Using Formative Assessment to Differentiate Middle School Literacy Instruction: Seven Practices to Maximize Learning

by Leslie E. Laud, Pooja Patel

Overview

Formative assessment and differentiated instruction made manageable

We all recognize the countless benefits of differentiated instruction. The challenge is in its implementation. This start-to-finish guide will show you how through formative assessment and seven classroom-tested practices for maximizing student learning. Packed with vignettes, sample worksheets, and charts, this toolkit demonstrates how to:

• Establish new classroom norms 
• Involve students in the use of assessment data and feedback to inform their next steps
• Clarify end-of-unit criteria to help map learning progression
• Apply assessment data to grouping students for tiered activities
• Differentiate assignments based on student readiness, characteristics, and interest

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781452284095
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	11/28/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	232
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

Leslie Laud has differentiated math instruction in her own classroom and in her co-teaching with her math colleagues, and has been doing so for almost two decades. She teaches an online course on Differentiated Middle School Math Instruction at Bank Street College of Education. Additionally, she has presented at many conferences both nationally and internationally, including The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics annual conference. She has also published many articles in leading journals such as Educational Leadership and Teaching Exceptional Children. She currently leads staff development groups with teachers in school systems in the Boston area. She received both her doctorate in curriculum and instruction and her master’s in special education from Teachers College, Columbia University.
Pooja Patel M.Ed. is a learning specialist who is currently working as a middle school English and Humanities teacher at United Nations International School. She has taught a class on writing instruction at Bank Street College of Education. She also has presented at some national conferences, including the Council of Exceptional Children and the New York Branch of the International Dyslexia Association (NYBIDA). Additionally, she has published many articles in peer reviewed journals such as Preventing School Failure and Teaching Exceptional Children. She received a master’s degree from the reading specialist program from Teachers College, Columbia University. In addition to working in the general education classroom, she works with students one-on-one outside of the classroom.

Table of Contents

List of Figures vii

Preface xi

Acknowledgments xv

About the Authors xvii

About the Contributor xix

1 Getting Started with Formative Assessment 1

An Introduction to the Formative Assessment Framework 2

The Purpose of Formative Assessment 5

Three Ways to Begin Using Formative Assessment 6

Self-Assessment: Determining How Much Formative Assessment You Already Use in Your Classroom 10

Steps to Establishing a Classroom Culture that Supports Formative Assessment Practices 12

2 Standards, Feedback, and Assessment Options 19

How to Specify and Convey Standards 19

Recommendations for Feedback on Mastery of Standards 24

Suggestions and Models for Designing, Introducing, and Scoring Standards-Based Formative Assessments 27

3 What is Differentiated Instruction? 41

Differentiating Lessons by Student Characteristics 43

Differentiating Lessons by Instructional Characteristics 48

4 How Do I Differentiate Lessons? 59

Format for Differentiated Lessons 60

Six Strategies for Tiering Activities 71

5 Time Management Strategies 87

Planning Lessons and Units 88

Managing Students who are Working on Different Tasks 104

Assigning Homework 109

Grading 114

6 Supporting Students Who are Low Achieving 117

Foundational Reading Skills (Decoding and Fluency) 118

Reading Comprehension Skills (Recall of Basic Facts, Main Idea, and Vocabulary) 129

Writing Skills (Organization and Sentence Variety) 140

7 Challenging Students who are Gifted or High Achieving 151

Typical Classroom Behaviors of Gifted or High-Achieving Students 152

Best Instructional Practices for Using Formative Assessment to Differentiate Lessons for Gifted or Higher-Achieving Students 154

The Importance of Challenge 181

Strategies to Avoid 182

To Wrap Up 183

References 185

Index 199