Chapter 2 and 3

Chapter 2

Wagner describes the global achievement gap as “what our more academically able students are being taught versus what they will need to succeed in today's world.” Many educators have come to understand the need for increased rigor for our students. However, Wagner describes the observations of Advanced Placement classrooms where student learning is geared to standardized tests and low-level memorization.

Wagner pushes us to rethink what true classroom rigor would look like.

- How are you moving student learning in our district away from factual recall to deeper, more reflective achievement?


Chapter 3

Wagner states (p. 111): “The rigor that matters most for twenty-first century is demonstrated mastery of the core competencies for work, citizenship, and life-long learning. Studying academic content is the means of developing competencies, instead of being the goal, as it has been traditionally. In today's world, it's no longer how much you know that matters; it's what you can do with what you know.”

- Wagner asks: “Are we willing to confront the academic and financial conservatives who are holding our states testing system hostage…? And can we agree that students in every state should be tested for mastery of a few core competencies using a uniform assessment system, in addition to locally developed assessments? We have the skill; indeed, the new assessments are far more challenging and demanding than what currently exists. But do we have the political will?”

Assess the local “political will” in our district to institute meaningful educational change.