the same words in a different way. The
teacher has ignored the substance of
the results of the pre-assessment. The
student needs new vocabulary, application activities that include etymology
and Latin and Greek word parts, and
reading assignments that reflect her
capability to handle more complex
material.
Differentiation isn’t just “different.”
Here’s where principals and administrators are often led astray when they
conduct observations and evaluations.
1 If they see students doing different things, they may assume that the
teacher has differentiated these activities
on the basis of students’ needs. The
only way an observer can determine
whether appropriate differentiation is
taking place is if he or she understands
how the teacher used the pre-assessment
to assign students to activities. This
is especially difficult to ascertain with
young children and learning centers.
If everyone rotates to all the learning
centers and does the same activities, no
differentiation is occurring.
The following week, the teacher could
change the meaning of the colors or
use different colors so students don’t
decide that blue means smart and green
means dumb. Besides, the groups would
always vary depending on the content,
thus helping to avoid assigning labels.
The complexity of differentiation
requires that teachers start with some-
thing manageable, especially if they’re
working alone. They should begin with
one unit or subject area at a time rather
and interest to make appropriate place-
ments. By the time students reach about
6th grade, advanced and gifted learners
need subject specialists. And to meet
with these teachers and use the teachers’
time effectively, students need to be
grouped.
Even though they may consistently score
at the 99th percentile, many students
don’t make su;cient yearly progress.
than try to differentiate all units for the
whole year at once. One way of easing
this process is to work during summer
planning time with a gifted intervention
specialist, consultant, or faculty member
from a local university to develop activities and materials.
Starting Out
Ideally, a gifted intervention specialist
can work with the classroom teacher to
review the pre-assessment, help design
activities, and collaborate when the
multiple groups are working. Students
may be advanced in different ways
and will require varied materials and
approaches.
For example, if young children were
to go to a learning center on insects,
the teacher might differentiate activities
at ascending levels of complexity by
color. He or she would guide students
to choose among red, blue, or green
activities, basing this guidance on an
understanding of each student’s readiness level for this particular content,
including the student’s pre-assessment
results in both reading and science.
This would reduce situations in which
advanced students take the easy way out
to finish quickly or struggling learners
select activities so far beyond their zones
of proximal development that they are
sure to experience frustration or failure.
Grouping—Not Tracking
Most elementary schools have special
groups for struggling learners as well as
special classes for students with physical
and mental disabilities or behavior
problems. These placements should
be data-based, frequently revisited for
appropriateness, and reflect principles
of social justice. The labels we apply to
students help them access these services
and therefore can be helpful.
But when we look at the typical
response to grouping practices for high
achievers, the party line is frequently
“we don’t use tracking.” Of course not.
Nobody uses tracking anymore in the
way it used to be implemented—as an
inflexible trajectory toward college, the
factory, or the street.
However, we do use achievement
grouping to meet students’ needs. Just
as in grouping for special services,
these groups should be flexible and
frequently reevaluated. Teachers should
use assessments that document student
ability, prior achievement, motivation,
high school teaching experience, to
prepare them for AP science classes
or dual enrollment at a local college.
The same is true for math and foreign
language.
Laying the Foundation
Once gifted students hit middle school,
often called the “black hole of gifted
education,” few services are available.
In addition, the pull-out model, which
worked in elementary school, is a social
disaster in middle school. The peer
