Tiering Lessons
One Way to Differentiate
What is Tiering?
Tiering is teaching or applying the same objective in up to three ways to meet the needs of students at three levels of preparation: 1) students not yet ready for that grade level’s instruction, 2) students just ready, and 3) students ready to go beyond.
When Should You Try Tiering?
Tiering is more than a singular strategy. It is a concept that can be infused into small-group activities, differentiated homework assignments, learning centers, learning contracts, and even advanced classes. The greatest role tiering plays is in preparing a teacher for any given day’s activities by requiring that each of the three degrees of student readiness — not yet ready, just ready, ready to go beyond — are planned for and addressed in that day’s instruction.
Steps for Tiering
Identify the Objective
What do you want all students to master?
Main Idea? Addition Concept? Writing a Personal Narrative?
What Tiers are Already Addressed with the Activity
What do you already have planned or have used in the past. What Tier will it address?
Determine the Needs for the other Tiers
What will you need to create for the other tiers to support all learners?
Think about: Vocabulary, Complexity, Level of Thinking, Interest Level, Abstractness, Process, Product
How Will You Manage the Tiers?
Will you use centers or stations, small groups, tic-tac-toe menu, learning contacts, technology (Edmodo)?
Determine Who Needs Which Tier
Preassessing is key! Groups need to be flexible and fluid. This helps with any elitist attitudes.
Assess for Mastery
Keep in mind that for assessment to be fair, it should reflect mastery of objective. That may mean the same assessment for all tiered groups, and it may mean different assessments, but it should not penalize any of the groups for differentiation.