Differentiation for Highly Able Students

All students have needs, and it is misleading to think of struggling or below-​level students as being the “neediest.” While their needs may require more intensive attention, it is unfair to leave gifted and advanced students to fend for themselves. The goal of differentiation is to identify the specific needs of different students in order to design appropriate types of instruction for each of them.

Differentiation is…		Differentiation is not…
Different work		More work
Deeper or broader assignments		Longer assignments
Tiered assignments		Extra assignments
High expectations for all students		Individualization
Structured choices for students		Always teacher-​assigned
Rote tasks and memorization		High-​level thinking
Instruction in needed skills		Self-​help or peer tutoring
Appropriately challenging		Pushing to the limits
Respectful, meaningful work		Keeping students occupied
Flexible grouping based on pretesting		Static ability groups
Demonstrating mastery		Assuming understanding
Moving at their own pace		Waiting until the group is ready to move on
Varied strategies, approaches, and adaptations		The same differentiation strategy all the time
Giving credit for mastered content		Having the same grades for every student
Supporting and scaffolding for all students		Focusing attention on the struggling students
Fair		Equal