner of Harvard found that classrooms are often characterized by low-level, rote activity. A study by Howard Johnston and me found that parents saw rigor as doing less but doing it more in-depth. That is often difficult for principals to reconcile when talking with teachers and other school personnel. True rigor is expecting every student to learn and perform at high levels and requires that students delve deeply into their learning, engage in critical thinking and problem solving, and be curious and imaginative.
• Myth #3: Rigor is Not For Everyone - There is a belief that if everyone is engaging in rigorous activity, it somehow lowers standards and lessens the value. There is growing recognition that all students must be provided an opportunity for a rigorous educational experience that is more than just a set of courses. It is anchored in the belief that every student can be successful if given adequate time and sufficient support.
• Myth #4: Providing Support Means Lessening Rigor - Rugged individualism characterizes the fourth myth. It is that if students are provided and accept support, it is a sign of weakness. We've found that providing support is an essential component of a rigorous school. Students are motivated to do well when they value what they are doing and when they believe they have a chance for success. When Howard and I talked with teachers and parents about their own rigorous experiences they invariably shared the support that they were provided.

I'd like to hear your reaction to these four myths and about your experience increasing the rigor of your school and classrooms. I look forward to hearing from you.

Shared Accountability for Students

I believe that students share accountability for their own learning. They must be actively involved in their own learning, have an opportunity to make decisions about their learning, and be responsible for asking questions, being clear about their work and completing assignments.

But they have a right to know the expectations for their work and to know how their work will be assessed. In Rigorous Schools and Classrooms: Leading the Way (www.eyeoneducation.com), Barbara Blackburn and I identified some ways to support student accountability.

• Provide exemplars for all work and rubrics that students can use to assess their success in completing assignments.
• Adopt a grading policy of A, B, and Not Yet.
• Provide opportunities for students to revise and resubmit work.
• Include support and scaffolding in classroom instruction.
• Include engaging instructional activities connected to real life.
• Act consistently on the belief that each student can learn, will learn, and you power to help them do so.
• Provide quality and timely feedback on student work.

I'd enjoy hearing from you about other ways that you build student accountability into your school or classroom.

Rigorous Schools and Classrooms: Leading the Way

Suggesting that schools can become more rigorous often provokes a variety of reactions from defensiveness to outright hostility. But I believe that schools must continually strive to improve their curriculum and the quality of instruction and assessment. In my new book. Rigorous Schools and Classrooms: Leading the Way (www.eyeoneducation.com), co-authored with Barbara Blackburn we provide a three-part definition for rigor.

Rigor is creating an environment in which each student is expected to learn at high levels, each student is supported so he or she can learn at high levels, and each student demonstrates learning at high levels.

Together these three elements provide the basis for nurturing and sustaining rigor in schools. Our focus in the book is straightforward: to provide principals and teachers with a practical guide to help make your school more rigorous. We introduce the COMPASS model, a set of 7 tools that leaders can immediately use to transform their school. They include culture, ownership and shared vision, managing data, professional development, advocacy, shared accountability, and organizational structures.

Barbara and I hope that the ideas in the book are helpful to you as you work with your community to improve your schools. Additional resources are available at www.rigorineducation.com or at my website (www.ronwilliamson.com). We'd enjoy hearing from you about the book.