This document outlines the agenda and objectives for a session on differentiating student services based on student readiness. The session includes reviewing an article on differentiation, defining key terms like differentiation by readiness and tiering, and creating a tiered group guidance lesson. Participants will break into small groups to discuss the article and design a tiered lesson plan. The goals are for participants to understand how to differentiate student services based on individual student needs and readiness levels.

1. Differentiation for Group Guidance and
Student Services
October 9, 2012

2. SESSION II and III AGENDA
 9:40 to 10:00
 Review Article at Table
 Discuss Questions
 Report to Group Using Chart Paper
 10:00 to 10:15
 Large Group Presentation to Review KUD
 Explanation of Differentiation by Readiness (with examples)
 10:15 to 10:30
 Directions Provided for 2nd Activity
 Break into Small Groups (See Group Assignments)
 Connection to January Institute and March School Improvement Day
 10:30-10:40
 Break
 10:40-11:05
 Design Tiered Plan that Matches KUD
 11:05-11:30
 Share Tiered Lesson with Large Group

3. Objectives:
 I will be able to:
-Understand the importance of differentiating student services
(U)
-Understand that there are a variety of students within each
group guidance audience or social work group (U)
-Define differentiation by readiness (K)
-Explain the factors impacting students’ readiness for guidance
(K)
-Define tiering as a method of differentiating by readiness and
review an example(K)
-Create a tiered group guidance/student services lesson (D)

4. DIRECTIONS FOR ACTIVITY #1
 Please review the article that was emailed to you last
week
 In your groups, discuss answers to the questions
 Assign a note-taker to write answers on chart paper
and be prepared to share with large group

5. ARTICLE GUIDING QUESTIONS
 Does the Student Services Division currently use
differentiated strategies while delivering group
services? In what ways?
 What are ways we can further differentiate in our group
guidance and social worker groups?
 What is the concept of “Readiness” as it relates to
differentiation? How can we determine readiness prior to
our groups?

6. CURRENT LTHS STUDENT DATA
GPA CLASS RANK P-ACT COMPOSITE
SCORE
•This data is LTHS student data from 3.7 353 20
a current, English III Prep Class. All 3.5 405 21
3.3 420 26
students enrolled in this period are
3.5 420 21
Juniors. 3.3 466 20
3.3 466 24
•Notice the variability and range of 3 561 14
the GPA, Class Rank, and ACT 3 561 17
3 586 18
Composite Scores, which can be
2.9 608 15
utilized as indicators of student 2.9 608 18
readiness. 2.7 642 17
Full 2.0 difference between 2.7 657 14
lowest and highest GPA’s 2.7 672 13
523 students separate the 2.6 697 15
highest class rank from the 2.4 730 15
lowest 2.4 735 14
ACT Composite Scores range 2.3 756 16
from 13 to 26 2.3 768 15
2 823 13
1.9 832 16
1.7 876 14

7. •This data is LTHS student data from GPA CLASS RANK P-ACT
a current, English III Accel Class. All COMPOSITE
students enrolled in this period are SCORE
Juniors.
3.8 316 19
3.7 140 24
•Notice the variability and range of 3.6 155 23
the GPA, Class Rank, and ACT 3.6 155 28
Composite Scores, which can be 3.6 177 24
utilized as indicators of student 3.6 287 23
readiness. 3.6 338 24
Full 1.3 difference between 3.5 229 27
lowest and highest GPA’s 3.5 284 24
536 students separate the 3.5 347 20
highest class rank from the 3.4 329 20
lowest 3.4 406 19
ACT Composite Scores range 3.2 268 34
from 15 to 34
3.1 450 19
3.1 496 19
•Can we assume that all students 3.1 504 22
enrolled in any class, Prep, Accel, 3.0 481 21
Special Ed or Otherwise, are at the 3.0 544 15
same level of Readiness? 2.9 531 17
2.8 429 22
2.5 676 18

8. 3 Ways to Differentiate
“What a “A student’s “Current
student enjoys preferred knowledge,
understanding,
learning about, mode of and skill level a
thinking about, learning” (Tomlinson student has
& Strickland, p.6).
and doing” related to a
(Tomlinson & Strickland,
p.6) particular
sequence of
learning”
(Tomlinson & Strickland, p.6).

9. DIFFERENTIATION BY INTEREST
AND LEARNING STYLE
 Interest
 Increased Motivation Within Area of Interest
 Post-Secondary Options (college, trade school, military, etc)
 Using Interests/Activities for Social Work Grouping
 Social/Emotional/Mental Health Status
 Learning Profile
 Vary Presentation of Lessons to Address Multiple
Intelligences and/or Learning Styles
 i.e. Visual, Kinesthetic, Auditory

10. Ways to get the Information you Need to
Differentiate by Readiness
 Readiness
 Transcripts/Grades
 Academic Performance at Previous Schools
 Attendance Data
 Behavioral Data
 Decision Ed Information
 MAP Scores
 Explore, Plan, ACT, ACCESS Test Results
 Relevant Information about Home/Family/Medical
Circumstances

11. Differentiating by READINESS
Why? When we differentiate by
 To appropriately Readiness we should consider
challenge all
student:
learners
Goal: “Attitude (toward school & topic)
“make the work a Experience with the topic (outside
of school or previous courses)
little too difficult for
Knowledge, understanding, and
students at a given skill with the topic
point in their growth- Preconceptions about the topic
and then to provide Overgeneralizations about the
the support they need topic
to succeed at a new General communication, thinking,
level of challenge” & reasoning skills”
Tomlinson & Strickland, p. 6 Strickland, p. 8-9

12. Tiering: A Method of
Differentiating by Readiness
“Tiering is a process of To Tier an Assignment:
adjusting the degree of 1) Determine the KUD statement
2) Identify the readiness ranges
difficulty of a question, relative to the KUD goals
task, or product to 3) Create an activity that is engaging
match a student’s & rigorous
4) Replicate the activity to address
current readiness
differences in readiness
level.” • Use similar knowledge & skills
• Yields the same understanding
5) Use assessment data to match the
Strickland, A Strategy for Readiness task to the student
Differentiation Strickland, A Strategy for Readiness Differentiation

13. Tiering: A Method of
Differentiating by Readiness
Commonality (in Tiers) Differences in Tiers
 Builds understanding  Amount of structure
 Offers challenge  Number of facets
 Centers on the same skill
 Complexity
 Is Engaging
 Begins where the students  Pace
are  Level of independence
Strickland, A Strategy for Readiness Differentiation

14. TIERED GUIDANCE EXAMPLE
Advanced
In a graphic organizer of your choice, compare and contrast
two careers that interest you. Include at least 4 important
variables for comparison. Be ready to justify your choice of
variables. Which career would be the best match for YOU?
KUD Write a paragraph explaining your thoughts
KNOW
Career Paths
On Grade
UNDERSTAND Using the provided grid or another graphic organizer of your
You will be happier in choice, compare two careers you find interesting along four key
your career if you parameters. Consider points of comparison such as likely
make a careful choice compensation, availability & location of jobs, characteristics of
that matches your those who are successful in the field, and at least one other
variable. Which career would be the best match for YOU?
skills and desired
lifestyle
DO
Compare careers for
BELOW GRADE
a given purpose
Work with a partner on this task. Using the provided grid,
investigate two careers you both find interesting. One
person will be in charge of locating and filling out the
information for each career. Note that some cells are
already fill in for you. (Points of comparison are provided)
cindy.strickland@gmail.com

15. DIRECTIONS FOR ACTIVITY #2
 In your grade-level teams, develop a differentiated group
guidance lesson
 Each grade level has been assigned a topic selected from their
classes’ group guidance curriculum
 The Lesson should be differentiated by readiness and should
follow the tiered-lesson model
 The Lesson should arrive at the relevant K, U, and D that you
developed during Session I
 Support Staff have been assigned to NC/SC School Avoidance
Teams
 Within your teams, develop a tiered student services response to
students exhibiting school avoidance

16. TEAMS AND TOPICS for ACTIVITY #2
Freshmen Sophomores Juniors Seniors
Understanding Stress Management SOS and ACT Finalizing Post-
and Career
Learning Style Exploration
Secondary Plans
C. Grosrenaud N. Peterson P. King M. Stupak
T. Reid K. Elliott J. Bauer A. Ip
M. Liccardi L. Torres M. Ziroli M. Boyle
L. Musser J. Widing
NC School Avoidance SC School Avoidance
P. Locke M. Pacejka
B. Pulliam J. Cushing
A. Strickland E. Baker
J. Fanta K. Dostal
K. Costopoulos

17. SESSION II AND III WRAP-UP
 Group Discussion on Differentiation by
Readiness and Tiered-Lesson Creation
 Questions?
 THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION!!