"We have been fortunate to work with Barbara to strengthen our district's rigor. The rigor checklist is a game-changer! Dr. Blackburn provided the most engaging, relevant, and focused professional development that our district has ever received. She provided practical examples for our staff that were easy to understand and that provided ideas that they were able to take right back into the classroom. She utilized a gradual release approach where our staff worked through her examples and then transitioned to using the powerful resource on their assignments and assessments. Barbara is flexible, accessible, and easy to work with.

We look forward to our continued collaboration."

- Chad Lensman, Superintendent -

- Graham Local Schools -

Professional Development Plan
A description of the professional development plan to train teachers and leaders on the process to evaluate tasks and assessments

for the level of rigor and improve them as needed. The distributed leadership model is also described.
Increasing Growth in Student Learning.pd[...]
Adobe Acrobat document [515.4 KB]

Sample Recommendations
Sample Recommendations for Review of Ass[...]
Adobe Acrobat document [498.4 KB]

Sample District Pre-Assessment
This is a short excerpt on a district-wide pre-assessment. Teachers from all schools chose a task, assignment, test, project, or other assessment that they considered rigorous. Using a validated criteria, Dr. Blackburn provided an expert review, then completed an executive summary so the district could plan next steps.
Sample District PreAssessment.pdf
Adobe Acrobat document [36.6 KB]

"In advance of the 3 hour Skype session, Barbara and I spoke at length on the phone regarding our school’s needs, which were focused on increasing depth of knowledge learning opportunities for our students. I collected samples of assignments and corresponding student work and sent them to Barbara in advance of our session. I also made multiple copies of the samples for my staff to use during the discussion. We conducted the Skype session as an all staff meeting in our media center, projecting the skype image and using large speakers so Barbara could be heard clearly. She led the review of the work, providing teaching and questioning to keep staff engaged. Teachers reflected on the work as Barbara questioned them. After the session, she sent the work back to the teachers with specific feedback as related to DOK. We were then able to use this as a springboard to continue our own DOK work using common language and understandings which grew out of our session with Barbara. Barbara’s work with our staff through this innovative collaborative method has positively impacted student achievement in our school!"

Brian Keefer, Elementary Principal, Henry County Schools