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In a differentiated classroom, teachers differentiate content, process and product according to a student's readiness, interest and learning profile.

• Content- what the teacher wants the student to learn and the materials or resources through which that is accomplished
• Process- activities designed to ensure that students use key skills to make sense out of essential ideas and information
• Products- vehicles through which students demonstrate and extend what they have learned
• Readiness- a student's entry point relative to a particular understanding or skill
• Learning Profile- how an individual student learns

In differentiated classrooms, students demonstrating a need for instruction beyond that of the general education curriculum should be offered a range of instructional and management opportunities such as:

Compacting- students are allowed to demonstrate proficiency in curriculum outcomes, units or courses and progress to more appropriate/challenging instruction.  This reduces redundancy and allows for advanced programming.

Enrichment Clusters- students are grouped according to ability for instructional purposes.  Enrichment clusters stress student choice and students as producers of useful products.

Interest Centers- a center within the classroom that links curriculum topics to areas of student talent and interest in depth and breadth.

Tiered Assignments- assignments designed for varying ability levels.  More complex assignments better meet the needs of high-ability learners.

Tiered Products- products specially designed to demonstrate understanding of a topic in a more in-depth manner.

Graduated Rubrics- the standard and level of student proficiency and accomplishments designed for students and teachers to measure learning outcomes. Graduated rubrics offer clear expectations for quality and levels of excellence to encourage among high-ability learners.

Independent Study- topics selected by students for in-depth study including a statement of student objective, research, and planned presentation.  Students design products to demonstrate their understanding of a topic.  Independent study encourages student autonomy in planning and problem solving.

Alternative Assessments- students are offered opportunities to demonstrate their understanding of material learned in "real-world" ways.

There Are Lots of Ways to Differentiate....

Differentiation of Instruction
Is a teacher's response to learners' needs
Guided by general principals of differentiation
(e.g)
respectful tasks				on-going assessment and adjustment
flexible grouping etc teachers can differentiate
CONTENT		PROCESS		PRODUCT
According to students'
READINESS		INTEREST		LEARNING PROFILE
Through a range of instructional and management strategies.
There are numerous strategies general education teachers can use to differentiate the curriculum for students. Link to Carol Ann Tomlinson chart that summarizes some of the major strategies used and includes a description of the strategy, rationale for its use, and general guidelines for each strategy.