Rigor is not a four letter word

 Math Students Learn How To Close Read for Conceptual Understanding -Coming on Wednesday

Action research can contribute to finding a solution to a problem in education.  In this case, your question addressing how to increase the rigor is an example worthy of exploration.  Blankstein (2013) would suggest the necessity to connect to the core a concept that “Failing to have rigor in the classroom is simply not an option.”  Our school district plan of action for increasing rigor was to identify the critical learner needs to make improvements in student outcomes.  A review of the CA CCSS finds that literacy is part of mathematics, social science, science, and language arts.

An analysis of the data confirms that a low reading score in the 3rd grade increases the chance of being a high school dropout.  So our district leadership made the decision to invest in PD to focus instructional strategies to enhance the rigor on writing and critical thinking using Thinking Maps & Writing.  But because the SBAC field testing requires students to read complex texts it would also be necessary for students to be able to read passages to extract the critical information to answer a question and write about it. 

Blackburn (2013) provides practical ideas for increasing text complexity, providing scaffolding during reading instruction, creating open-ended projects, and much more.  The emphasis on increasing rigor is to push in instructional strategies such as problem-based learning, implementation of high standards, and working with special-needs students.  Fisher and Frey (2014)  provides specific instructional strategies to enhance learning using purpose statements and close reading strategies.
 
References

Blackburn, B. (2013). Rigor is not a four letter word.  New York, NY: Routledge.
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Fisher, D. & Frey, Nancy. (2014). Rigorous reading: five access points for comprehending complex texts. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.