Comments on: What is rigor?

By: markm

markm — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 15:29:42 +0000

“Rigor” means that not everyone can succeed.

By: Liz Ditz

Liz Ditz — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 19:19:45 +0000

I’m writing a “primer” for education reporters on K-12 “rigor,” which is a hot word in education these days. I’m asking people: How do you define it? How do you measure it? Is rigor only for college-prep programs or are there rigorous ways to educate students who aren’t college-bound?

Don’t you have to segment it by grade and field of study? That is to say, what would constitute a “rigorous” kindergarten program? Is it age (developmentally) appropriate?

Every child reading fluently, with comprehension, by the end of 3rd grade would constitute a “rigorous” reading program.

What is the intersection between handwriting skills and being able to compose an essay? (I’m observing in 5th grade this term — I see a number of middle-class kids struggling to write, not because poor thinking or lack of mastery of writing mechanics, but because their handwriting isn’t automatic and legible — they’re still thinking about letter and word formation.)

What’s a “rigorous” math program in k-3? Are the use of manipulatives, numberlines and the like automatically non-rigorous, or do they in fact contribute to the child’s mastery not just of math facts, but the deeper levels of mathematics?

I don’t have answers, I just have questions.

By: Physics Teacher

Physics Teacher — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:30:09 +0000

Fuzzy Rider is correct. I teach IB Physics and the idiot administrators want us to encourage ALL the kids in the school to take as many “rigorous” courses as possible. All kids, of course, are supposed to “succeed”.

Until recently — and only by accident — did my fool administrator realize that students need substantial math skills to do well in physics. The ding-dong thought that because the students had passed algebra 1 they should do well with ideas like vector fields.

I have kids who’ve never seen trigonometry sitting next to kids who are taking calculus, yet by magic they should make progress in step.

I propose that all “advanced” education degrees be completely eliminated. No “masters”, or worse, “phd”, degrees in education should even exist. Any idiot can get an advanced degree in education and then fool the public and politicians into taking their crappy theories seriously.

By: Required Reading at The Core Knowledge Blog

Required Reading at The Core Knowledge Blog — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 09:01:23 +0000

[...] What is Rigor? at Joanne Jacobs How do you define it? How do you measure it? Is rigor only for college-prep programs or are there rigorous ways to educate students who aren’t college-bound? [...]

By: Parent2

Parent2 — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 21:57:20 +0000

In education, at least when parents speak of schools, “rigor” strikes me as a back-formation from “rigorous.”

To me, rigor would mean, no artwork, nor any crafts projects, after the third grade, with the exception of art class, and drawing maps in social studies and illustration of objects in written reports in science and social studies. However, a poster in language arts just should not be.

Proper rigor means that a school child has homework, but the work is at the right level for that child. He or she can complete it alone, without adult help. No parents, no tutors need to walk him through it. The child can also sleep, and participate in extracurricular activities.

Real rigor needs tracking, otherwise it’s impossible.

By: Fuzzyrider

Fuzzyrider — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 02:14:13 +0000

Using the standard definition of rigor, you can be dang sure that any teacher fool enough to actually APPLY it will be slapped down immediately and thoroughly. The district I taught in before I quit teaching was all abuzz about “rigorous AP classes”, but they wanted them to be “inclusive”, so they dumped EVERYONE into pre-AP. We were supposed to be “rigorous”, but under no circumstances was the failure rate to increase over “regular” classes.

Only an ed school graduate would fail to predict how that would work out…

There is NO HOPE for public education as currently structured.

By: teach5

teach5 — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 01:21:43 +0000

Rigor is obviously one of the new crap, I mean catch words to take the place of the ones we were using awhile ago. This is done of course to clearly delineate between what is “in” and what is now “out”. Buzz words are very important in our profession, they show that we are buying all of our clothes from the Emperor’s special tailors. We all must be clearly attired in only the latest fashion after all.

By: Amy in Texas

Amy in Texas — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:36:40 +0000

I’m not sure we have gotten to “rigor” at my school yet, as a catchword (we are still stuck on “equity”).
Rigor to me means a large amount of material covered, and a large output of competent academic work. In my foreign language class, 10th graders at a low SES ISD will work a 50 pg. grammar workbook, read a 100 page reader, and take weekly vocabulary and grammar tests over 10 to 15 chapters in our book.
I don’t consider that rigorous. It won’t get you to AP in three years.

By: pm

pm — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:27:41 +0000

I find this question ironic. Why not be rigorous about the use of the word rigor and look it up in the dictionary? This seems like the example that should be set, especially for a word like rigor.

From Merrian-Webster:

1 a (1): harsh inflexibility in opinion, temper, or judgment : severity (2): the quality of being unyielding or inflexible : strictness (3): severity of life : austerity b: an act or instance of strictness, severity, or cruelty
2: a tremor caused by a chill
3: a condition that makes life difficult, challenging, or uncomfortable ; especially : extremity of cold
4: strict precision : exactness
5 aobsolete : rigidity , stiffness b: rigidness or torpor of organs or tissue that prevents response to stimuli c:

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rigor

Until I looked the word up definition 4 is the only sense that I would have used. But it looks like definition 3 includes the sense of being challenging, which is a point other commenters have already touched on.

Let’s please avoid the slogans! The dictionary is always the best antitdote.

By: Crimson Wife

Crimson Wife — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 23:37:59 +0000

“Rigor” should mean challenging the student to stretch himself/herself, which can be accomplished in all different kinds of courses.

Unfortunately, in practice “rigor” seems to mean assigning more and more busywork at a younger and younger age. I often see students from my local elementary school doing their homework at the library when I’m there with my kids and they’re having to do worksheet after worksheet that appear to have little actual pedagogical value.