Academic Opportunity
Academic standards are designed to challenge students and ensure they are prepared for success in college and career. In this domain, teachers assess the presence of rigorous academic practices in classrooms, and whether school leaders have the necessary resources and knowledge to support these practices.
Recommendations
Based on our extensive experience, TNTP recommends the following as evidence-based practices for this domain:
- Adopt a rigorous academic curriculum, in which students do the majority of the thinking during lessons and all students have access to grade-appropriate assignments.
- Allow teachers to see students succeeding with more rigorous material through peer or leader modeling.
- Learn which teachers are spending the most time creating or finding lessons outside the adopted curriculum and ask why.
- Provide professional learning experiences designed to support teachers in developing standards-aligned lessons.
Resources
Browse Resources by Audience
Teachers
Resources for Teachers
The Opportunity Myth: A report on TNTP’s national research showing that most students lack the opportunity to regularly tackle grade-appropriate assignments
Resources for Selecting Instructional Materials: Resources for reviewing and evaluating instructional materials to ensure rigorous grade-level content
Assignment Review Protocols: Protocols for assessing the quality of assignments students are asked to complete in ELA, math, science, and social studies
Universal Design of Learning Guidelines: A resource on the importance of learner agency
Student Work Library: Examples of assignments that are strongly, partially, and weakly aligned with college and career-ready standards
Good to Great Reflection Guide: A reflection protocol to keep notes on what your students achieve when they’re given the chance to try grade-appropriate assignments
English Learners Success Form Pulse Check: A questionnaire to understand if your instructional materials and teaching practices are working for your English learners
Adopting Strong Instructional Materials: A case study on supporting the adoption of comprehensive, standards-aligned instructional materials
School Leadership
Resources for School Leadership
Resources for Selecting Instructional Materials: Resources for reviewing and evaluating instructional materials to ensure rigorous grade-level content
Assignment Review Protocols: Protocols for assessing the quality of assignments students are asked to complete in ELA, math, science, and social studies
Adopting Strong Instructional Materials: A case study on supporting the adoption of comprehensive, standards-aligned instructional materials
Central Teams
Resources for Central Teams
Resources for Selecting Instructional Materials: Resources for reviewing and evaluating instructional materials to ensure rigorous grade-level content
Adopting Strong Instructional Materials: A case study on supporting the adoption of comprehensive, standards-aligned instructional materials
Family / Caregiver
Resources for Family / Caregivers
Resources for Selecting Instructional Materials: Resources for reviewing and evaluating instructional materials to ensure rigorous grade-level content
Students
Resources for Students
The Opportunity Myth: A report on TNTP’s national research showing that most students lack the opportunity to regularly tackle grade-appropriate assignments
Resources for Selecting Instructional Materials: Resources for reviewing and evaluating instructional materials to ensure rigorous grade-level content
Universal Design of Learning Guidelines: A resource on the importance of learner agency
Student Work Library: Examples of assignments that are strongly, partially, and weakly aligned with college and career-ready standards