UTC's Educational Model

The goal of learning should be the development of the life-long ability to acquire and use new skills and knowledge. With that goal in mind, UTC utilizes the Rigor/Relevance Framework, a tool developed by the International Center for Leadership in Education to examine curriculum, instruction, and assessment.

Rigor refers to standard of excellence in academic knowledge and skills acquired in an educational program.

Relevance refers to the practical hands-on application of those skills and knowledge to real-world situations, solving problems and adapting solutions to an ever-changing technological world. Some of the initiatives in place to help achieve Rigor and Relevance are standard-based education, student-centered learning, work-based learning, and school accountability.

The Rigor/Relevance Framework (see diagram) divides achievement of academic skills (Rigor) into 6 levels:

1) Awareness
2) Comprehension
3) Application
4) Analysis
5) Synthesis
6) Evaluation

The ability to apply those skills (Relevance) is divided into 5 levels:

1) Knowledge in one discipline
2) Apply knowledge in one discipline
3) Apply knowledge across disciplines
4) Apply knowledge to real-world predictable situations
5) Apply knowledge to real-world unpredictable situations

By combining high standards of academic excellence (Rigor) with constant hands-on practical experience (Rigor), United Technologies Center facilitates student achievement of high level problem solving for real world unpredictable situations.

Rigor/Relevance Framework


1	2	3	4	5
Knowledge	Apply of	Apply of	Apply of	Apply of
in one	knowledge	knowledge	knowledge	knowledge
discipline	in one	across	to real-world	to real-world
	discipline	disciplines	predictable	unpredictable
			situations	situations

A P P L I C A T I O N

rigor / relevance graphic adapted from

Willard R. Daggett, ED.D.

President of the International Center for Leadership in Education

e-mail address: www.LeaderEd.com