Transforming vague standards into rigorous learning targets.
— used identically for 6th, 7th, AND 8th grade.
The roots — what holds it all up.
Learning targets, standards, and goals are visible, communicated, and evident.
Teachers communicate the learning targets, identifying key vocabulary and success criteria.
Lesson learning goals are determined by standards.
WCPSS-aligned curricular resources are utilized and instruction aligns with pacing/scope & sequence.
The canopy — where it reaches the light.
Students engage in student-to-student discourse communicating their understanding.
Learners do the majority of cognitive lifting—explaining, making connections, addressing questions.
Assignments and activities directly reflect standards and involve analysis, comparison, evaluation, problem-solving.
Grade-level writing standards are integrated into assignments.
When all three escalate together, you get authentic rigor — not vocabulary choices, but genuine cognitive progression where students think deeper, question more, and understand more profoundly.
Remember · Understand · Apply · Analyze · Evaluate · Create · Transfer
Physical · Representational · Abstract · Metacognitive · Intuitive
Facts · Concepts · Procedures · Strategies
This is what WCPSS means by "rigor"—not vocabulary choices, but genuine cognitive progression where students actually think deeper, question more, and understand more profoundly.
They guide teachers to create contextualized targets that demand the right thinking.
Clear, visible, communicated learning targets with success criteria.
Students know what they're learning
Students know why it matters
Students know what success looks like
Teachers teach with clarity
Rigorous learning & student cognitive lifting.
Every student experiences genuine cognitive demand
Students explain, analyze, evaluate
Rigor is evident and measurable
Student engagement increases
— the original standard —
— the original standard —
Teachers post targets, but students ignore them. No student ownership.
Structured unpacking of Root Statement + Contextualized target helps students understand HOW they're thinking. They own it because it makes sense.
Targets pack in too much: "I can identify, analyze, and evaluate..." Students confused about what they're learning.
Complexity lives in Verb × Zone × DOK escalation. Each target is clear. One Root Statement. One Contextualized target. Measurable complexity.
Targets only exist on paper. Teachers don't refer to them. No connection to daily work.
Specific, meaningful targets become natural anchor points. Used at lesson start, during application, and during closure because they drive instruction.
All targets are "remember" and "identify." No progression to higher-order thinking.
Framework forces intentional rigor escalation. Can't accidentally create all low-level targets. Verb + Zone + DOK progression ensures mix.
Target says "analyze," but assessment is multiple-choice. No alignment.
Verb × Zone × DOK automatically determines assessment type. Alignment is built in, not an afterthought.
The Verb + Zone + DOK determines what and how to assess.
Judgment tasks, comparison tasks, identification with criteria
"Which of these facts best supports the main idea? Why?"
Multiple choice with no reasoning required
Extended response, explanation, justification
"Explain the strategy you used and why it worked."
Procedures worksheet with step completion
Transfer task, pattern recognition, principle application
"Apply this pattern to a completely new situation and explain how you know it works."
Familiar practice problems
How the practice itself changes — standards, targets, criteria, rigor, and assessment.
The impact on engagement, clarity, differentiation, and WCPSS compliance.
All five CASEL competencies develop as students progress cognitively — not bolted on, woven in.
Begins with "Evaluate Physical Facts." Students recognize what they can do, identify their strengths in concrete tasks.
Accelerates through "Apply Metacognitive Strategies." Students explain their decision-making, reflect on choices, adjust approaches.
Develops across all levels. Discourse about Root Statements requires listening to how others think, valuing diverse approaches.
five petals · one bloom
Strengthens through "Apply Metacognitive Strategies" and "Recognize Intuitive Procedures." Students explain thinking, defend reasoning, collaborate on complex tasks.
Culminates in "Recognize Intuitive Procedures." Students transfer learning independently, apply principles to novel situations, make informed choices about approach.
You're not adding SEL as an afterthought—it's built into cognitive progression. Every Root Statement level develops specific CASEL competencies. Students can't advance cognitively without advancing socially and emotionally. The framework ensures whole-child development.
Four phases, from understanding to district-wide mastery.
Leadership and teacher teams learn Riojas' Root System. Understand Verb × Zone × DOK progression. See it applied to one standard in your grade level.
Select one standard per grade. Build Root Statements and contextualized targets. Use in classroom instruction. Gather feedback. Refine.
Roll out to more standards. Build district resource bank. Coach teachers in how to communicate targets and use them daily. Establish assessment alignment.
All standards mapped. Teachers creating targets confidently. Whole-district shared language about rigor. Evidence of Lever 1.1 and 1.3 compliance visible in classrooms.
✓Professional learning supports every step
✓Coaching cycles ensure fidelity
✓Quick wins build momentum
what walkthroughs reveal
how teacher conversations shift
Students can explain what they're learning and why
Teacher can articulate the cognitive demand of the target
Work samples show rigor progression
Instruction aligns with target
WCPSS Levers 1.1 & 1.3 are evident
building-level transformation
professional practice elevated
learning experiences transformed
The Riojas' Root System directly addresses WCPSS Lever 1.1 (Clear, visible, standards-aligned learning targets) and Lever 1.3 (Rigorous learning with student cognitive lifting). Implementation is measurable, scalable, and creates the consistency in rigor that WCPSS requires across all schools and grade levels.
From vague standards to clear, rigorous, measurable learning targets.
One framework. Three dimensions.
Every student appropriately challenged. Measurable growth.
— the full presentation, at a glance —