Instructional agility is an intentional maneuver that a teacher makes in response to evidence of learning (i.e., observations, dialogue, student questions, student comments, and quizzes). Teachers respond to and engage students in a fluid instructional cycle. Teaching and assessment should happen simultaneously. When gathering evidence, a teacher makes flexible and precise decisions about which maneuver to use and where to spend more instructional time—for example during the lesson or the next day.

Instructional agility requires three components: (1) Learning targets with surface understanding as well as great depth (a description of what students are expected to learn) for that particular activity; (2) Formal or informal assessment information to explore what students understand and what they have yet to learn; and, (3) Instructional strategies to target misconceptions and deepen understanding of the learning goal.