Considering Jaggedness

This post is a reflection on "The End of Average" by Todd Rose, particularly through the lens of an educator.

Rose argues that no one is average, taking the reader through the history of the blindly accepted concept and sharing ways to optimize individuality. He presents three key principles: Jaggedness principle, Context principle, and Pathways principle. Keep reading to learn more about one of the principles: jaggedness.

A Short Lesson in the Consequences of "Average"

In the mid 2000's, Google encountered a problem that brought it face-to-face with the issue of "average." At the time, they were making their hiring decisions by considering each applicant's SAT scores, GPA, and diploma. They were turning away thousands of applicants with "less than average" qualifications, while many of the new hires were not performing as anticipated. Google's HR department was stumped; they needed a completely new approach.

In 2015, Google abandoned their rank-based hiring and evaluation systems. They spent additional time and money focusing on the "missed talent" that their previous qualification system filtered out due to arbitrary averages.

Why the shift? The answer is simple: One-dimensional thinking does not work.

What does this mean for our schools in an age of standardized tests?

Let's say you have two students who took the same English Language Arts standardized test. Both students score in the 70th percentile with the same overall score.

Are the students completely equal in intelligence?

Of course not! It's not possible to rank students solely on one standardized test. According to Rose, an overall test score ignores the first principle of individuality: the jaggedness principle.

"This principle holds that we cannot apply one-dimensional thinking to understand something that is complex and 'jagged.'"

With a sense of urgency, we should revisit students' individual qualities and break free of the "averagarian" mind-set.


I highly recommend picking up "The End of Average" by Todd Rose.

"The End of Average" book study is happening this summer on Twitter. If you're interested in learning from other thought leaders in the UDL world (like #UDLchat co-creator Elizabeth Stein) join us!