Tiered Instruction
To Challenge all
Learners
What is Tiered Instruction?
Tiered instruction is a way of teaching one concept and
meeting the different learning needs in a group.
Teachers may vary:
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task
process
product
Tasks and/or resources vary according to:
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learning profile
readiness
interest
Who is Tiered Instruction best for?
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Below level learners
On level learners
High level learners
EVERYONE
Why Tiered Instruction?
For Best Practices tiered instruction is
fundamental because:
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each student is appropriately challenged.
the focus is on the concept as opposed to
focusing on learning differences.
it maximizes learning.
What are the steps for tiered
instruction?
There are 5 major points to tiering instruction:
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2.
3.
4.
5.
Choose a concept from Standards that students should
know or understand and choose whether to tier according
to readiness, interest, or learning profile.
Assess student's profile, readiness, and/or interest.
Create an activity or project that is clearly focused on the
concept.
Adjust the activity to provide different levels of difficulty.
Match students to appropriate tiered assignment.
We all start on a different level!
We all have different needs
Tiered Chocolate Activities
for Active Participation
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ALLOW 15 Minutes
At your table, there is an envelope with 6 different activities, centered around the
key concept “Attributes of Chocolate”.
Take a moment to make sure you all know what is in the envelope and then divide
the cards so everyone at your table has a different activity.
Take two minutes to complete your activity independently. You may write directly on
the card.
After 2 minutes…..
Move to assigned groups to compare your work to others who worked on the same
activity. Before we conclude, tables will share out responses. (Designate where in
the room each group will meet to share their common activity.)
Share out several responses.
Sample questions for whole group:
Did any of you work on an activity with which you weren’t comfortable?
Is it ok for teachers to assign a tiered activity to a student? Why or why not?
What would a teacher do if he/she realized they had assigned the inappropriate
level of work to a student?
What if a student does something totally unrelated to the attributes of chocolate?
In designing a Standards-based tiered
lesson:
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Start with grade-level standards, concepts
or skills
Modify the content into two to three
progressive levels of depth and complexity
Differentiate by process, product, resources
or outcome
Research,
Interview, Read
book, Use
Internet….
Perform,
create, present,
write….
When using a Teacher’s Edition ask
these questions:
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Does the activity help the student reach the
standard?
Is the activity basic or advanced?
Do the suggested extensions offer more depth and
more complexity, or just more work?
Are there multiple activities that provided
opportunities for tiering the content to support the
standard?
Examples of Tiered Instruction
Find Handouts for different grade levels and
subjects on TAG website
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See Educator Resources
www.pps.k12.or.us/departments/tag/1399.htm
How to Assess before using Tiered
Instruction
In Tiered Instruction assessment is used to
create the different levels, groups, Scaffold,
or tiers.
Find many different methods of preassessment on the TAG website under
Educator Resources
Note: for under achievers
Some students achieve high in formal testing,
but are not performing to level in class. To
help these students begin achieving success
again, a few different things to try:
 Use student interest groups.
 Allow student choice.
How to Assess after using the Tiered
Instruction Technique
The assessment of individual projects, etc.
varies with each. You may choose some of
the following assessment strategies and
more:
Rubrics, tests, checklists, contracts, selfevaluation, peer evaluation, or conferences.
Rubrics
General enough to apply to all tiers
 Key concepts are clear and included
 The Standard that students need to meet is clear
 Students understand how the varied activities, resources,
products, etc help them demonstrate key concepts or
State Standards
 Make sure the key concepts are
evaluated separately from the
quality criteria
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Standards based scoring- Rubrics
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The Standard that
students need to meet is
clear.
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Key Concepts are included,
but general enough to apply
to all tiers.
Regardless of assignment,
activity (or “tier”) students
understand how their work
demonstrates the standard.
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Quality, Effort, or Career
Related Learning
Standards (CRLS)
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Criteria for Quality of
Product, Measured Effort,
or CRLS is separate from
the evaluation of proficiency
in meeting the standard.
Neat, Organized, ON-Time
work is recognized, but not
directly tied to meeting the
Standard.
Additional Resources for
Tiered Assignments
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Differentiating Instruction in the Regular Classroom
by Diane Heacox
How to Differentiate Instruction in the Mixed-Ability
Classroom by Carol Ann Tomlinson
Tiering Assignments & Compacting Curriculum: It’s
for Everyone! By Lynda Rice
Look in Educator Resources
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on the TAG website
pps.k12.or.us/departments/tag/