MAC Reads 2023-24

A state-wide engagement that encourages Michigan educators to read and engage around a common book, and participate in a live virtual conversation with the author.


Join us for MAC Reads 2023-24!

Read and discuss a practical and systematic approach to deepening student engagement, promoting a growth mindset, and building a classroom culture that truly supports thinking and learning.

Scroll down to watch our NEW video! You’ll learn what you’ll experience during MAC Reads 2024 and hear from our featured author, Karin Hess!

This Book Study is ideal for:

  • School-level administrators
  • District-level administrators
  • Aspiring administrators
  • Teacher leaders
  • Organization leaders who mentor/equip teachers

Featured book for 2023-24

Book imageRigor by Design, Not Chance: Deeper Thinking Through Actionable Instruction and Assessment
by Karin Hess

In Rigor by Design, Not Chance, veteran educator Karin Hess offers not only a clear vision of what makes learning deep and rigorous but also a systematic and equitable approach for engaging students of all ages in rich learning tasks. To that end, she outlines five essential teacher moves that foster thinking and learning:

  1. Ask a series of probing questions of increasing complexity.

  2. Build schemas in each content area.

  3. Consider ways to strategically scaffold learning.

  4. Design complex tasks that emphasize transfer and evidence-based solutions.

  5. Engage students in metacognition and reflection throughout the learning process.

From there, Hess details how to create an “actionable” assessment cycle that will drive learning forward in any classroom.

Event Resources

Presentation Video

Overview of MAC Reads 2024 and Interview with Karin Hess

Presenter: Karin Hess

Karin Hess, author of the Hess Cognitive Rigor Matrices, is a former teacher and school administrator with over 40 years of deep experience in curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Dr. Hess is recognized internationally as a leader in applying cognitive rigor, depth of knowledge (DOK), and learning progressions to the development and design of curriculum and assessment systems. She has distinguished herself as a content expert in multiple content areas, specializing in the design and use of performance-based assessments for preK-12 students and in the development of multi-state general education and special education large-scale state assessments. Dr. Hess has authored/co-authored many books and book chapters including A Local Assessment Toolkit to Promote Deeper Learning: Transforming Research into Practice (Corwin, 2018), co-developed Benchmark Education’s Ready to Advance curriculum for Pre-K (2019), a chapter in the second edition of Fundamentals of Literacy Instruction and Assessment, Pre-K–6 (Hougen & Smartt, Eds., Paul Brookes Publishing, 2020), co-authored Deeper Competency-Based Learning: Making Equitable, Student-Centered, Sustainable Shifts (Corwin, 2020) and most recently, Rigor by Design, Not Chance: Deeper Thinking Through Actionable Instruction and Assessment (ASCD, 2023). She has also provided technical assistance to testing companies, and educational organizations including EL Education, Achieve3000, Mentoring Minds, Renaissance Learning, and the WIDA consortium (World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment). Her ongoing work with schools provides practical, classroom-tested tools and in-depth guidance for implementing competency-based educational systems, and strategies to enhance deeper learning for every student.

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