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OPENING THE DOOR TO

CURRICULUM DIFFERENTIATION

Jeanne H. Purcell, Ph.D

Connecticut State Department of Education

jeanne.purcell@po.state.ct .us

860 713-6745

PREASSESSMENT:

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Preassessment: A DefinitionPreassessment is an

instructional strategy teachers use to uncover what students know about a curriculum unit before they begin formal

instruction.

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THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESSCONTENTINTRODUCTIONINITIAL INSTRUCTIONPREASSESSMENTDIAGNOSIS

MANAGEMENT OF FLEXIBLE, SMALL GROUPS

CHOICE

ALTERNATIVES

Adjusting the Breadth

TIERING

Adjusting the Depth

What are the CRITICAL DIFFERENCES in my students?

How can I MODIFY one or more of the 10 curriculum components to address difference?

POST ASSESSMENT

MEASURE THE IMPACT OF DIFFERENTIATION

GRPG INTRO TCHG LRNG PROD RES EXT. TIMECONTENT ASSMNTS

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THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ASSESSMENT AND CURRICULUM

STANDARDSContent Knowledge

PREASSESSMENTand resulting modifications, if warranted, are based upon critical

differences among students

TEACHING AND LEARNING ACTIVITIES AND FEEDBACK

ON-GOING & POST ASSESSMENT

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Preassessment: Diagnostic Tools

• Teacher Observations• Learner Profiles • K-N-W Charts• Journals• Parent Letters• Lists, Surveys• Products• Performances• Conferences• Concept Maps

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Preassessment Tool: A Modified K-W-L

What the student ALREADY KNOWS

What the student NEEDS TO KNOW

What the student WANTS TO KNOW

K N W

-Prior Experiences-Knowledge-Skills-Accomplishments-Attitudes

-Self-rating of current proficiency with unit objectives

-Interests-Questions-Ideas for exploration or investigation

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Preassessment Tool: Journals

-Ask students to describe processes/ examples or provide reflections related to a curriculum objective

-Give the teacher an opportunity for a one-to-one interchange with the student

Tell me what you know

about fractions

What is the purpose of a

hero in a story?

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Preassessment Tool: Parent Letter

• Informs parents about unit skills, concepts, and types of unit activities;

• Enlists parents’ help with resources, artifacts, community connections, etc.

• Asks for parents’ insights into their child’s interests, strengths, and experiences;

• Informs parents that you will be giving homework assignments intended to be worked on together.

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Preassessment Tool: Lists and Surveys

• “Tell me all the words that come to mind when I say “oceanography;”

• List the attributes of French Impressionistic paintings;

• Name several types of land masses;

• Give examples of foods that contain high fats and sugars.

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Preassessment Tool: Products

• Create a bar graph using data from the sports section of the newspaper;

• Make a landscape drawing with a horizon;

• Show me your latest science lab report

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Preassessment Tool: Performances or Conferences

• Explain how you found this answer;• Import a graphic for the newspaper;• Create a mobius strip;• Use a graphing calculator

to determine an equation;• Develop a roll of black and

white film;• Read to me.

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Preassessment Tool: Concept Map

Word BankSun

Hot gasSpaceHeatNight

ConstellationDay

Star space

heat

hot gas

day

sun

nightconstellation

is in

see in

is a

has

makesmakes a

see at

-Used when teaching concepts and principles;-Graphic representation of students’ understandings;-Uses a word bank, web, and links

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Selecting a Preassessment Tool

• Nature of the content?• Nature of the feedback: Individual vs small

group vs. whole group• Time/Efficiency?

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Making Sense of Preassessment Data

• Think like a qualitative researcher: What does all this mean?

• Sort the data into 1 to 4 groups, based on a common, powerful difference

• Identify the learning difference: interest, prior knowledge, etc.

• Decide how to address the difference through differentiated teaching/learning activities.

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Attributes for Differentiation

PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

AREA OF INTEREST

PREFERRED LEARNING STYLE

conceptual applicationprecision

drawing sculptingpainting

small-group adult supportalone with visuals

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Preassessment: When?

• At the beginning of the year?

• At the end of the year• At the beginning of

each semester• At the beginning of a

unit?

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Preassessment: Communicating with Students and Parents

Talking with Students• What is preassessment?• When will we do

preassessment?• What will a preassessment

look like?• What will it tell me?• Will my score “count?”• Should I tell my Mom

and Dad?• What am I supposed to

know?

Talking with Parents• What is preassessment?• When is preassessment

used?• What does it reveal?• Who sees preassessment

data?• How will students’

information be used?• What will happen as a

result of preassessment?

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What Do We Already Collect?

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Now It’s Your Turn…

Identify a curriculum unit. Make sure it is one in which you have witnessed critical differences among students. Select a prassessment and post assessment format, sketch some questions, and develop a rationale for your choices.

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Debriefing…

• What questions arose as you completed the assessments?

• How did you answer them?• What was most interesting to you?

Your colleagues?• What questions do you still have?• What questions might future

participants raise?

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Caution: Cape does not enable user to fly.

  -- Batman Costume warning label

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THE END