We have been conditioned to associate academic rigor with a heavy dose of stress. For generations, the formula for a “tough” school has rarely changed: pile on the homework, enforce silent high-stakes testing, and let a strict grading curve decide who makes the cut. If a student is overwhelmed and a few fall behind, we are told it is simply proof of a “rigorous” environment.

But Superintendent Justin Johnston believes this focus on pressure and compliance actually misses the point of real learning.

“There are a lot of times people hide behind high standards, and they really have no standards at all,” Johnston explains. “Just turning around and assigning a lot of homework and then issuing a bunch of zeros for missing tasks — you really had no standard, because you allowed for students to do nothing.”

At Inspire Academies, the definition of a high standard is flipped. Rigor isn’t measured by the weight of assignments on a student’s workload. Instead, it is measured by the quality of their thought, the depth of their understanding, and the relentless support provided to ensure every student succeeds.

The Power of “Create and Recreate”

In the professional world, little of high quality is produced on the first try. Blueprints are revised, drafts are edited, and prototypes are rebuilt. Yet, traditional schools often grade on a one-and-done model: a student takes a test or submits an essay, receives a grade, and immediately moves on to the next topic, regardless of whether they actually understood the material.

Inspire Academies replaces this rigid system with a cycle of continuous improvement.

“Our high standards are what we ask you to do; we expect you to do it to the best of your ability and at the rate at which you’re going to be able to do it,” Johnston says. “If we assign it, we expect for it to get done, and we provide the support for you to do it well. We believe in creating and recreating.”

By focusing on iteration, students learn to view feedback not as a punishment, but as a tool for growth.

“The idea of going back and doing things on a second and third iteration means that I am evaluating my work and analyzing my work, and I’m not holding myself to a perfect standard the first time,” Johnston explains. “But instead, allowing myself to give thought where thought is needed, to give revision where revision is needed. And that is what high standard or high-quality work looks like.”

Closing the 30% Knowledge Gap

This focus on deep understanding is why Inspire Academies utilizes a standards-based 1–4 rubric instead of traditional percentage grading during the learning process.

In many classrooms, a student who scores a 70% on a math test receives a “C” and moves on to the next unit. On paper, they passed. In reality, they are moving forward with a permanent 30% gap in their foundational knowledge. When the math inevitably gets harder, that gap turns into a barrier.

Our mastery-based system raises the bar by ensuring that students do not move forward with massive blind spots. Under the 1–4 rubric, moving forward means a student has demonstrated true, functional understanding of the standard.

The ultimate test of this standard isn’t a multiple-choice exam; it is our Student-Led Conferences, or Show of Greatness. Having to stand up in front of parents and teachers, present your work, reflect on your struggles, and defend your learning to adults is a level of academic rigor that far exceeds filling in bubbles on a worksheet.

How Parents Can Partner at Home

Shifting from a compliance-based model to a mastery-based one requires a new kind of partnership between the school and the home. Johnston encourages parents to shift the conversations they have with their children at the end of the school day.

To make this work, our staff provides regular communication about what students are experiencing in the classroom. Parents are then empowered to move past generic questions and ask highly intentional ones at the end of the school day.

“The big one is just simply being engaged, even if you don’t know exactly how,” Johnston suggests. “Asking your kid constantly what it is they’re learning or how it is that they understand something. Giving them opportunities to show you what they’re learning. At the elementary level, it’s a lot easier just to be able to say, ‘Show me what you did today,’ and let them start to walk you through what those processes look like.”

Moving Forward Into 2026-27

For the incoming and current families preparing for the upcoming school year, Johnston promises a learning environment built on clear, intentional pathways and rich communication.

“I think it goes back to intentionality, and it goes back to feedback,” Johnston says. “Every kid that walks in our door should see an intentionality behind the learning that we’re asking them to do. And they should be receiving feedback on the way that they are internalizing and applying that learning.”

This high-feedback environment is designed to change the way students think about their own potential.

“We want to avoid standardizing learning to where the feedback is always ‘you must do this’ or ‘you have to do that,’” Johnston concludes. “We want that feedback to be able to create thought and plant seeds. Because even having the conversation may not change immediate action, but it may change future action.”

At Inspire Academies, we don’t lower the bar so it’s easier to cross. We give our students the time, the support, and the feedback they need to climb over it.

Philip Castillo is executive director of communications for BRAINATION.