Based on classroom observation and in-depth interviews with the school staff, 10 instructional strategies were identified as effective instruction that helps students grow, and fell into three main categories:
Optimizing instructional time
1. Provide supplemental learning time for targeted retrieval practice
2. Mix whole group, small group, and individual activities
3. Adjust student groups in real time
4. Share students and strategies within a grade level
Exposing students to more content
5. Differentiate tasks within a unit
6. Provide targeted practice for foundational skills
7. Teach from multiple standards at once
Empowering students
8. Create opportunities for self-directed learning
9. Use student discourse as formative assessment
10. Explicitly teach academic vocabulary
This in-depth look at instructional strategies driving academic growth is a continuation of an NWEA research initiative by Dr. Andy Hegedus who in 2018 released a novel study focusing on growth as a marker of school success rather than just meeting or exceeding proficiency. His study found that schools showing high levels of growth were not necessarily those showing high levels of achievement, and that high growth schools could exist in communities with a variety of income levels and demographics.
NWEA’s new study followed that research to answer the next, necessary question: what can be learned from high growth schools about teaching and learning?
This press release originally appeared online.
Related:
How to use alternative assessments in the classroom
An OER curriculum brings my students’ lives into our classroom
- Children learn best on paper: We need better technology, not less of it - July 13, 2026
- In districts, reaching readiness, retention, and success - March 5, 2026
- AI use is on the rise, but is guidance keeping pace? - January 2, 2026