You are on page 1of 7

Issue #1

According to Cooper (2011), one of the issues with differentiated assessment is that many
teachers believe it is nothing more than simply offering students a variety of assignment choices
(p. 105). This is an issue because students often select their preferred task (one that aligns with
Gardner’s multiple intelligences) as opposed to the task that appropriately challenges them (p.
105). Another problem is that these choices are often “fun, but poorly designed,” as they do not
effectively account for the learning goals (p. 106).

Task
Consider what a poor example of differentiated assessment looks like. In your group, discuss the
following questions:
1. What is the curriculum expectation for the assessment task?
2. How does the initial task effectively address the curriculum expectation?
3. How does the differentiated task ineffectively address the curriculum expectation?
4. What are some possible solutions? What would you do differently to ensure the
differentiated task meets curriculum expectations?

Note: Please provide specific examples or references to each of the tasks as well as the
curriculum expectation when presenting your analysis.
Issue #2
A second issue with differentiated assessment is accounting for the wide range of knowledge and
skills our students demonstrate. For some teachers, this task is frustrating because they are
worried about how they will be able to differentiate assessment for 30 different students (Cooper,
2011, pp. 107-108). A solution to this problem is to tier your assessment tasks. Designing 3
versions of the same task is manageable, as opposed to 30 (p. 108).

Tiering is “designing an assessment task and then adapting it for different groups of students in
order to present them with a version of the task that is matched to their current levels of skill and
knowledge” (p. 108)
 Initial task – matches at-grade expectations
 First adaptation – made for students requiring a less demanding task
 Second adaption – made for students requiring a more complex task

Note: See attachment for an example of tiered assessment. This was taken from Cooper’s book,
Redefining Fair: How to Plan, Assess and Grade for Excellence in Mixed-Ability Classrooms (p.
109).

Task
Practice tiering! Take the initial task and create a first and second adaptation. As you design
your tasks, consider the following questions:
- How does the first adaptation meet the strengths and needs of students requiring a less
demanding task while still meeting the curriculum expectation(s)? Be specific.
- How does the second adaption meet the strengths and needs of students requiring a more
complex task while still meeting the curriculum expectation(s)? Be specific.

Enduring Understanding: understand the different types of renewable energy sources and their
economic, environmental, and social implications

Ministry Expectations:

E1.2: assess some of the social, economic, and environmental implications of the
production of electrical energy in Canada from renewable and non-renewable
sources (e.g., wind, solar, hydro, coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear) [AI, C]

Essential Skills: communication, research, organization

TASK: Students will research a specific renewable energy source, and how the technology
works. Students will also consider the economic, environmental, and social impacts of those
renewable sources.
Issue #3
A third issue with differentiated assessment is that many teachers often select written
assessments for students to demonstrate learning. The problem with this is that not all students
are able to demonstrate their learning through writing (Cooper, 2011, p. 114). As we learned in
Supporting ELL’s, English language learners struggle not only with curriculum content, but also
with expressing their knowledge of content in the written form (p. 122). A solution to this
problem is to ensure your assessment tasks are balanced and fair. That is, do they offer students
a variety of written, performance and oral learning opportunities (p. 114)?

Task
Taking the curriculum expectation into consideration, design 3 different assessment tasks that
address the needs and strengths of different learners (i.e. 1 written task, 1 performance task
(assessment through doing) and 1 oral task (assessment through saying)). As you design your
tasks, consider the following question:
- How does each of the tasks address the learning goal differently (i.e. how does the
written task address the curriculum expectation differently than the oral task)? What
makes each of the tasks unique, but still representative of the overall learning goal?

Curriculum Expectation (taken from the Grade 9 & 10 Canadian and World Studies curriculum
document)

Overall Expectation
B2. Communities, Conflict, and Cooperation: Analyze some key interactions within and
between different communities in Canada, and between Canada and the international
community, from 1914 to 1929, and how they affected Canadian society and politics

Specific Expectation
B2.1 Explain the main causes of World War I and of Canada’s participation in the war, and
analyze some of the consequences of Canada’s military participation in the war
Issue #4
A fourth issue with differentiated assessment is that assessment tools often discourage learning
for students. This occurs because students believe the standards are unattainable (Cooper, 2011,
p. 116). When student-friendly language is not used, and learning goals and success criteria are
not clear, students find it difficult to demonstrate their learning. A solution is for teachers to
create a checklist using student-friendly language.

Note: Checklist statements often resemble success criteria (i.e. I have supporting evidence for
each of my paragraphs OR I can support my opinion with evidence ).

Task
Take the rubric provided and create a student-friendly checklist for at least 3 of the categories
across all 4 levels. Remember, checklist statements for level 1 will differ significantly from
checklist statements for level 4. As you design your checklist, consider the following question:
- How does providing students with a checklist encourage learning? That is, how does it
compare to the rubric initially provided? Give specific examples.
Note: This rubric was found online at: https://s-media-cache-
ak0.pinimg.com/originals/7e/30/e6/7e30e66f7e4f982ed86e2723416f4c88.jpg

You might also like