1. TAG Presentation Grouping Strategies
GOALS:
Create a common language for grouping strategies in PPS
Apply understanding of grouping strategies to 6-8 Language Arts classes 1

2. Why Group?
Effective differentiation requires a classroom organization and management system that promotes students’ independence and responsibility, makes efficient use of instruction time, and limits the intensity of teacher preparation for instruction.
Bertie Kingore, Ph.D.
Reaching All Learners
Last year we spent time looking at a variety of way to differentiate for every ED. One aspect of differentiated is grouping kids together. Our presentation tonight is from the TAG dept, but we should keep in mind that grouping can benefit all students.
Effective Differentiation
Classroom organization and management
Student independence and responsibility
Efficient use of instructional time
Manageable teacher preparation 2

3. Follow-up to the Dr. Karen Rogers Presentation: Organizing the Learning of Gifted
Gifted learners need to be grouped for substantial blocks of time for learning and for socializing
Magnet Schools, Full-time Gifted Programs
Cluster Grouping
Within Class Grouping
Cross-Grade Grouping
Pull-out/send-out Programs
Like-ability/performance Grouping
Cooperative Grouping
Academic teams and competitions
Affective support groups
Service learning and other group projects
All TAG Coordinators and Principals heard her speak in September.
We are impressed with all the principals who have tried some of these forms of grouping- all on their own- after hearing Dr. Karen Rogers. 3

4. Research on Instructional Management: Grouping Permutations
Full-time ability grouping- Magnet schools (ES= .49)
e.g. Those receiving full-time ability grouping had 1.49 years of academic growth in one year’s time.
Regrouping for specific instruction (ES= .34)
Cluster grouping of GT students (ES= .59)
Send-out grouping (ES= .45)
Within class ability grouping (ES= .34)
Cross-graded classes (ES= .45)
Mixed ability cooperative groups (ES= 0)
Like ability cooperative groups (ES=.28)
Karen Rogers, Ph.D.
She presented her “meta” research. The ES (effect size) listed is based on a comparison of comparable students who did not experience this grouping method.
So those students who were regrouped for a specific instruction made 1.34 years gain in achievement as compared to just 1 year gain for those who were not regrouped.
Those students who were cluster grouped made 1.59 years gain as compared to 1 year gain, and so on.
Note that students in Mixed Ability Coop Groups made no additional gain and we’re going to talk about that later. 4

5. Common time for teachers to meet and plan
Whole class
Mixed ability
Similar ability
Individual work
Cooperative work
Structures for grouping can take place within a school, between grades, between classrooms or in a single classroom.
For some of these common planning times is a MUST.
Common time for teachers to meet and plan 5

6. Ability or Aptitude
Students are grouped according to scores on standardized test of aptitude, intelligence or ability.
Can become TRACKING if groups stay together for most of the day every day.
What criteria do we use to group students???
TRACKING = General learning ability or performance grouping that does not change. Once a student is assigned to this group, he/she keeps that assignment over the year, or years, regardless of change in achievement level.

7. Performance
Students are grouped according to grades or performance in a particular subject, for example accelerated, enriched, advanced classes. Performance data can come from teacher observations, classroom pre-assessment data, etc.
Can also become TRACKING if groups stay together for most of the day every day.
Another criteria might be. These can be criteria, but can also be ways to group students.
One need for principals and teachers is understanding how to effectively use pre-assessment and flexible grouping strategies so that we don’t track students. The current view of a few of our teachers and administrators is that any form of grouping is tracking.

8. STOP
TURN
TELL WHAT YOU LEARNED

9. Common Language - Grouping
Cluster grouping
Tracking **Defined here, but NOT recommended.
Flexible grouping
Performance-based
Ability-based
Heterogeneous and cooperative
Whole group
Pairs, triads, tetrads…
Review List
Point out the Common Language Regarding Grouping handout that includes definitions 9

10. Cluster Grouping
Purposeful classroom placement of 3-6 similar ability students (usually in the top 5%) together in a mixed ability classroom.
Ideally, the teacher has an interest and knowledge in teaching this group of students.
Research shows that gifted students may spend up to 65% of their day working on curriculum that they’ve already mastered.
There are many resources available to further explain Cluster grouping. This topic can be an area of lively discussion at many schools. Some of our schools have already implemented this strategy and have reported success.
A good example of this could be seen in a school with few TAG identified students.
Read excerpts from Cluster Grouping of Gifted Students. 10

11. Cluster Grouping Benefits
Provides a full-time gifted program requiring minimal funds
Prevents gifted kids from becoming the group which benefits least from heterogeneous grouping
Keeps TAG students together in area of strength and allows for taking risks which may not occur in heterogeneous grouping.
You may have noted that in Dr Rogers research, she found that the highest gains were made by students that had been clustered together (.59). However, it’s very important to know that it’s not enough to simply cluster students together. The program should be monitored by the principal and gifted program coordinator ensuring differentiation and compacting are consistent.
Using the TAG TOSA as a point person for support in this type of classroom would also be helpful.

12. Example of a Classroom Composition for School Cluster Grouping (for a single grade level)
30 students in 3 classes
Group 1:
Gifted
Group 2:
High
Achieving
Group 3:
Average
Group 4:
Below
Group 5:
Far below
Classroom A 6 12
Classroom B
Classroom C
I’ll give you a chance to look over this table quickly.
This is an example of a grade level grouping with 3 classes of 30 students each. Note that the teacher that has the gifted children doesn’t have the far below average students, so that the teacher has fewer levels for which to plan. The same applies to the other classrooms.
Also notice that the 2 classrooms that don’t have the gifted students, have the high achieving students. Research has shown that these students may really blossom when they are the highest in the classroom.
Of course, this isn’t the only way to cluster group. The Cluster Grouping Handbook by Winebrenner and Bruilles goes into much more depth. We have several schools that are using this book as a book study PD project this year.
**Note that there is a handout article on cluster grouping in the Elementary Support Packet. 12

13. Reflective Thinking Turn and Talk
Do you have cluster grouping at your building? Does it work?
If not, would cluster grouping work at your school? Why or Why not?

14. “The flexible use of student groups is the heart of differentiated instruction.”
When you group flexibly, you create instruction groups and prescribe specific activities that respond to students’ learning needs.
Diane Heacox, Ed.D.
Differentiating Instruction in the Regular Classroom
Reminder that these ideas/groups we’re going to discuss are not just for TAG, but for all kids, and the key word is flexible. 14

15. Flexible Grouping Teacher uses curricular
needs, student needs, ability,
performance, interest, strengths,
and preferences to determine the
group make-up.
Used as needed to provide a better instructional match for students.
Flexible grouping is changed regularly to match student need to the task at hand.
Ideally, all groups are flexible and teachers have the resources to move students in and out of a variety of groups as necessary, based on student and curricular needs, ability, performance, interest, and/or readiness.
The article “Flexible Grouping” by Catherine Valentino defines the different types of grouping that are commonly used in terms of Teacher-led groups and Student-led groups.

16. Group Membership Can be determined by: Readiness Interest
Reading Level
Skill Level
Background Knowledge
Social Skills
Note that we aren’t addressing the last three groupings in this presentation.
We are impressed with all the principals who have tried some of these forms of grouping- all on their own- after hearing Dr. Karen Rogers. 16

17. PRE-ASSESSMENT
The purpose of pre-assessment is to determine what students know about a topic before it is taught. Pre-assessment will help the teacher determine flexible grouping patterns and should be used regularly.
Pre-assessment is any method used to determine student content knowledge, student skill/ability and student interest.

18. Pre-assessment Strategies
Teacher prepared pre-test
KWL Charts /Graphic Organizers
Writing Prompts/Samples
Guess Box
Student demonstrations and discussions
Student products and work samples
Show of hands/EPR Every Pupil Response
Standardized Tests/ISM Data
Teacher observation/Checklist
Teachers must consider more than 1 pre-assessment, especially when groups are in place for longer periods of time.
Additional examples of pre-assessment strategies can be found in Pre-Assessment Strategies handout.
“Assessment is today’s means of modifying tomorrow’s instruction.”
Carole Tomlinson

19. STOP TURN TELL WHAT YOU LEARNED
KACY – Pre-assessed your calligraphy…

20. Whole Class Instruction
Used to introduce new materials and strategies
Builds common experiences
Provides a shared basis for further exploration
Helps identify prior knowledge and experiences
Teacher-led groups are an effective and efficient way of introducing material, summing-up the conclusions made by individual groups, meeting the needs of large or small groups and providing individual attention or instruction.

21. Performance Grouping (Leveled Groups)
Teacher looks at current assessment data in a particular content area to determine group membership.
Examples include
Lit Circles
Writing Folders
Reading/math groups
Lit Circles: Interest, Book Choice, Reading Scores.
Writing Folders: Colored coded for flexibility.
Pre-Assessing students and creating a method to meet the appropriate rate and level of instruction for all students are a big part of the TAG and ESL compliance issues .
KACY… 21

22. Heterogeneous and Cooperative Grouping
Grouping for collaborative work, either by the teacher or by student choice
Grouping for the purpose of developing cooperative skills
Gifted students may have much to lose and little to gain from traditional cooperative groupings – ones that aren’t structured
We need to mention Cooperative Grouping. You have long known the benefits of Cooperative Grouping for students.
BUT…
The research by Dr. Rogers: Mixed ability cooperative groups had no additional gains in achievement beyond the 1 year growth. Like ability cooperative groups had 1.28 years gain.
Structured cooperative groups are currently used in our math and science programs in PPS.

23. Reflective Thinking Turn and Talk
What types of flexible grouping are most commonly used at your school?
What types of flexible grouping do you most use in your classroom?

24. When planning for grouping consider these questions:
When does grouping benefit students?
When does grouping facilitate instruction?
Which activities lend themselves to group work?
How will I determine group membership?
Big questions about grouping. Next slide, more detail. In a minute we’re going to give you some tools/graphic organizer to help you determine which kinds of groups best fit the task at hand.

25. When to Use What Group Pre-Assessments Tool for teachers
So, pre-assessment data shows that this is new information for all students…think about whole class work or small mixed-ability groups. The pre-assessments indicate that students vary in readiness, rate of learning, or interest in topic? Think about performance groups, interest groups or groups based on rate and level of learning.
The content requires multiple perspectives, think about cooperative groups.
In your folder, you’ll find EFFECTIVE GROUPING OPTIONS. Pull that out and fill it out to the best of your ability as far as when you would use the following groups. For what purpose? Whole group?
Now look at Grouping Options handout. Were there any you missed? Add to your worksheet.
Share one that you’ve used successfully and one that you’d like to try.

26. Reflective Thinking – Quick Write
Which grouping option(s) will best fit my next unit? Lesson? Why?
How will I pre-assess?
How will the groups be determined?
What management problems do I
need help solving?
As we look forward to the next portion of our evening, we’d like you to take a minute to reflect on your next steps in the classroom….

27. Flexible Grouping for the delivery of instruction is the cornerstone of appropriate differentiation for the gifted student as well as all students. The use of Flexible Grouping assures Success for Every Student.