Pair increased academic demand with increased teacher support when raising instructional rigor¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

The article argues that raising academic demand alone can backfire: students with a history of low achievement "may become disengaged and stop trying when academic rigor increases without simultaneous efforts to help them meet the new demands," producing frustration, disorder, and worse outcomes. It recommends that efforts to increase challenge be accompanied by "increased scaffolding, assistance, encouragement, and other forms of support," noting that ideal learning environments combine demand and support. The CPS CCSS-M transition illustrates this pairing: extensive-PD elementary schools raised demand while also showing significantly higher teacher support, and course performance improved rather than deteriorating.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Teachers able to provide monitoring, feedback, assistance, and socioemotional support alongside more challenging coursework

Constraints¶

• Previous CPS demand-raising reform (College Preparatory Curriculum for All) increased course failures and lowered grades when support was not simultaneously emphasized

Target Learners¶

• K-12 students, particularly those considered academically at risk

Target Learning Goals¶

• Engaging successfully with more challenging, standards-aligned coursework without disengagement or course failure

Related Strategies¶

• Warm Demander Pedagogy
• Patience
• Promote a Growth Mindset
• Perspective-taking and Empathy
• Positive Teacher Student Relationships
• Set a High Bar for Each Student
• Provide rigorous and relevant instruction connecting academics to postsecondary options
• Equitable access to rigorous and culturally sustaining curricula, including automatic advanced-coursework enrollment

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Julia A. Gwynne and Sarah Cashdollar. (2018). Changes in Math Instruction and Student Outcomes since the Implementation of Common Core State Standards in Chicago. UChicago Consortium working paper. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/changes-math-instruction-and-student-outcomes-implementation-common-core-state