Prepare educators to tackle rigorous standards with renewed confidence and enthusiasm. This book is a pathway to student-centered classrooms. Teaching becomes easier and much more enjoyable as students take responsibility for their own learning and the learning of their peers. The book includes a resources section with the SOAR (Students' Opportunities for Achieving Rigor) Rubric, a companion tool to standards-based lesson plans. The rubric drills down the differences between traditional (old economy), student-centered, and real-world applied (new economy) techniques for gathering student evidence. Teaching becomes easier and much more enjoyable as students take responsibility for their own learning and the learning of their peers. This engaging story will help educators and learners soar higher and farther than they ever imagined.