Mythbusters Vol. 2: RCD Units

Author’s note: 

     Confession: As one of the curators/writers of the JCPS middle school social studies RCD units, the author of this piece has both experience with and interest in the successes of the RCD process.  

The authors of the JoCo Real Blog think there’s some real confusion and myths surrounding “RCD”... and that it’s time to bust these.

     But first, what is a rigorous curriculum? A rigorous curriculum is a set of intentionally aligned components — research-backed instructional strategies, clear learning outcomes with matching assessments, and engaging learning experiences — organized into sequenced units of study.  These units, “serve as both the detailed road map and the high-quality delivery system for ensuring that all students achieve the desired end: the attainment of their designated grade- or course-specific standards within a particular content area.” (Ainsworth 8) Rigorous Curriculum Design is the process (not a single event or even series of events) that puts this rigorous curriculum in place as a framework.

     The rationale behind RCD supports the concept of a curriculum model that provides comprehensive answers to the what, why, and how of education. What all students need to know is the standards. How we teach so that all students learn is instruction.  How we determine if students have learned is assessment. Lastly, what we do if students come to us already knowing something or what we do if students still do not know something is differentiation and enrichment.

Clear, right?  Alright then; let’s bust some myths.

Myth: “RCD is something else to do.” 

• BUSTED! Rigorous Curriculum Design is - by definition - an alignment of standards, instruction, and assessment.  It’s not ‘something new’ or ‘something else’... it IS a cohesive, aligned curriculum. It is our standards. It is a process. It is our guiding curriculum framework. 

Myth: “RCD forces me into a prescribed order and pacing.” 

• BUSTED! Again, Rigorous Curriculum Design is a framework for curriculum.  As such, the suggested pacing and order take into consideration an agreed-upon model for facilitating learning of all parts of the curriculum but the order and pacing offer flexibility to best fit the needs of your students and school.  This flexibility can take the form of an additional day of instruction in one unit, supplemental instruction if deficits are discovered, two fewer days of instruction in a unit if all students have demonstrated mastery, or even providing a dedicated literacy block in your school wherein you utilize units from the RCD framework.

Myth: “RCD forces me to use Schoolnet assessments.”

• BUSTED! Getting past the anthropomorphism of RCD, this myth is busted. A central part of Rigorous Curriculum Design is assessment but these are to be aligned to the standards and instruction, not forcibly administered using any specific tool.  SchoolNet is an option for you to give the assessments online.  One of many options.  Not required.

Myth: “Since lesson plans aren’t included, the RCD units must be incomplete.”

• BUSTED! The RCD process does not include construction of lesson plans. The framework created through the RCD process promotes autonomy and flexibility that teachers need to differentiate for their students. Moreover, the framework serves as a guide for teachers to begin the journey of personalized learning for their students.  Lesson plans are counter to both of these ideas.

(Related) Myth: “The RCD units are finally finished!”

• BUSTED!  The Rigorous Curriculum Design process requires feedback. RCD creators and writers need feedback from teachers and administrators.  Accordingly, the process is never complete as there is always room for improvement in the ongoing process. Adapting, building, and improving from unit to unit and year to year is also a hallmark of quality teaching.

Myth: “The word ‘rigor’ is in the name… that means more work for students.” 

• BUSTED! We’re going to all have to get through this one together. “Rigor” does not mean more hours of work or more difficult assignments for the sake of satisfying “rigor”.  Rigor is the intentional inclusion of and alignment between all necessary attributes or components of a rigorous curriculum. Larry Ainsworth puts it succinctly, stating that rigor, “implies the reaching for a higher level of quality in both effort and outcome.” (Ainsworth 6) Literacy consultant and writer Kylene Beers explains in her (very cleverly titled) article It’s Rigor, Not Rigor Mortis, that engagement is the critical component of “rigor”. Here is the key to rigor: high quality effort, high quality outcomes, and genuine engagement.

Myth: “I can’t do RCD… I am doing PBL.”

• BUSTED! -  RCD does not tell you how to teach the standards… it serves as a guidelines. There is no reason you cannot use PBL as an instructional tool to meet the standards. In fact, you should!  And something to chew on: if students can demonstrate mastery using a product (as is the case in PBL), do they need to take a “paper/pencil” post assessment? This writer thinks not.

Myth: “I do not see ELEs for all units… what gives? Also, ELE?!? What’s that?!”

• No myth here to BUST.  Creation of ELEs (“Engaging Learning Experiences”) is part of the RCD process. Unfortunately, not all units have these - in fact, many courses have none. As such, they are not required but are suggestions; recommendations. But, just because they do not have to be used as-is for instruction does not mean they can’t be used at all.  They were created to engage students and allow for more collaboration. The hope is that PLC groups would use them as guides to plan further engaging learning experiences and personalized learning units. The engaging learning experiences can be used a “springboard” for personalized learning or project based learning. You are free to use your teacher agency to create ELEs you want, or modify the ones that are there to suit your students' needs. That's what the ELEs present in the RCD units are there for. But the experiences in your classroom should be engaging, and should allow for students to collaborate with each other towards reaching that higher quality of effort together. And feedback here is essential. Let writers know what wonderful, collaborative experiences you are creating so that we can share the wealth across the district.  

We could certainly devote another 100, 1,000 or 10,000 words to busting myths and exploring rigorous curriculum design and would still barely scratch the surface of the topics of rationale, construction, and implementation as they relate to RCD... but several things are clear: 

• RCD is not some big, bad prescriptive program or curriculum script.  RCD is a framework for your curricular standards - not a day-by-day guide; a “program” or “something else” to do.  In the words of one curriculum coordinator, “RCD is a guide and not a guard.” Well said, Randy.  Well said.
• RCD is a process, not an event: The Rigorous Curriculum Design process is just that - a process. Accordingly, it is not ever “done” as there’s always space and motivation for growth; betterment. Feedback is necessary. Personalization is key. Cultivation of “in-house” ownership of the framework is imperative. 

We hope you enjoyed our brief myth-busting on the topic of Rigorous Curriculum Design. Leave us a comment below if you have questions or something to add.  Also, leave us topic suggestions if you know of a “myth” that needs to be busted. 

*Ainsworth, Larry. Rigorous Curriculum Design. Lead+Learn Press, 2010.

Note:  Unless otherwise noted, most posts on this blog are submitted by a team of writers, authors, and editors.