International Center for Leadership in Education

Rigor and Relevance Series

NEW ! - Stretch Learning — Rigor and Relevance for an Unpredictable World

Stretch learning gets students ready for their future by developing their thinking skills, creativity, and ability to connect knowledge, so that they have increased opportunities throughout life. This comprehensive K-12 kit supports school leaders and teachers by providing:

tools to assess current practices and create new stretch learning programs, units, and lessons
multiple examples from schools with great stretch learning approaches and results
strategies that help educators improve learning for all students

All tools and links to resources are included on a CD. This kit includes a CD and is available in the online store for $295. View kit excerpt

NEW ! - Gold Seal Lessons for Integrating Academics in CTE and Career Academies

Many students learn best by applying academic concepts to real-world tasks. The 128 career-related lessons in this kit incorporate essential skills in English, math, and/or science. Included are lessons in the following Career Pathways: Agriculture/Natural Resources, Automotive/Transportation, Building Trades/Construction, Business/Finance, Culinary Arts, Engineering/Design, Family & Consumer Sciences, Graphic Communications, Health Occupations, Hospitality/Tourism, Marketing, and Public Service. Also provided:

a CD containing all the lessons, which is searchable by Career Cluster
lessons in career preparation for all fields

This kit includes a CD and is available in the online store for $195. View kit excerpt

Rigor and Relevance from Concept to Reality

This engaging personal reflection shares the education vision of nationally acclaimed school improvement advocate Willard R. Daggett, President of the International Center for Leadership in Education. It is rooted in Bill’s earliest school reform work at the New York State Education Department and takes the reader through his founding of the International Center in 1991 and the conceptualizing of the Rigor/Relevance Framework, the Learning Criteria to Support 21st Century Learners, and the Components of School Excellence. The chapters align with those Components.

The International Center has spent years identifying, researching, and showcasing the nation’s most successful practices. The book provides insights and examples of the why, what, and how of sustainable school improvement. It is a must-read for anyone interested in K-12 education who seeks to be challenged and inspired.

This book is written by Dr. Willard R. Daggett and is available in the online store for $29.

Using Assessment for Instruction

Based on actual data and tried-and-true models and research, this resource kit demystifies the process of assessment and related data gathering for the entire school community.

Numerous examples of data and assessments are provided in all chapters
Chapters are divided into sections targeted to administrators and teachers for ease of use
A useful appendix contains articles, rubrics, exercises, and sample data

This kit includes a CD and is available in the online store for $295.

Using the Rigor/Relevance Framework™ for Planning and Instruction

This popular kit provides essential planning tools and professional development activities to raise the level of rigor and relevance in all subjects and all grades. Based on the Rigor/Relevance Framework™, it helps teachers:

focus on student work that requires both complex thinking and application of knowledge to real-world situations
utilize a comprehensive guide to develop instruction that will prepare today’s students for advanced education and the workplace
implement professional development activities

This kit includes a CD and DVD and is available in the online store for $295.

Instructional Strategies - How to Teach for Rigor and Relevance

This resource kit includes:

a complete course in planning rigorous and relevant instruction using 17 instructional strategies, such as demonstration, inquiry, note-taking/graphic organizers, problem-based learning, and project design
professional development and teacher learning activities
a 200-page Teacher Handbook - an essential guide to using each instructional strategy that is ideal for both new and experienced teachers

This kit includes a CD and is available in the online store for $295.

Algebra Mastery Through Relevant Applications in Grades 6-10

This kit is designed to increase algebra achievement by helping teachers to think about instruction and lessons in a different and exciting way. The kit offers:

42 strategies for teaching and learning algebra in ways that engage students
20 professional development activities
36 Gold Seal Lessons focused on algebra
an explanation of the use of the Rigor/Relevance Framework™ as a tool for developing highly relevant lessons
an overview of research on why students struggle with algebra
detailed directions for integrating mathematical inquiry
three chapters that contain accompanying videos

This kit includes a CD and DVD and is available in the online store for $295.

Using Gold Seal Lessons to Improve Instruction

This one-of-a-kind collection of 360 lessons in English language arts, math, and science provides lessons for grades K-4, 5-8, and 9-12 that:

match the high-priority topics tested on states’ assessments and to the skills needed by all students for future success
contain a task, scoring guide, and explicit links to standards and essential skills, as well as to the Rigor/Relevance Framework™ for each lesson
serves both to guide instruction and as a basis for developing lesson plans, student activities, and performance assessments

This kit is available in the online store for $295.

Gold Seal Lessons for Rigor and Relevance - K-8 and
Gold Seal Lessons for Rigor and Relevance - 9-12

Each of these kits contains all-new, level-specific lessons designed by classroom practitioners for Quadrant D learning on the Rigor/Relevance Framework. Each kit (sold separately) offers 120 unique lessons in print and on CD:

30 each in English, math, science, and social studies
based on core academic standards and crosswalked to the National Essential Skills Study (NESS)
suggested strategies to engage and support English language learners (ELL) in the mainstream classroom
performance tasks and scoring guides to share with students

The CD is organized by subject and by essentials skills to aid in matching lessons to state standards. These kits are available in the online store for $195 each or $290 for both.

K-8 Excerpt HS Excerpt

Subjects can also be purchased separately - see below

Gold Seal Lessons Subject-Specific Packets for Grades K-8 and 9-12

The lessons in the resource kits Gold Seal Lessons for Rigor and Relevance can be purchased in separate packets by subject and grade level. English, mathematics, science, and social studies packets are available for Grades K-8 and Grades 9-12. There are 30 lessons in each packet.

based on core academic standards and crosswalked to the National Essential Skills Study (NESS)
suggested strategies to engage and support English language learners (ELL) in the mainstream classroom
performance tasks and scoring guides to share with students

These packets are available in the online store for $50 each.

How to Design Gold Seal Lessons

This 180-page staff development manual will help teachers create rigorous and relevant Gold Seal Lessons that focus on the skills and knowledge assessed by high-stakes tests and considered most useful to graduates. Teachers will greatly benefit from:

data on the English, math, social studies and science Essential Skills
materials for professional development programs
sample Gold Seal Lessons
scoring guide template

This handbook includes a CD and is available in the online store for $99.

Rigor and Relevance Handbook

This 125-page guide summarizes the essential elements that enable teachers to plan and facilitate rigorous and relevant learning while accommodating various priorities and learning styles. In addition, users will find:

the key understandings that teachers need in order to apply the Rigor/Relevance Framework™ easily and effectively in their teaching
personal professional development activities

This handbook is available in the online store for $45.

Instructional Strategies– Teacher Handbook

A companion to the Instructional Strategies resource kit, this 200-page handbook:

covers 17 instructional strategies that can be implemented immediately
helps teachers analyze teaching situations and systematically select strategies that are likely to lead to student success
provides strategies for both new and experienced teachers

This handbook is available in the online store for $35.