1. What is Tiered Instruction?
By keeping the focus of the
activity the same, but
providing routes of access at
varying degrees of difficulty,
the teacher maximizes the
likelihood that:
1) each student comes away with
pivotal skills & understandings
2) each student is appropriately
challenged.
Teachers use tiered activities so that all students focus on
essential understandings and skills but at different levels of complexity, abstractness, and open-endedness.

2. Creating Multiple Paths For Learning
Key Concept or
Understanding
The first step whenever you are planning tiered instruction is to identify the Key Concepts and Understandings that you want students to learn.
Next, determine the readiness levels of the students and design tasks that will help them learn the key concepts and still challenge them at their level of understanding.
Struggling
With The
Concept
Understand
The
Concept
Some
Understanding
Reaching Back
READINESS LEVELS
Reaching Ahead

3. IDENTIFY OUTCOMES THINK ABOUT YOUR STUDENTS INITIATING ACTIVITIES
WHAT SHOULD THE STUDENTS KNOW, UNDERSTAND, OR BE ABLE TO DO?
THINK ABOUT YOUR STUDENTS
PRE-ASSESS READINESS, INTEREST, OR LEARNING PROFILE
INITIATING ACTIVITIES
USE AS COMMON EXPERIENCE FOR WHOLE CLASS
This graphic represents a sequence for planning a tiered activity or assignment. (Walk through graphic) There is nothing sacred about three groups---the teacher may want to use two groups or as many as four or five. Assessment, diagnosis, and prescription are integral to the use of this strategy. The strategy itself is very visible and viable and usually makes sense to students and parents.
GROUP 1
TASK
GROUP 2
TASK
GROUP 3
TASK

4. Concept to be Understood
Planning Tiered Assignments
Concept to be Understood OR
Skill to be Mastered
Create on-level task first then adjust up and down.
Below-Level
Task
On-Level
Task
Above-Level
Task
Another method for developing tiered assignments or activities is to first develop an on-level task and then make slight adjustments up or down. Some tasks in each tier may be the same while others might be changed to match student readiness levels.
Factors from the six-step framework should still be considered in this planning process.
“Adjusting the
Task”

5. When Tiering: Adjust--- Level of Complexity Amount of Structure
Materials
Time/Pace
Number of Steps
Form of Expression
Level of Dependence
Dr. Carol Tomlinson from the University of Virginia has developed an instrument called “The Equalizer” that can be used by teachers to consider different factors that can be adjusted to provide challenge and success.
This overhead lists some of the areas that teachers should consider when making adjustments for students in different groups.

6. The “Equalizer”
1. Foundational
Transformational
5. Smaller Leap
Greater Leap
6. More Structured
More Open
2. Concrete
Abstract
7. Clearly Defined Problems
Fuzzy Problems
3. Simple
Complex
The equalizer works in the same way that you might adjust the volume on your stereo. The teacher uses the equalizer as a planning tool to think about the kinds of adjustments that might be made for struggling, on-level, and advanced learners. This is an attempt to match the task with readiness levels of the students. It is not necessary to adjust all nine equalizer buttons for each activity.
8. Less Independence
Greater Independence
4. Fewer Facets
Multi-facets
9. Slower
Quicker

7. Best Practices Leave Behind