Differentiated Instruction

and the
Common Core
State Standards

Suzann Keith
EDU 610
 What is
Differentiated Instruction?
• Differentiated instruction (DI) is a teaching
philosophy based on the premise that teachers
should adapt instruction to student differences.

• A teacher in a differentiated classroom

assumes that different learners have different
needs, and therefore plans different ways to
instruct them and allow them to show their
learning.
 Why differentiate?
• Carol Ann Tomlinson puts it this way:
– “In sum, trying to stretch a garment that is far too
small or attempting to tuck and gather a garment
that is far too large is likely to be less effective than
getting clothes that are the right fit at a given time”
(Tomlinson, 2001, p. 3).

• Each student in your classroom needs his or

her “own set of clothes,” so to speak.
 What does DI do?

• DI provides multiple approaches to:

1. Content—what students learn
2. Process—how students learn
3. Product—how students show what they’ve learned

• DI is also responsive to students’:

1. Readiness—background knowledge they have
2. Interest—topics they are interested in
3. Learning Profile—how they learn best
What can be differentiated?
Elements of can be Characteristics
differentiated
Curriculum by these of Students
Content Readiness

Process Interest

Product Learning Profile

 So, how does
Differentiated Instruction
fit in with the
Common Core
State Standards?
 What are the CCSS?
• The CCSS are a set of standards that outline
what students should know and be able to do
in grades K-12 in English Language Arts, Math,
and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science
and Technical Subjects.
• They specify what students at each grade level
need to learn, but not how teachers should
teach or what curriculum to use.
• At present, they have been adopted by 45
states and the District of Columbia.
 How do DI and the
CCSS work together?
• Although the grade level standards are set, the
way that educators teach to these standards is
not, and this is a good place for DI.
• The CCSS need to be differentiated in
particular for gifted, special education, ELL and
other students with special needs.
• All students are expected achieve the grade
level standards, but since they don’t all start
out at the same level of readiness, they need DI
to help them reach the goals.
 Examples of DI Activities
• There are many ways to differentiate
instruction, but here are a few examples that
specifically incorporate the CCSS.
– Tiered Lessons & Units
– Curriculum Compacting
– Tic-Tac-Toe Boards

• All example assignments taken from Differentiated Activities &

Assessments Using the Common Core Standards by Carolyn Coil.
 Tiered Lessons & Units
• Tiered lessons or units are multiple versions of
assignments and activities that allow students
to work at their different, appropriate levels,
while still addressing the same CCSS.
• The leveled activities should be similar and
parallel to each other, so that students are
doing the same thing (such as writing), but
they are working at different levels of
complexity.
• Often teacher provide 3 levels of assignments
 Tiered Lessons & Units
• Often teachers provide 3 levels of assignments
– One below grade level (or less challenging)
– One at grade level
– One above grade level (or more challenging)

• Additionally, the teacher still uses whole class

instruction where appropriate, particular at
the start and end of a lesson or unit.
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Whole Class
 Curriculum Compacting
• Curriculum Compacting is a strategy that
works to DI for students who already know the
material you will be teaching.
• In this way, Curriculum Compacting extends
and enriches the CCSS for students who are
working above grade level.
• Teachers must first determine what students
know through pre-assessment activities, then
they can design DI to extend student learning.
 Tic-Tac-Toe Board
• The Tic-Tac-Toe Board is a graphic organizer
for standards-based student choice activities.
• The teacher can direct how the choices are laid
out so that any set of choices includes a variety
of activities.
• Some activities can be required for all students
if desired, such as one choice from each row or
column, or the center square.
 Final Thoughts
• “In a differentiated classroom, the teacher
proactively plans and carries out varied
approaches to content, process, and product in
anticipation of and responds to student
differences in readiness, interest, and learning
needs,” (Tomlinson, 2001, p. 7).

• The CCSS standards tell us what students need

to know and be able to do, and DI is a means to
make those standards more achievable for all
students.
 References
• Chapman, C. & King, R. S. (2012). Differentiated
assessment strategies: One tool doesn't fit all. (2nd ed.).
Corwin Press.
• Coil, C. (2011). Differentiated activities & assessments
using the common core standards. Pieces of Learning.
• National Governors Association Center for Best
Practices, C. O. C. S. S. O. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.corestandards.org/in-the-states
• Tomlinson, C. A. (2001). How to differentiate
instruction in mixed-ability classrooms (2nd ed.). Alexandria,
VA.: Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development.