Do Students Know What Success Looks Like?

You’re Raising the Bar. But Can Your Students Even See It?

Let’s get honest about a tough truth:
We talk a lot about rigor — but rarely do we talk about whether students actually know what that looks like in practice.

I’ve sat in enough leadership meetings and walkthrough debriefs to hear it over and over:

So we coach harder.
We push teachers toward standards-based planning.
We raise the expectations.

But here’s the thing: when students can’t name the learning target…
When they don’t know what a strong answer looks like…
When they can’t even describe what they’re doing, let alone why —

We don’t have a rigor problem.

We have a clarity problem.

The Illusion of Rigor is Real

It feels like we’re doing things right things.

The standard is posted.
The objective is on the board.
The vocabulary is academic.

But ask a student, “What are you learning right now?” or “How will you know if you’ve done well?” — and you’re more likely to get a shrug than a solid answer.

That’s not because students don’t care.
It’s because we’ve made success invisible.
And when the target isn’t clear, kids aren’t disengaged — they’re guessing.

This isn’t a teacher problem. It’s not even a student problem.
This is a systems problem. A leadership problem.

And fixing it starts with us.

What It Looks Like When Success Is Visible

Let’s talk about what happens in classrooms where clarity is the strategy — not just a buzzword.

🔥 Student can explain not just what they’re doing, but why it matters.
🔥 There’s a model or exemplar nearby — maybe student work or sample paragraph.
🔥 There are sentence stems or rubrics guiding quality thinking.
🔥 Teachers offer feedback that’s precise: “You connected your argument to the prompt.”

And maybe most importantly, there’s alignment. Across classrooms. Across grade levels. The goalposts are consistent.

These aren’t “nice-to-haves.” These are clarity systems.
And without them, we’re just asking kids to throw darts in the dark.

So What Can You Do About It This Week?

Start by getting curious.

💭 Ask students directly: “How do you know if you’ve done a great job today?”
Their answer (or lack of one) tells you everything.

💭 Have your teachers bring examples of strong student work to their PLCs.
Ask: What made this great? What feedback helped it get there?

💭 Refocus your walkthroughs on clarity.
Are objectives just posted, or are they being unpacked with students? Are there tools visible that define success?

💭 Give your team time to calibrate.
Teachers can’t hit the same target if they don’t agree on what proficiency looks like.

Final Thought: The Best Instruction Isn’t Harder — It’s Clearer

It’s easy to point at students and say, “They’re not meeting expectations.”
It’s harder — but more honest — to ask, “Have we even made those expectations visible?”

Here’s the truth:

Students don’t fake rigor.
They fake understanding.
They nod along, turn it in, and hope they guessed right.

If we want real learning, real mastery, and real equity —
then clarity can’t be optional.

It has to be the leadership move that shows up in every classroom, every conversation, and every system.

Let’s stop raising the bar and start showing students where it actually is.

👋🏼 Share w. A Colleague

Know someone who needs this message?
Forward this email to a colleague or share the article on LinkedIn.

Want to Work Together?

💬 If your teachers are working hard but the results still feel stuck — let’s chat.

I partner directly with school and district leaders to design professional learning that actually help teachers teach:

🔎 Instructional walkthrough systems that create clarity
🎯 Leadership team coaching focused on aligned feedback
💬 Keynotes and workshops that move culture, not just compliance

Whether it’s a single event or a long-term engagement, everything we do is about building real capacity with the people who matter most: your teachers and leaders.