Differentiation in diverse settings: a consultants experiences in two similar school districts

School Administrator, August, 2004 by Carol Ann Tomlinson

Here's the rule of thumb: Some risk exists in aiming high, but more danger lurks in setting the bar low, reaching our destination and then celebrating as if we have accomplished something great.

Nothing Ventured

When many educators realize that differentiation is a far more sophisticated approach than they had previously defined it, the experience can be both humbling and frightening. The dissonance can help propel one's thinking forward, but if ongoing support and guidance are not provided most educators will revert to prior beliefs and dismiss the tenets of high-quality differentiation.

Rick Stiggins, director of the Assessment Training Institute in Portland. Ore., says students can hit any target that is set before them as long as it doesn't move. Are we establishing clear and appropriate targets related to differentiation for administrators and teachers? Do we move the targets when dissonance leads to resistance? Do we lower the level of expectation for teachers and principals because we underestimate their capacity to reach high goals? Is our lack of confidence in their abilities a reflection of our own limited understanding of differentiation?

Keep in mind that the more sophisticated the construct, the more likely we are to find critics and detractors who have difficulty comprehending the philosophy and putting it into practice. While complacency is the most dangerous of educational situations, some critical questions surface in the face of implementing differentiation. How do we insulate ourselves from hesitation? How do we respond to the critics and their fears? What are the roadblocks to differentiation, including the excuses?

The key to implementing high-quality differentiation in a school division of our size has been to establish a comprehensive plan and provide ongoing support with clear expectations for productivity.

Travel Plans

Be mindful of those who deliver the messages about differentiation. At a conference hosted by a local university, one presenter stated it takes 10 years to develop tiered assignments. Not only untrue, this statement is in direct opposition to the differentiation model adopted by Virginia Beach. Dozens of our teachers and administrators heard the consultant's message. The conflicting information reinforced the hesitation of some educators already troubled by the process of creating tasks matched to learner readiness.

Our school board policy requires that all teachers match learning tasks to students' readiness and learning styles. A clear message regarding differentiation comes in the form of the teacher evaluation instrument. One of the 21 criteria on which teachers are evaluated relates to ensuring high-quality differentiation. If we expect something to happen, then we must inspect for it.

With differentiation as an expectation for teachers, building administrators need ongoing support in this area. The district's department of curriculum and instruction meets regularly with a facilitator to work purposefully and systematically through the tenets of high-quality differentiation as outlined in Tomlinson's model. The department has created a position statement on the differentiation of curriculum and instruction. The expectations are clear and appropriate, and the target isn't moving.