State and District Academic

Standards and Professional

Development
Jasmine Tolbert
Whip Around Warm Up

 Take two posted notes; on one write a characteristic of quality instruction and on the other write a
characteristic of poor instruction. Put you post-it on the respective walls.

 In 5 minutes everyone will share one thing that they wrote.

Learning Objectives

 Staff will be able to explain the importance of using differentiation to maximize instructional time.
o Staff will practice analyzing data to create student learning groups.
o Staff will be able to create their differentiated lesson plans and student groups.
Session Agenda

 What is quality instruction? -10 minutes

 Differentiation: Key part of quality instruction- 10 minutes
 Why differentiate? – 10 minutes
 How to differentiation – 10 minutes
 Work time with instructional coaches – 20 minutes
 Accountability plan – Deliverable
What is quality Instruction? What is it not?

 We all know that no student is the same. In order to provide quality instruction, educators must know the
needs of their student collectively and individually and use that knowledge to create learning opportunities
that will grow them.
 Quality instruction is not teaching a lesson just to get through objectives. Quality instruction is teaching
objectives in the form of lesson that leads to student mastery.
 Instruction is considered quality only if ALL students can access the instruction on a way that meets their
learning needs
Differentiation: Key part of quality instruction

 “Differentiation means adjusting or changing instructional practices, plans, or materials to meet the
individual needs of each learner”, (Gadzikowski, 2016).
 Students should feel comfortable being themselves in the learning environment regardless of their current
academic level.
 The measure of whether or not a lesson was effective is evidence of student mastery. Differentiating creates
an opportunity for all students to show mastery in their own way.
Why Differentiate?

 “In a traditional class of 15-year-olds, a teacher should expect a 10-year range of reading levels. Given the
availability of strategies such as differentiated instruction, responsible pedagogy no longer allows us to teach
as if students all learned in one way, and at the same pace. If we are to maximize achievement of general
curriculum standards, we must increase our efforts to differentiate instruction”, (Brown, 2004).
 Without differentiating it is likely that less than 25% of your students are accessing the information in a
whole group setting. When instruction is differentiated that percentage increases significantly.
How to differentiate- 10 minutes

 “Using differentiated instruction enables teachers to develop methods of teaching and learning for students
of differing abilities within the same class. Teachers can maximize their students’ growth and individual
success by teaching each student at his or her skill level, and therefore allow them to assist in the learning
process”, (Thousand, 2007).
 The RTI coordinator and instructional coaches will use sample data to show teachers should differentiate and
group students based on the academic data gathered.
 The data will show students on varying levels with multiple deficits. In your group, you group the students
and identify three ways the teacher could adjust their lesson to meet their academic needs.
Incorporating State and District Standards

 When differentiating instruction it is imperative that it is done with respect to state and district standards.
 Any adjustment that is made that takes the content outside of the context of the instructional standards
should not be made.
 The end goal of quality instruction is to provide equitable instruction that leads all students toward content
mastery.
Work Time- 20 minutes

 “For lesson planning (ideally done the afternoon or evening before, building on the learning outcomes of the
previous lesson and keeping the ultimate goals in sight), the most helpful conceptual tool is Universal
Design for Learning. The essence of UDL is finding ways to make the content accessible to as many students
as possible”, (Marshall, 2016).
 Move to the table with your instructional coach.
 Teachers and coaches will work through differentiating a lesson together that will be implemented in the
upcoming week
Accountability Plan- Deliverable

 Use the data that is provided by your instructional coach to differentiate a lesson for the upcoming week.
 By the end of the week: Continue to differentiate the remaining lesson for the week. Follow up with your
instructional coach .
 Coaches and teachers will also be tracking the effectiveness of the differentiation plan that are created.
References

 Diana Lawrence-Brown. (2004). Differentiated Instruction: Inclusive Strategies for Standards-Based

Learning That Benefit the Whole Class. American Secondary Education, 32(3), 34.
 Gadzikowski, A. (2016). Everyday Differentiation: How Administrators Support Differentiation of
Curriculum and Instruction in Early Childhood Classrooms. Exchange (19460406), 227, 12–16.
 Marshall, K. (2016). Rethinking differentiation — Using teachers’ time most effectively. Phi Delta
Kappan, 98(1), 8–13. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/0031721716666046
 Thousand, J. S., Villa, R. A., & Nevin, A. (2007). Differentiating instruction: Collaborative planning and
teaching for universally designed learning. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press.
Feedback Survey

 https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/P3N69RK