Rigor by Design, Not Chance

By Lina Eskew, Senior Assistant Director of Assessment

What if rigor in education wasn’t about making learning harder, but about making it deeper? In Rigor by Design, Not Chance: Deeper Thinking Through Actionable Instruction and Assessment (2023), Karin Hess challenges the common misconception that rigor equates to difficulty or compliance. Instead, she argues that rigor should be seen as a structured, intentional, and student-centered approach—one that fosters independent thinking and empowers students to take ownership of their learning.

While Hess highlights metacognition and self-reflection as essential to developing independent thinkers—one of her most innovative contributions to the conversation on rigor—she also frames engagement as the foundation for understanding and enhancing rigor. This concept is woven throughout her book, reinforced by clear, concrete examples and practical strategies that consistently emphasize the role of engagement in rigorous learning.

Redefining Rigor through Engagement

At its core, Hess’s book defines engagement as a key construct for calibrating rigor based on students’ needs—meeting them where they are and supporting them in achieving their learning goals and outcomes. She categorizes engagement into three interconnected types: emotional, cognitive, and behavioral.

Before students can fully engage cognitively, they must first connect emotionally by finding relevance in their learning through prior knowledge and experiences. Behavioral engagement, in turn, develops when students take ownership of their learning, self-monitor their progress, and cultivate the independence necessary for deeper thinking. Hess supports her argument with insights from neuroscience, explaining how emotional and cognitive engagement strengthen memory and aid in the retention of knowledge, skills, and dispositions in both the short and long term.

Deeper questioning is presented as a primary strategy and foundational approach not only to help students engage deeply but also to enable educators to uncover students' thinking and provide better support for learning. For example, by using varied questioning strategies, such as dialogic questioning and open-ended discussions, students engage in meaningful conversations with peers, construct knowledge, think critically, and consider different perspectives. By incorporating structured self-reflection based on established methods such as the Socratic Method, students are encouraged to critically examine their thinking, question assumptions, and develop deeper understandings.

These questioning exercises help educators support independent thinking, forming the foundation of Hess’s five "teacher moves" framework for creating rigorous learning conditions.

Key Contributions

While the book is rich with valuable insights and concrete examples, two key takeaways stand out in shaping systematic approaches to building rigorous learning cultures.

The Five Teacher Moves

One of the book’s greatest insights is its practical framework, which includes rich examples, rubrics, and templates to help educators design cognitively rigorous classrooms. Hess outlines five essential “teacher moves” that support deeper and independent learning:

Ask probing questions that increase in complexity.
Build schemas to help students organize and process information.
Strategically scaffold learning to support student progress.
Design complex tasks that emphasize application and far transfer.
Engage students in metacognition and reflection throughout the learning process.

These strategies provide clear, actionable steps for educators looking to shift from a compliance-based approach to one that is intentionally designed to engage students. By empowering students with the tools to take ownership of their learning, educators help them see learning as an opportunity for exploration and growth.

Assessment as a Learning Tool

Hess extends her engagement-infused approach to assessment, arguing that assessments should not simply measure learning but should actively support it by making student thinking visible and actionable. She advocates for:

Co-creating success criteria with students to promote transparency and agency.
Providing meaningful feedback that helps students take actionable next steps.
Using assessments as tools for reflection and growth, rather than just transactional evaluations.

By shifting from evaluators to learning coaches, educators can empower students to monitor their own learning, refine their strategies, and take responsibility for their learning growth.

Rigor by Design, Not Chance is a valuable resource for educators looking to create rigorous, student-centered classrooms. Hess seamlessly blends research-based insights with practical tools and strategies, making this book an essential toolkit for educators seeking to develop independent thinkers through intentionally designed, complex, and engaging learning environments.

Published March 25, 2025.