Differentiated

Instruction SelfAssessment

Date:____________________,20______ Name(s):_____________________________________________ School:_______________________________________________ Grade(s):___________________________________ Subjectarea(s):_________________________________________

Developedby: TheFloridaInclusionNetwork
www.FloridaInclusionNetwork.com

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WhatisDifferentiatedInstruction(DI)SelfAssessment?
Selfassessmentistheprocessofgatheringinformationaboutoneselfinordertomakeinformeddecisions.Forteachersinterestedinmakingtheir classroomsplaceswheredifferentiatedinstructionbenefitsalllearners,selfassessmentisanimportantandongoingprocess. TheDISelfAssessmentprocesscanhelpteachersanalyzetheirinstructionalpracticestodetermineifandhowmuchdifferentiationiscurrently takingplaceintheirclassrooms.Theselfassessmenttoolcanalsohelpteachersdeterminewheretostartastheybegintoplanandimplement differentiatedinstructioninmixedabilityclassrooms. Inanefforttoimprovestudentperformance,teacherscanuseselfassessmentinformationtomakedecisionsaboutadjustingclassroom instructionandassessment.Selfassessmentresultscanalsobeusedtodevelopapersonalizedprofessionaldevelopmentplantohelpteachers acquireadditionalskillsneededforeffectivedifferentiatedinstruction. Theindicatorsofeffectivedifferentiationoutlinedintheselfassessmentarebasedonfourgeneralprinciples,orguidelines,ofdifferentiated instructionfoundincurrentliterature(C.A.Tomlinson,1999): Indifferentiatedclassrooms,teachers

1. Createandsustainaresponsivelearningenvironment,providingthefoundationforlongtermlearningandpositiveconnectionstotake placeamongstudentsandadults. 2. Haveclarityaboutthelearninggoals,sharing,withstudents,whattheyshouldknow,understand,andbeabletodoasaresultoftheir learning. 3. Continuouslyassessstudentlearning,usinginformationaboutwhatstudentsalreadyknow,understand,andareabletodotomake ongoinginstructionaldecisions. 4. Establishflexiblestudentgroupsandrespectfultasks,providingrigorousandengaginginstructionmatchedtostudentneeds.

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HowtousetheDISelfAssessmenttool
ToenhancethevalueoftheDISelfAssessmentprocess,teachersmaychoosetocompletethetoolincollaborationwithacolleague,suchasa gradelevelteammember,instructionalcoach,orotherprofessionalwhohasknowledgeofdifferentiatedinstruction.Additionally,teacherswho shareresponsibilityforplanning,delivering,andevaluatinginstructioninasingleclassshouldcompletethetooltogether,reachingconsensuson eachindictorpriortoscoring. TheDISelfAssessmentiscomprisedof20qualityindicatorsalignedwiththefourprinciplesofdifferentiatedinstructionlistedabove.Each principleislistedasaheadingforaccompanyingindicatorsandissupplementedwithoneormoreessentialquestionsforfurtherclarification. Someindicatorsstandaloneasevidenceofdifferentiation,whilemostincludemorethanoneelementreflectingevidenceofdifferentiation alignedtothoseindicators.Eachelementisratedseparatelytoidentifyandtargetspecificareasofneedfordifferentiatinginstruction.Teachers ratetheevidenceofpracticeforeachitemaccordingtothefollowingscaleandindicatetheirresponsebyplacingacheckmarkintheappropriate column.

O=OftenpracticedinmyclassroomS=SometimespracticedinmyclassroomN=Notyetpracticedinmyclassroom
Tofurtherdefineevidenceofindicators,examplesarenotedinitalicsforspecificitems.Theseexamplesarenotratedtheyareincludedas additionaldescriptiveinformationforcertainindicators. Attheendofeachprinciplessection,teacherscantotalthenumberofcheckmarksineachcolumn(O,S,andN).Byanalyzingthenumberofcheck marksforeachsection,teacherscanidentifyprinciplesANDspecificindicatorstotargetforimprovementplanning.Forexample,ifmostcheck marksinPrincipleFourareintheNcolumn,theteachercanprioritizespecificindicatorstotargetforinstructionalplanning,furtherprofessional developmentand/ortechnicalassistanceandcoaching. Whenusingtheselfassessmenttooltoanalyzeandprioritizeneedsfordifferentiatinginstruction,teacherscanputthefocusononeortwoareas ratherthanjugglingamultitudeofperplexingstrategiesandmethods.Helpingteachersselfassessandprioritizeareasoffocuscanavoid frustrationandleadtotheimplementationofeffectiveinstructionalpracticesthatbenefitALLstudents.

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SelfAssessmentIndicatorsandScoringSheet
RatingKey:O=OftenpracticedinmyclassroomS=SometimespracticedinmyclassroomN=Notyetpracticedinmyclassroom

Item

IndicatorsofDifferentiation
PrincipleOne: ResponsiveLearningEnvironment

EvidenceofIndicators
Thereisevidenceofthefollowingintheclassroom: Studentsusepositivesocialskills Studentsareengagedincooperativelearningactivities Studentscollaboratewithteacher(s) Studentshelpeachotherwithoutteacherprompting Studentssolveproblemstogether

HowdoIoptimizethelearningenvironmenttomaximizeachievementforallstudents?

1.

Allstudentsfunctionasacommunity oflearners.

2.

Allstudentsareprovided opportunitiesforchoicemaking withinmeaningfullearningactivities.

3. 4.

Allstudentsunderstandthatfairdoes notalwaysmeanequal. Allstudentsarephysicallyand emotionallysafe.

Studentsengageinactivitiesthatbuildawarenessofvaryingabilitiesandcultural, ethnic,andlinguisticdiversity. Lessonsorunitsofstudyaredesignedtoincludeoptionsforstudentstomakechoices relatedtocontent,process,orproduct,andaccordingtoreadiness,interest,and/orlearning preferences. Forexample: Reportsandassignmentsonselfselectedtopics Selfselectedprojectmaterials(textsets:magazines,newspapers,books,interviews) Varietyofavailablemultimedia(video,podcasts,slides,music) Allstudentsbehaviorreflectstheirunderstandingofthemeaningoffairness. Forexample:Studentsrecognizeandacceptthatinstructionandassignmentsmaybe differentfordifferentstudents. Studentinterestsandperspectivesareacknowledgedbyothers. Studentshaveaccessibilitytoallareasoftheclassroom(center,stations,bathroom,storage, etc.).

TotalsforPrincipleOne:

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Item

IndicatorsofDifferentiation

EvidenceofIndicators

S N

PrincipleTwo: ClarityAbouttheLearningGoal
5. Allstudentsunderstandthepurpose ofthelessonorinstructional activitiesinrelationtothereal world. Allstudentsareengagedinlessons andinstructionalactivitiesbasedon keyconceptsandessentiallearning.

WhatdomystudentsneedtoKnow,Understand,andbeabletoDo?
Studentscandescribetheobjectiveandrelevancyofthelessonorunitinrelationtothereal world. Learninggoals,withconnectionstorealworldapplications,aredisplayedandreviewedduring eachclass. ThelessonorunitofstudyisbaseduponclearlydefinedKUDs(whatstudentsmustknow, understand,andbeabletodo)alignedwithNextGenerationSunshineStateStandards, Benchmarks,and/orAccessPoints(forstudentsontheFloridaAlternateAssessment). TheKUDsarecommunicatedwithandunderstoodbyallstudents.

6.

TotalsforPrincipleTwo:
PrincipleThree: ContinuousAssessmentand Adjustment
7.

HowwillIdeterminewhatstudentsknow,understand,andareabletodo?

8.

Allstudentsunderstandwhatand Studentsareengagedindiscussionsabouthowtheylearnandwhattheyarelearning. howtheyhavelearnedthroughouta Studentscanverbalizewhatandwhytheyneedtolearnabouttheconceptspresentedto lessonorunitofstudy. solverealworldproblems. Teachersuseeffectivefeedbacktohelpstudentsimprovetheirunderstandingandlearning. Allstudentshaveavarietyof Avarietyofformative(ongoing)assessmentsareusedtodeterminewhatstudentsknow, optionstodemonstratewhatthey understand,andareabletodo,includingthefollowing: Conversations(e.g.,oralassessments,wholegroupdiscussions,studentled know,understand,andareableto conferences) do. Observations(e.g.,labs,performances,audiovisualpresentations) Products(e.g.,individualassignments,groupprojects,portfolios,pencilandpapertests, quizzes,orassignments)

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Item

IndicatorsofDifferentiation
PrincipleThree: ContinuousAssessmentand Adjustment
Allstudentsaregradedfairlybased ontheirprogresstowardmasteryof skillsassociatedwithstandardsand benchmarksoraccesspoints.

EvidenceofIndicators

HowwillIdeterminewhatstudentsknow,understand,andareabletodo?
Gradesarebasedsolelyonindividualstudentperformancerelatedtowhattheyknow, understand,andareabletodoratherthangradesbasedonelements(e.g.,effort,attitude, participation)thatarenotrelatedtostandardsbasedperformance. Finalgradesarenotbasedonstudentperformanceduringtheirearlystagesoflearning, practicing,andacquiringnewskills. Authenticassessmentformatsareusedtogradestudentprogress. Forexample,rubrics,portfolios,studentledconferences,studentselfassessment,etc.

9.

10.

Allstudentshaveopportunitiesto demonstratetheirpriorknowledge andskillsbeforebeginninganew courseofstudy.

HowwillIuseformative(ongoing)assessmentinformationtofocusandadjustmyinstruction?
Studentsarepreassessedtodeterminetheircurrentlevelofknowledge,skill,and understandingbeforebeginninganewlessonorunitofstudy. Preassessmentdataareusedtomakedecisionsaboutinstructionalcontentandactivitiesfor newlessonsorunitsofstudy. Formative(ongoing)assessmentisusedtoobtaininformationaboutallstudentsandadjust instructionbasedonstudentsreadiness,interests,andlearningpreferences.

11.

Allstudentsreceiveinstruction baseduponformative(ongoing) assessment.

TotalsforPrincipleThree:

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IndicatorsofDifferentiation

EvidenceofIndicators

Item

PrincipleFour: FlexibleGroupingandRespectfulWork
12. Allstudentsareengagedin respectfultasksandassignments thatarefacilitatedbytheteacher.

Learningexperiencesproviderigorousandengaginginstructionthatisfocusedonessentialgoalsandare matchedtostudentsneeds. Tasks/assignmentsaredesignedinresponsetocultural,ethnic,andlinguisticdiversity. Classroomstructuresandroutinesencouragesmallandwholegroupworkaswellasself directed,independentstudyandselfassessment. Studentsareengagedandinterestedinthelesson:askingquestions,participatinginsmallor wholegroupdiscussions,andinteractingwithothersduringinstructionalactivities.

Thereareadditionalroutines,respectfullearningactivities,andappropriatematerials availableforstudentswhohavecompletedinclassassignmentsorneedadditionalpracticefor learning. Forexample Individualenrichmentassignments Additionalpracticeonandreinforcementofconceptslearnedduringclass Skillbuildingkits,folders,orbaskets 13. 14. Allstudentsareengagedin challengingassignments. Thedifficultyoflearningtasksreflectshighexpectationsfortheperformanceofeachstudent.

Allstudentsareengagedinlessons Instructionalactivities,assignments,andmaterialsarevariedandadjustedaccordingto: thataredifferentiatedbycontent, content product,andprocess,basedon product readiness,learningpreferences,and process interests. Basedonindividualstudent: readiness learningpreferences interests

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Item

IndicatorsofDifferentiation

EvidenceofIndicators

PrincipleFour: FlexibleGroupingandRespectfulWork
15. Allstudentsareprovidedwith learningsupportsasneeded.

Learningexperiencesproviderigorousandengaginginstructionthatisfocusedonessentialgoalsandare matchedtostudentsneeds. Learningsupportsareprovidedforallstudentswhoneedthem,includinginstructional, communication,andbehavioralsupports.Forexample, Graphicorganizers Multimedia Peerassistance Behaviorsupports Manipulatives Visualschedulesandother organizationaltools Assistivetechnology Studentgroupsareflexibleandbasedonformative(ongoing)andsummativeassessmentdata relatedtoreadiness,interest,andlearningpreferences. Studentsreceivedirectinstructionandpracticeofcooperativegroupskills,including: Individualaccountability:Rolesandresponsibilities Groupprocess(e.g.,turntaking,problemsolving,brainstorming) Conflictmanagement Studentshaveopportunitiestoworkwitheveryotherstudentintheclass. Studentshaveopportunitiestochoosepartnersorgroupsforvariouslearningtasks.

16.

17.

Allstudentsaregroupedaccording toongoingassessmentinformation. Allstudentsunderstandanduse appropriatesocialskillsneededto makegroupseffectiveandefficient.

18. Allstudentshaveopportunitiesto moveamongdifferentandvarying groupsthroughouteachlessonor unit. 19. Allstudentshaveopportunitiesto learnwithinavarietyofstructures suchaslearningstations,centers,or independentstudy.

20.

Avarietyoflearningstructuresareofferedthroughoutthelessonorunitofstudy. Forexample, Learningtasksvaryandincludewholegroup,smallgroup,andindependentactivities throughoutthelessonorunit. Allstudentsworkingroupsthatare Learningtaskswithineachgrouparevariedtomatchstudentreadiness,learningpreference, engaging,respectful,and andinterest. challenging. TotalsforPrincipleFour:

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Targetedindicators:
References:

Nextsteps:

Comments:

Tomlinson,C.A.(2001).Howtodifferentiateinstructioninmixedabilityclassrooms.Alexandria,VA:ASCD. Tomlinson,C.A.(1999).Thedifferentiatedclassroom:Respondingtotheneedsofalllearners.Alexandria,VA:ASCD. FloridaDepartmentofEducation(2009).Foundationsofdifferentiatedinstruction,part1:Aguideforfacilitators.FloridaDiagnosticandLearningResources System(FDLRS). FloridaDepartmentofEducation(2009).Foundationsofdifferentiatedinstruction,part2:Assessmentandgradinginthedifferentiatedclassroom:Aguidefor facilitators.FloridaDiagnosticandLearningResourcesSystem(FDLRS)&FloridaInclusionNetwork(FIN). FloridaDepartmentofEducation(2010).Introductiontodifferentiatedinstruction:PDA/ESEonlinemodule.FloridaDiagnosticandLearningResourcesSystem (FDLRS).