Assessment and Differentiation

1. Assessment and Differentiation Timothy Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago

2. Instructional differentiation Adjustments to instruction that are made in order to increase learning for different children (made on the basis of need or circumstances)

3. Instructional differentiation Four kinds of adjustment: --Content coverage --Amount of teaching provided --Level of instruction --Intensity of instruction

4. Reasons for Differentiation One size definitely doesn�t fit all when it comes to teaching Universal lessons for an entire classroom of kids is the most efficient delivery system (unless one considers learning)

5. Reasons for Differentiation Kids miss out on some instruction Kids don�t succeed with the instruction that is given Kids are at very different levels of performance Kids learn at different rates

6. Role of Assessment Differentiation implies decisions If you are going to raise achievement, then you need to make the right decisions This leads to the use of assessment (data on student learning on which to make decisions about differentiation)

7. Some basic assessment terminology Validity: estimate of how well a test measures what it claims to measure

8. Some basic assessment terminology Reliability: estimate of how stable test scores are (without reliability, can�t have validity)

9. Some basic assessment terminology Benchmark: establishing cut scores on a test that have predictive value

10. Some basic assessment terminology Efficiency: ratio of benefit to cost (how much information do you get for the amount of resources, including time, needed to get the information)

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