Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Pre-Assessment for Differentiation - Coggle Diagram
Pre-Assessment for Differentiation
Assessments to Track Student Learning throughout the Unit
Concept map / mind map / flow chart on topic
"Four corners inquiry": students are given a topic and asked to decide whether they strongly agree, agree, disagree or strongly disagree; they go to one corner of the room depending on their opinion and discuss the rationale behind their opinion
Carousel brainstorm (with a recognition that this provides feedback on the group's prior knowledge, but less on individuals' prior knowledge)
Yes/no cards: teacher asks a question, and students hold up a "yes" if they know the answer, and a "no" if they don't
(may be especially appropriate for English language learners and special needs students)
"KWL Charts": student fills in what they know, what they need/want to know, what did they learn; can also be expanded to include open-ended questions that students can expand on in written, spoken, or creatively expressed form
Have students write a paragraph about what they know on a particular topic
Have students discuss what they know in pairs
Have students make brief presentations to the class, or participate in a brief class discussion on the topic
Have students demonstrate what they know to another student or to the class
(could work well for English language learners, especially if there is a bilingual student that can be partnered with the English language learner)
Have students participate in a debate about the topic
Have students draw what they know
(may be especially appropriate for an English language learner or a special needs student)
Present a problem related to the topic; have students suggest how to fix it (in the case of social studies/current events, it could be for example a war or a controversial policy decision that they have to resolve)
Ask students to judge their prior knowledge on a subject, and explain why they rated their prior knowledge as they did
Carefully observe who is participating/not participating
(critically important in an inclusive classroom, to make sure that English language learners and/or special needs students are not left behind)
Strategies for Differentiation within the Assessment Process
Special Needs Students
Allow another student to help/support the special needs student during the assessment
To the extent possible, give the student as much time as they need to complete the assessment
Allow students to participate in assessment in whatever way is easiest for them: written, spoken, acted out, drawn, etc.
Identify alternative assessments, if the assessment being used cannot be appropriately modified
English Language Learners
Allow translation tools
Pair the English language learner with a bilingual student to support in translation of the assessment tool, and potentially the English language learner's responses
Allow the student to respond in whatever way is most comfortable: spoken, written, other creative approach
Give the student more time, to allow for reading/re-reading questions and developing responses
General ideas for Differentiation after Assessment
(assessments should be used/repeated frequently throughout the unit, as grouping should remain as dynamic as possible)
Have different groups undertake different activities that will expand their understanding of the material, based on where they are starting from; ensure that there is variation on activities for each group over time
Ensure that students with the lowest level of understanding stay in a central part of the classroom, with as much attention from the teacher as possible
Vary follow on activities so that they don't become too predictable
Make sure that follow on activities take students' understanding farther and deeper, no matter where they start
Re-assess regularly, and shift stuents to different groups if necessary
Conduct a mid-unit assessment and re-organize students if necessary (again, this can be done more often if usefull the point is to ensure that groups do not remain stagnant throughout the year)
As quickly as possible after frequent assessments, sort students into groups based on results
Short pre-assessment activity at the beginning of each unit (or more frequent if useful)
Start this cycle over at the beginning of the next unit
Use technology to enhance teaching (may be especially beneficial for more advanced students, as it can allow self-study); examples:
SAS Curriculum Pathways
Newsela
EDpuzzle
Overview of differentiation strategies for three key groups
The 12 students who have some knowledge about the topic as shown in their score, but need to develop higher order thinking skills
Offer project-based learning opportunities (either as individuals or as small groups)
Help them make connections between topics, or link their own interests with material they will focus on
Create opportunities for group work/group support
Know exactly how much to push them so that they learn, but do not feel so pushed that they lose engagement
Let them work with whatever approaches they are most comfortable with (e.g. speaking, writing, more creative approaches)
the 5 students who appear to have limited knowledge about the topic, of which 3 are struggling with language and are at different reading levels and 2 students who have little to no comprehension of the the topic and need to be tested further for special needs
Incorporate videos, diagrams, other non-verbal approaches to sharing material with this group
Assign peer coaches (if language is the issue, if bilingual students can be matched with students struggling with the language of instruction, that's best)
Make sure that foundational information is provided; don't assume that they know it (e.g. key concepts, vocabulary)
Allow them to work in whatever way they are most comfortable with (e.g. speaking, drawing, writing, making videos, making mind maps, etc.)
Pacing their work according to what they can feasibly accomplish
Sorting/chunking activities in ways that allow them to fully absorb information
The 5 students who answered most, including the most difficult, of the pre-assessment questions correctly
Have them play a role in teaching and/or assessing others
Creating a deeper level of challenge to all assignments
Have them add extra analysis to their writing
Have them provide more contextual information for all assignments
Have them research a topic further
Lots of self-driven projects/study/enrichment
Underlying principles
Assess frequently and intentionally
Actively use results for differentiation
Use assessment to understand the nature of what students know, not just whether they can complete a multiple choice test on a subject