Mathematics

Differentiated instruction through the lens of mathematics

The primary objective of any K-12 mathematics program is to provide universal access to high quality curriculum and instruction so that all students will be proficient in the California mathematics content standards. Teachers, administrators, and stakeholders need to carefully plan for modifying their school and district curriculum, instruction, grouping, assessment techniques, etc., in order to best serve their diverse student populations. Categories of diverse student populations include special education students, English learners, students at risk of failing, and advanced students.

Differentiating instruction entails:

• Enhancing learning by matching student characteristics to instruction and assessment
• Allowing all students access to the same curriculum
• Providing multiple entry points, learning tasks, and outcomes tailored to students' needs
• Incorporating a variety of strategies to modify content, process and product in the learning process for students

What does differentiation look like in a mathematics classroom?

As stated in the Mathematics Framework for California Public Schools, Kindergarten through Grade Twelve, some procedures that may be useful in planning for universal access include: assessment, diagnosing, planning for adapting to student needs, differentiating instruction, using flexible grouping, and enlisting the help of all possible stakeholders involved with students' school experience.

Educators can provide universal access through differentiated instruction by:

• Organizing instruction as tiered assignments that have different levels of complexity
• Compacting to adjust instruction based on mastery of objectives
• Employing flexible grouping of students depending on task and/or content
• Developing learning contracts developed by the teacher and students. From reviewing the state content standards and analyzing student data, the teacher identifies the necessary skills expected to be learned and the required components of the assignment for each learner, providing a variety of methods. The student selects a method for completing the tasks.
• Offering students an interest center or interest groups directed toward a specific learner interest
• Creating choice boards that contain a variety of activities that students can choose from

Sample lessons

Mean, Median, Mode, Outliers, and Range: Statistics - Grade 6
Students conduct an investigation, collect data, and apply terms to data. Activities are differentiated when students who need literacy development work in pairs and use graphic organizers to reinforce the meaning of terms before data collection.

Finding Perimeter and Area - Grade 7
This lesson uses flexible grouping and tiered assignment to teach students to measure, classify, and analyze relationships between polygons.

Algebra: Graphing Linear Equations - Grade 7
This lesson provides an explanation of how to design core content instruction for English learners at the three lowest levels of English proficiency. In this example, the setting is a sheltered algebra classroom, but the approach is universal for all core content areas.

Standards resources

California Department of Education California Content Standards
http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/index.asp (outside link)
Content standards define the knowledge, concepts, and skills each student should acquire at each grade level.

California Department of Education Curriculum Frameworks
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/cf/allfwks.asp (outside link)
Each of the frameworks outlines how instructional programs can be directed to meet the needs of providing students Universal Access.