First published in 2011. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

This practical, easy-to-read guide explains how to raise the rigor for students with special needs so they can achieve higher levels of learning. Learn how to set clear goals and expectations establish a climate of success scaffold and model lessons use graphic organizers and "think-alouds" apply modifications and accommodations use rigorous questioning strategies differentiate instruction increase family involvement Get even more out of this book by discussing it with others! It’s ideal for study groups and the appendix features a detailed guide on how to make it work for your group! Bonus! You get a great variety of handy black line masters for use in your own classroom.

Learn how to increase instructional rigor so that all students can reach higher levels of learning! In this new edition of a best seller, author Barbara R. Blackburn offers practical ideas for raising expectations, increasing complexity, integrating scaffolding into instruction, creating open-ended choices and projects, and much more. This timely new edition provides connections to rigorous standards, plus it features new sections on topics such as questioning models, student ownership, Genius Hour, summative assessments, becoming a teacher-leader, and increasing rigor in instructional technology. Appropriate for teachers of all grade levels and subject areas, the book is filled with helpful strategies and tools that you can implement immediately. In addition, full-sized templates are available as eResources on our website (www.routledge.com/9781138569560) so you can download and print them for classroom use. With its practical advice and helpful tools, Rigor Is NOT a Four-Letter Word will set you and your students on the fast track to higher learning and sustained success.

Reader-friendly and practical, Rigor is NOT a Four-Letter Word is filled with tools you can use every day to raise the level of rigor in your classroom. These strategies can be incorporated immediately across content areas, grades, and subjects. Barbara Blackburn clearly defines what rigor is and how individual teachers can provide challenging learning experiences in their classrooms to prepare students for a better future.

Turn your school into a student-centered learning environment, where rigor is at the heart of instruction in every classroom. From the bestselling author of Rigor is Not a Four-Letter Word, Barbara Blackburn, and award-winning educator Ronald Williamson, this comprehensive guide to establishing a schoolwide culture of rigor is for principals and other administrators who seek to create the conditions in which rigorous classrooms flourish. School leaders will learn to manage a movement toward increased schoolwide rigor; engage teachers in conversations about improving instruction; build support for rigor among families and community members; learn methods for gathering meaningful data on student learning; and much more! With practical, ready-to-apply strategies, this book outlines and simplifies the steps toward achieving rigor at the school level. It represents a successful program that principals and administrators can use to put student learning first!

Learn how to assess students in a way that truly impacts learning. In Rigor and Assessment in the Classroom, bestselling author Barbara R. Blackburn provides a broad range of practical strategies for increasing the rigor and usefulness of your formative and summative assessments. You’ll discover how to... Create an environment where students are expected to learn at high levels; Evaluate and check student learning in a way that ensures growth; Strengthen the validity and reliability of your assessments; Plan assessments in conjunction with planning the instruction; Differentiate assessments to increase the rigor for all students; Enhance the effectiveness of your grading system and feedback; Use performance-based assessment to enhance rigor; and Design clear, reader-friendly rubrics and scoring guides. Each chapter includes ready-to-use tools, examples across the subject areas, and "Think About It" questions to help you reflect on what you’ve read. Many of the tools are also offered as free eResources at www.routledge.com/9781138936140, so you can easily print and distribute them for classroom use.

Learn how to differentiate instruction while maintaining a rigorous learning environment. In this practical book, rigor expert Barbara R. Blackburn shows that the differentiated classroom doesn’t mean extra work for top students and easy work for others; instead, you can have high expectations for all students and provide scaffolding so that everyone can reach success. She also addresses many of the greatest concerns teachers have about implementing differentiated instruction, including: How to manage your time so that you can create lessons, find resources, and grade assignments for students working at different levels; How to balance differentiated instruction and teaching standards; How to ensure rigor at all tiers of instruction; How to collaborate with teachers and other faculty members; How to differentiate homework and other out-of-class assignments; How to explain differentiated instruction to parents and families; And more... Each chapter includes practical tools and activities that you can use immediately to bring all students to higher levels of achievement. Many of these tools are available as eResources and can be downloaded for free from the book’s product page: www.routledge.com/9780815394471.

Promoting Rigor Through Higher Level Questioning equips teachers with effective questioning strategies and:

Attending to rigor in the classroom means 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. In this quick reference guide, expert Barbara R. Blackburn covers The 3 components and 10 myths of rigor. 4 characteristics of rigorous assessments. 7 instructional and scaffolding strategies. Tips and steps for increasing rigor in assessments and the classroom. This guide's strategies, examples, and tips will help teachers design rigorous instruction and assessment that advance student achievement. 8.5" x 11" 3-panel foldout guide (6 pages), laminated for extra durability and 3-hole-punched for binder storage.

A bold, brain-based teaching approach to culturally responsive instruction To close the achievement gap, diverse classrooms need a proven framework for optimizing student engagement. Culturally responsive instruction has shown promise, but many teachers have struggled with its implementation—until now. In this book, Zaretta Hammond draws on cutting-edge neuroscience research to offer an innovative approach for designing and implementing brain-compatible culturally responsive instruction. The book includes: Information on how one’s culture programs the brain to process data and affects learning relationships Ten “key moves” to build students’ learner operating systems and prepare them to become independent learners Prompts for action and valuable self-reflection