Rigorous tasks built from your curriculum
Teachers learn to plan interdependent team tasks at the full intent and rigor of the standards, using the curricular resources you already own. Nothing to replace.
Teacher champion pilot
Raise Rigor and Achievement Without Adding to Your Teachers’ Load
The Model of Instruction for Deeper Learning is a research-validated instructional model, supported by ESSA Tier 2 evidence, that raises rigor and achievement by shifting classrooms from teacher-directed lessons to student-led team learning with your existing curriculum.
Start with five volunteer teachers. See the difference in weeks.
Explore the Model of Instruction
ESSA Tier 2 evidenceModerate evidence, including a study meeting WWC design standards with reservations
Turn Your Curriculum Into Deeper Thinking and Stronger Achievement
Help teachers turn your adopted curriculum into rigorous tasks, rich academic discourse, and deeper student thinking. Start with volunteer teachers and examine the changes in their classrooms.
When students collaborate on rigorous tasks and make their thinking visible, access to rigor expands to all students and achievement increases. Strong curricular materials need classroom structures that help students engage with challenging content, receive feedback, and demonstrate understanding. Teachers need a step-by-step system to make that work visible in their classrooms.
The research
Research and evidence for rigor and achievement
In Instructional Empowerment’s 2026 District 11 pilot study, students taught by competency-verified teachers scored an adjusted 22.44 STAR scale-score points higher in ELA and 18.24 points higher in mathematics than matched comparison students. The study compared the same district, grade levels, and curriculum. The quasi-experimental findings show an association with verified implementation.[2]
+22.44STAR scale-score points in ELA
+18.24STAR scale-score points in math
Why is achievement stuck even with a strong curriculum?
Most Tier 1 instruction is still teacher-directed. Students listen, then work alone, and depend on the teacher to rescue them when the task gets hard. With good intentions, teachers hold back the curriculum’s rigor, add scaffolds, and simplify tasks so students won’t struggle.
The result is a classroom where the teacher works hardest, and students rarely wrestle with grade-level thinking. Over time, more students fall behind and get referred to Tier 2 and Tier 3, turning the MTSS pyramid upside down.
Why haven’t interventions and tutoring closed the gap?
For years, schools have invested in interventions, pull-outs, and tutoring programs to help students catch up. While these supports can be valuable, they typically occur outside of the core instruction instead of strengthening it. Students then return to the same classroom practices for the majority of their day.
Likewise, simply scripting lessons has not been enough. Lasting improvement requires strengthening Tier 1 instruction itself so that every student can access, engage in, and succeed with rigorous learning in the classroom.
When Tier 1 is weak, the MTSS pyramid flips
Strong core instruction
Most students succeed in the classroom
Teacher-directed core
More students referred out of class
How it works
How does the Model of Instruction for Deeper Learning raise rigor?
Teams that turn struggle into productive struggle
Students work in small teams with defined roles, norms, and protocols. When a task gets hard, teammates help each other think it through instead of relying on the teacher.
Every student talks and thinks
Protocols require equal voice, so every student engages in academic discourse using content vocabulary, including students who used to stay quiet.
Teachers coach instead of carry
As students lead, teachers move from directing every minute to monitoring and coaching the learning in every team.
Impact and results
What results have schools seen?
55%Additional ELA growth
In Colorado Springs School District 11, students of teachers with verified implementation scored an adjusted 22.44 STAR points higher in ELA and 18.24 points higher in math than matched comparison students, growth equivalent to an additional 55% in ELA and 35% in math, in a quasi-experimental study.
Applied Research Center brief (2026)61Extra days of reading for high schoolers
A 10,431-student study across 22 Des Moines schools, meeting What Works Clearinghouse design standards with reservations, found 11 extra days of reading and 6 of math in year one, and 21 and 10 in year two. High schoolers gained 61 in reading and 42 in math.
Des Moines Public Schools study (2019)35%ELA proficiency, up from 10.9%
Over two years, Willard Elementary raised ELA proficiency from 10.9% to 35% and math proficiency from 15.6% to 24.7%, ranking #2 in ELA growth among 107 Illinois K–6 schools.
Willard Elementary case study (2025)+4.38Points at 70%+ implementation
In a study of 6,200 students across 318 classrooms, teachers with at least 70% progress toward verified implementation (the Implement badge) saw an average 4.38-point increase on the FAST ELA benchmark compared with teachers with no progress (p = .04), showing that deeper implementation is associated with higher achievement.
Applied Research Center brief (2025)Watch the recording
Watch: From 10.9% to 35% ELA Proficiency
Willard Elementary’s principal and a pilot teacher share how a small group of volunteers started the shift, what changed for students in the first weeks, and how the whole school followed.
- How Willard’s teachers raised rigor without rewriting the curriculum
- What the principal did differently as an instructional leader
- How a pilot school became a lab school that hosts over 300 educators a year
Get the recording
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In their words
What principals, teachers, and students are saying
“When we implemented the Model of Instruction, what I’m seeing now is we are catching kids that we did not catch.”
“IE’s structure is better than a program because this is about true teaching. This is truly about how we look at teaching our students, how we get them to become independent learners.”
“After the Model of Instruction for Deeper Learning was implemented, those learning gaps started to decrease significantly. With teaming in place, it has helped my students.”
“For students to get to that next level in their learning, they have to come up with their own thinking, share it, debate it, and analyze it. The Model of Instruction for Deeper Learning has been really instrumental in facilitating that.”
“The teacher’s role has changed because they’re trying to let us do most of the work, to take control of our learning.”
The volunteer pilot
How does a teacher champion pilot work?
You invite teachers to volunteer; you don’t assign them. A team of 3 to 5 teachers learn the Model of Instruction for Deeper Learning together through interactive modules that take under 1 hour a week and apply in class the next day. An Instructional Empowerment coach, always a former educator, supports the team through live virtual coaching sessions.
- Getting Started
Launch teams
Students learn team roles, norms, and protocols. Early wins are often visible in the first week.
- Building Momentum
Design rigorous tasks and shift to coaching
Teachers design rigorous, interdependent team tasks from the curriculum they already use, and shift from directing all aspects of learning to coaching students toward greater ownership of learning.
- Measuring Success
Review and decide
You review student evidence with your team and decide whether to expand. Classrooms typically experience a full transformation within weeks.
Because the pilot starts with teachers who want to try it, you expand something your staff already supports, not something you have to sell.
Start with a pilot
Choose your pilot
Pilot OneStart here
Getting Started with Teachers
$2,500- 5 volunteer teachers, each with a one-year Teacher Digital Resource Suite subscription
- 5 Classroom Toolkits, including printed and laminated student tools and a Teacher Guidebook
- 2 hours of live virtual coaching
Pilot TwoRecommended
Teachers, Instructional Coach, and School Leader
$6,750- Everything a teacher team needs: 10 teacher suites and Classroom Toolkits
- An instructional coach suite with the Coaching Walk tool
- A school leader suite with progress reporting
- 4 hours of faculty coaching and 2 hours of leadership coaching for you
Need a quote or purchase order?Talk to an expert educator and we’ll reply within two business days.
Funding your pilotMany schools fund pilots with Title I or Title II professional development funds. Check allowability with your federal programs office.
Not ready to buy?Join a live 30-minute product tour with an expert career educator, or explore the Model of Instruction for Deeper Learning.
Your curriculum already holds the rigor. Five volunteer teachers can unlock it.
Frequently asked questions
What is academic rigor in the classroom?
Academic rigor means students regularly analyze, evaluate, create, and persist through complex, grade-level tasks. It isn’t more work; it’s more meaningful thinking. The Model of Instruction for Deeper Learning makes that level of thinking possible for every student through student-led teams.
Is the Model of Instruction for Deeper Learning evidence-based?
Yes. It is supported by ESSA Tier 2 (Moderate) evidence, including a 10,431-student Des Moines study that meets What Works Clearinghouse design standards with reservations. A separate peer-reviewed study of 48 schools in SAGE Open (2024) provides additional, correlational evidence.
How quickly will we see changes in achievement?
Classroom changes such as engagement and discourse are often visible in the first week, and classrooms typically transform within weeks. Achievement gains track implementation depth: in a 318-classroom study, teachers at 70% implementation or higher saw significantly greater gains.
How much time does the pilot take for teachers?
Teachers spend under 1 hour a week on interactive learning modules and apply what they learn the next day. Live virtual coaching sessions are 1 hour each: 2 in Pilot One, 4 in Pilot Two.
Do we need a new curriculum?
No. The Model of Instruction for Deeper Learning works with your adopted curriculum and high-quality instructional materials. Teachers learn to turn existing lessons into rigorous, interdependent team tasks.
What grades and subjects does it work in?
The model is used in elementary, middle, and high schools across all content areas. Classroom Toolkits are grade-band specific.
What happens after the pilot?
At the end of the pilot, you review results with your team and your Instructional Empowerment coach. Schools can expand by adding a second cohort of volunteers, upgrading to include coaches and leaders, or bringing onsite professional development to the whole staff.
