what are tiered assignments for gifted students

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7 Ways to Differentiate Lessons for Gifted Students

Written by Victoria Hegwood

Set engaging, differentiated and standards-aligned assignments with Prodigy Math for free!

• Teaching Strategies

What does “Gifted” mean?

• Why differentiate instruction for talented students?
• 8 Differentiation strategies for gifted students

1. Create tiered assignments

2. shorten the explanations.

• 3. Flexible apps
• 4. Offer open-ended and self directed assignments
• 5. Introduce project based learning
• 6. Compact curriculum

7. Pair gifted students up

8. always keep learning, gifted education pitfalls to avoid.

• Creating a learning environment for every student

All students are unique and special in their own way. Each learns in a different way and needs their education to be individualized. 

But differentiating lessons for gifted students can require even more thought and extra planning. 

Gifted learners tend to go through their learning activities rapidly and require modifications to their education for them to be fully engaged in the classroom. 

If you’re struggling to know exactly how to differentiate lessons for gifted students, this is just the article for you. We’ll highlight instructional strategies to use that will meet your student’s need for enrichment in the classroom, as well as pitfalls to avoid.

The National Association for Gifted Children defines gifted as “ students with gifts and talents performed or capable being performed at higher levels compared to others the same age, experience, and environment. ”

If your school has a gifted program, they likely also have their own definition and benchmarks that qualify a student as gifted. It is important to note that there is not a unified definition from all the states concerning what gifted means. 

Gifted students are seen across all racial, socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. 

And there is no one behavior or skill set that defines a gifted learner. Some are gifted in athletics or leadership while others are gifted in the sciences or social skills.

Why is differentiated instruction needed for talented students?

Gifted students are often bored in a typical classroom. This can result in them just zoning out of the lesson or misbehaving. In situations where gifted students are left unchallenged for long periods of time, the students may never learn how to learn in a classroom. 

These students need unique opportunities to analyze, evaluate, create and reflect in challenging ways. Differentiating the lesson according to their strengths can help make this happen. 

Building differentiated lessons is about the philosophy and practice rather than a strict step-by-step process. You can tweak this practice to match your students’ readiness, interest, learning styles and academic needs.

In general, differentiating lessons is a helpful strategy for all student learning. Education scholar Carol Tomlinson emphasizes, “ Differentiation really means trying to make sure that teaching and learning work for the full range of students .”

However, this article will specifically focus on why it’s necessary for gifted students. When a student is contemplating skipping a grade but isn’t quite ready to make the leap or is only gifted in a particular subject, differentiated lessons are a great solution. 

8 Differentiation strategies for gifted learners

There are a lot of ways to use differentiation with a lesson. Different approaches will likely work better for a particular topic or student. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Tiered assignments allow learners to complete the same assignment at different levels of difficulty.

How you implement this strategy will vary based on your classroom. For example, you may design an assignment for the middle tier of students and then add additional challenges for gifted students. 

Another option is designing a more difficult assignment and then adding scaffolding, such as a graphic organizer or supplied reading material, to those at or below grade level. 

With this strategy, it is important to routinely assess your students to understand where they are at. This way you will always know who needs advanced content and who needs more help.

Did you know?

If you're teaching math to students in 1st-8th grade, you can use Prodigy's Assignment tool to easily set tiered exercises. With your free teacher account , simply select the skill you want to set as an Assignment and have your students play Prodigy Math .

And the best bit? You won't have to do any grading, it's all done automatically!

Gifted students typically understand a concept the first time it is explained, whereas their peers may need the content to be taught a few different ways.

Try giving a short pre-assessment or a pop quiz once you have taught the concept one time to see if the gifted students can move on to the next topic. 

Doing this will hopefully prevent boredom and, in turn, misbehavior from gifted students.

3. Use flexible apps

When bringing technology into your classroom and blending the learning experience , choose apps and games with flexibility. Look for options where gifted students can work on more complex concepts while other students work closer to grade level. 

There are plenty of apps, like Prodigy Math , that engage students and evaluate their skills to determine if they are learning math problems at the right level. Prodigy Math then uses adaptive algorithms to continue to challenge the student. 

Apps like this can also help strain teachers less when planning differentiating lessons since they don’t have to design the tiers themselves.

4. Offer open-ended and self-directed assignments

Open-ended tasks are great for differentiated lessons because they leave plenty of room for students’ skills and ideas to shine. They are especially good at stimulating higher-order thinking skills such as problem-solving. 

Self-directed assignments give gifted learners responsibility for their own development and let them decide how far they want to take their own learning. Assignments with open-ended questions encourage students to offer creative responses, work in small groups and build other ways to further explore. But make sure you deliver open-ended sessions with an end goal rather than leaving the students alone.

5. Introduce project-based learning

Project-based learning is effective since it mimics the real world. In a project-based assignment, learners conduct research, ask complex questions and improve management skills. Oftentimes, projects end with a presentation, which is great for practicing public speaking. 

Projects can be completed in small groups or by each student individually. This learning method is especially beneficial for gifted learners due to its depth, student choice, real-world learning and collaboration opportunities.

Project-based learning tends to go over the best when the assignments relate to a student’s interests.  For example, a high school student interested in social studies could be tasked with designing advocacy around an issue of their choice.

6. Try a compact curriculum

A compact curriculum is similar to shortening explanations, but it will actually throw out whole lessons that the gifted student already understands. Instead, the gifted student will be given lessons on content they’ve never been exposed to. 

Most often in this method, students will be given a pre-test that allows them to show mastery over various problems. Then, the curriculum is adjusted. 

It’s important to remember that curriculum development for gifted students is a dynamic process.

Another strategy is being more intentional in how you pair students up in collaborative projects. Putting gifted students together in cluster groups boosts their achievement since they are able to work at a faster pace. 

You may even find that in specific subjects, students that are gifted in that area can be paired up for their own differentiated lesson while you teach the rest of the class. These pairs can work on advanced content and learn from each other.

Teaching requires constant innovation and growth with a new classroom of kiddos each year. You will always be tweaking what you are doing based on new things that you learn. 

In the last two years, the pandemic has required flexibility and accelerated digital learning in ways we had never seen before. 

The challenges that came with this got teachers talking and opened up a dialogue about what learning strategies work. It created a community where more experienced teachers could impart their knowledge to others. 

Here's more strategies and ideas to help you differentiate learning

Looking to learn more about differentiation? Check out our list of 20 differentiated instruction strategies for more inspiration on how to level educational content in your classroom, with examples included!

As with any strategy, there are ways to do it well and ways to do it that are not so great. Try to avoid these three common mistakes when differentiating lessons for gifted students.

1. Using gifted students as teaching assistants

While gifted students may seem like a great help in the classroom, they should not be tasked with mentoring or tutoring other students. They need to be challenged in their own education and reteaching a concept that they already know doesn’t do that. 

A different way to go about this is having flexible grouping projects that let students work together for a short period of time. These projects allow gifted students to practice interacting with their peers and allow other students to learn from gifted students, but it’s temporary. 

This method allows gifted students to learn and avoids attaching a ‘teacher’ role to their interactions.

2. Working independently without oversight

A differentiated lesson for gifted learners should lead to more collaboration and content enrichment without the learner working constantly on their own. Assigning open-ended tasks without oversight or accountability can actually have the opposite effect of what you’re going for with gifted learners.

Ensure that lessons allow for student choice while still conforming to school district standards. And check in often with your gifted students.

3. Assuming mastery in all subject areas

Don’t assume that just because a learner is gifted in one area means that this means they are gifted in every area. For example, a student may be reading at a high school level but is not a strong writer. Or they may excel at math problems but struggle to understand graphs in science. 

Evaluate each subject area individually before assigning advanced lessons to gifted students.

Creating a learning environment for everyone

Differentiated lessons can be a great tool for gifted students in your classroom. But there are best practices to keep in mind when you’re constructing lessons. Differentiating lessons helps challenge gifted students and keep them engaged in your classroom.  

If starting the process of planning differentiated lessons feels overwhelming to you, using Prodigy can be a great first step.  

Whether you’re teaching in a math or English classroom, Prodigy is a fantastic free teaching resource that customizes each student’s experience with adaptive content.

Prodigy helps make it easier for you to differentiate instruction across your classroom, with no grading required! Teachers simply select what curriculum-aligned skills they'd like to test on their students or let Prodigy's adaptive algorithm assign content to help a student grow, including those in gifted or talented strands.

It's also free for teachers and schools! See how it works below:

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Differentiated Instruction

6 Ways to Deliver Differentiated Instruction for Gifted Students

What Does Gifted Mean?

Before we discuss how to differentiate instruction for gifted students, we should explore what gifted means. There isn’t a simple definition. In fact, the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC)’s 2018–2019 State of the States in Gifted Education report shows that nearly every state has its own definition of gifted, and some states don’t even define the term.

The definition used by the state of New Jersey gives one such example, which states that a gifted and talented student is a “student who possesses or demonstrates a high level of ability in one or more content areas when compared to their chronological peers in the school district and who require modifications of their educational program if they are to achieve in accordance with their capabilities.”

It’s important to remember that students can be gifted in different ways—such as athletics, leadership, or social and emotional skills—and nobody is gifted in everything. “There are lots of different areas that people can be gifted in, but in school, we rely on the academic piece because that’s what we serve,” says Jennifer G. Beasley, EdD, director of teacher education at the University of Arkansas. “Since there is no common definition of gifted, we need to appropriately assess students to discover the strengths and areas we can support.”

It’s also important to remember that the strategies discussed in this blog can be used for “non-gifted” students as well.

Why Do Gifted Students Need Differentiation?

Just as a student who finds the classroom material overwhelming may zone out or misbehave, so too may a gifted student. Even worse, when students who are gifted are routinely unchallenged, they may never learn how to learn. Gifted students need opportunities to analyze, evaluate, create, and reflect. They should gain experience by asking and investigating complex questions and completing challenging tasks.

Although we are focusing on differentiated instruction for gifted students, it is important to note that the strategies discussed in this blog can apply to all populations of students. “Differentiation is meeting the needs of learners where they are at,” says Beasley. “It’s a philosophy—not a bag of tricks or a strategy. It’s about thinking about the pieces we can differentiate by readiness, by interest, by learning profile, and so on, for whatever type of learners are in your class.”

How to Differentiate for Gifted Students

Teachers can differentiate content, process, or product (see chart below), but they need to start by building the right kind of classroom community. “If a student—gifted or not—doesn’t feel safe and accepted by their teacher or classmates, it will be difficult for them to trust what you’re doing or take risks and learn and grow,” says Beasley.

Other key principles of differentiation include flexible grouping, a high-quality curriculum, and ongoing assessment. If one of these factors is missing, it will be more difficult to differentiate . Once these principles are in place, there are a variety of strategies teachers can use to differentiate instruction for gifted students.

6 Ways to Differentiate Instruction for Gifted Students

1. create tiered assignments.

Tiered assignments allow learners to complete the same assignment at different levels of difficulty. By varying the level of difficulty, you’re letting each student demonstrate understanding. Some teachers do this by designing an assignment for the middle tier and then adding in an additional challenge for students who are gifted. For example, you could ask gifted students to apply a skill in two ways instead of one. Other educators prefer to plan the lesson for the students who are gifted and then differentiate by providing support for the rest of the class. Differentiation expert Carol Ann Tomlinson believes that this method “challenges advanced learners more than trying to pump up a ‘middling’ idea—and serves other students better as well.”

Beasley has gotten this strategy down to a science. She’ll collect data, do a quick assessment, and plan two levels of an activity. “We typically think of planning for three levels of an activity, but it depends on what your assessment shows. There may not actually be any students that are above grade level on a particular skill.” She starts by planning the above-grade level task because that’s where she wants everyone to be, and then adds in scaffolding, such as a graphic organizer or supplied reading material, for the students who are at- or below-grade level.

Tiered assignments can be time-consuming, with lots of upfront work. Beasley suggests collaborating with colleagues. If you do it for one unit or chapter, might another teacher do it for a different unit or chapter?

2. Allow Gifted Students to Work at Their Own Pace

By giving a pre-assessment at the start of each unit, you can let students who already know the material handle the lessons differently. Perhaps there’s an independent project related to the topic that a gifted learner could work on, or maybe the student could skip some of the earlier assignments. How about letting the gifted students work on two assignments at once or giving them fewer directions?

3. Offer Open-Ended or Self-Directed Assignments & Activities

Open-ended tasks can have many valid approaches, and students can apply their unique skills and ideas. In addition, an activity that is open-ended can stimulate higher-order thinking. Let gifted learners be responsible for their own development by giving them a say in how far they take their own learning. Ask higher-level questions and encourage students to offer creative responses, work in pairs to question each other, and find ways to stimulate further exploration. You may even allow your students who are gifted to work on an independent study in an interest area whenever they have free time.

4. Compact the Curriculum

Whether it’s an entire unit or a lesson, if you can give students the opportunity to show they already understand the material, they can move on to something else. “Compacting” refers to tossing out the part of the lesson that students already know, which frees them up to work on something more challenging. In a math class, for example, you might choose the essential problems that demonstrate mastery. If students can correctly solve those problems, they can move on to an extension activity.

Beasley calls this the “Five Hardest First.” For any assignment, she’ll choose the five most difficult questions and let all students attempt to answer those first. “If the students understand these five, I know they have met that learning goal.”

5. Deliver Project-Based Learning

Project-based learning (PBL), which the Buck Institute for Education defines as a teaching method in which students learn by actively engaging in real-world and personally meaningful projects, lets students who are gifted flex their intellectual muscles. More than “just a project,” PBL encourages intellectual and emotional development by asking students to conduct deep research, ask complex questions, exhibit critical thinking and problem-solving, collaborate, and improve time-management skills. To solve problems or come up with physical solutions, students need to develop timelines and summon inner strength if their solutions don’t work. In some schools, students can display or present their projects, helping them develop public speaking skills. These types of projects give students increased independence and the ability to study material at their own pace. PBL is a great strategy for all types of learners, but it can be particularly compelling for gifted learners due to its depth and complexity, student choice, real-world skill development, and collaboration opportunities.

6. Pair Gifted Students Up

NAGC research shows that allowing students who are gifted to work together in small groups boosts their achievement because they challenge themselves. The Davidson Institute says that academic competition is important for gifted students to learn how to deal with success and defeat. In fact, the Institute lists academic competitions that are designed to entice students to work independently or in teams; this kind of work helps gifted students handle pressure and gain experience in real-life challenges. When you let gifted students work together, they can work on advanced content or assignments at their level. Because students can be talented in different ways, you can use this strategy to help them learn from each other and expand their horizons.

Communicating Your Goals

Whichever of these differentiation strategies for gifted students you use, by doing so, you’ll be helping to meet gifted learners’ needs. Communicate your goals and plans for differentiation to your students and their families and caregivers. “Be sure to introduce and define differentiation,” says Beasley. “Let students know that their classmates may be doing different things, and that just means we have different interests.” By getting buy-in upfront, you can help everyone understand your methods. It’s important for everyone to be in the know about the ways we educate.

Besides these strategies for differentiation for gifted learners, older gifted students may benefit from being challenged with college-level material. Request an online preview of any of our AP and elective courses across math, science, and social studies.

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Gifted Education

A resource kit for teachers on gifted education, 4.1 accommodations and modifications for students who are gifted.

Students who are gifted and talented often have a wide range of diverse interests coupled with uneven development and distaste for all that is repetitive and unchallenging. Educating those who are gifted and talented requires flexibility on the part of the teacher and the implementation of choice for the student. The whole notion of differentiated education and instruction was first developed to meet the needs of gifted learners (Hutchinson and Martin, page 55) before being implemented for all learners because, just like all learners, gifted students are a heterogeneous population with varying strengths and weaknesses. An entire classroom of gifted learners may only share the characteristics of “having an unusually advanced degree of general intellectual ability” (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2001, page A20) and nothing more. As such, those who teach student who are gifted in the regular classroom or otherwise must be flexible in both instruction delivery and demonstration of student knowledge. The focus of these suggestions is to incorporate the higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy in a substantial amount to address the cognitive needs of gifted learners. All students require exposure to all levels of the Taxonomy, however, gifted students need to have more time spent in instruction at the higher levels as they often bring a large amount of knowledge to class with them and can learn new knowledge at a faster pace.

Listed below are the typical accommodations and modifications to address the needs of gifted learners. Please note that in curriculum models designed for gifted learners, it is the combination of all accommodations/modifications listed below that is needed and that each accommodation and/or modification is not a total curriculum program for gifted students.

1. Tiered Assignments

Tiered assignments refer to assignments that are graduated or tiered by level of difficulty or completeness. Creating a tiered assignment in either a self-contained or regular classroom allows for all levels of learners to complete the same assignment to the best of their ability. Creating an assignment in this manner allows the teacher to present content at varying levels of complexity as well as allows students to present their knowledge in varying ways of complexity. An example of a tiered assignment in younger grades given in Hutchinson and Martin (2012) would be to have one group of students investigate the magnetic properties of various household objects while another group of students could add the complexity of determining the affect of magnet size on magnetic strength. In this way both groups of students are learning about magnets at their varying levels of understanding and comprehension.

  2. Open-Ended Assignments

 Open-Ended Assignments refer to giving the student choice as to how far they take their own learning-making them both responsible and accountable for their own education. In this way, students can be given choice of both assignment content and product delivery. An example of an open-ended assignment would be to have students research their favorite animal. All students may provide information of diet and habitat but the option for gifted learners to go one step further in their research, in terms of mating cycles, destruction of habitat for example, as well as the ability to present their knowledge in a unique way allows for the potential of the further depth and breadth needed for gifted learners.

3. Enrichment (Independent Study, Independent Research, Sophistication of Projects)

Enrichment is the modification most used in programs for gifted and talented learners at the elementary and secondary level (Clark, page 407) and refers to adding disciplines or areas of learning not normally found in the regular curriculum. Enrichment encourages gifted students to focus on the upper levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy-analysis, synthesis and evaluation-in their learning. Independent study falls under the category of enrichment along with individually chosen projects to match the interests of the gifted student. The introduction of research skills and critically thinking skills along with multidisciplinary connections are often taught as a way to enrich the program for gifted learners. Enrichment is theoretically the least expensive method of meeting some of the needs of gifted learners; however, it has the potential to become nothing more than more work for the student and as such it is only effective when used in conjunction with other methods as part of a differentiated curriculum plan. Examples of enrichment include allowing the student to complete an independent project and display their findings around the school (a gym poster, a presentation etc), allowing students to display their work in a more sophisticated means (as a flyer, in a spreadsheet for data, as a website or video), and allowing the student to research a topic independently at the library or on a classroom computer.

  4. Acceleration (Telescoping, Compacting, Ability or Need Grouping)

Acceleration refers to educating the student at their level of ability rather than chronological age. This can take many forms and can be in one or more areas depending on the nature of the gifted student’s development. Students can be accelerated by having early entrance into school, skipping grades, or by being placed in a higher grade for a particular subject or discipline. They can also accelerate through the rate at which they are learning-commonly referred to as telescoping. Because gifted students are often “quick learners” it is possible to have them learn both what is required of them in their current grade and then move on to what is taught in the following grade. The usual result is the gifted student finishes their required school in less time than is typically needed. Research has shown that gifted learners are inclined to identify with those older than themselves and as such, acceleration into higher grades with older students is a viable option with positive consequences both academically and socially. Grouping by ability is another form of acceleration that allows the gifted learner to be placed with students of similar ability rather than chronological age and can take the form of a pullout program, special schools or classroom or clustering within a regular classroom. There is extensive research that shows that gifted learners benefit greatly from interaction with their intellectual peers, which makes grouping by ability a viable accommodation from both an academic and social perspective.

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Differentiating Math Instruction Through Tiered Lessons

In response to the movement toward inclusion in classrooms, Rebecca Pierce and Cheryll Adams from Ball State University outlined how teachers can reach all the students in their classrooms : when they are academically diverse; have special needs; are ESL learners; or, have some combination of any or all of these factors. Differentiation Differentiation is an organized, yet flexible way of proactively adjusting teaching and learning to meet students where they are and help all students achieve maximum growth as learners (Tomlinson, 1999). Instruction may be differentiated in content/input, process/sense-making, or product/output according to the students’ readiness, interest, or learning style. Content refers to the material that is being presented. Process activities help students practice or make sense out of the content, while product refers to the outcome of the lesson or unit, such as a test, project, or paper. Readiness refers to prior knowledge and a student’s current skill and proficiency with the material presented in the lesson.

The article provides two critical rules that thwart chaos and preserve sanity. The first is “Use six-inch voices,” meaning that students should modulate their speaking level so that their voices can only be heard six inches away. The second rule is “Ask three before me.” If students need assistance completing a task or come to a stumbling block in a lesson and you are not available, they should find three other students to ask before they may interrupt you. If their three peers cannot answer the question, the student has permission to interrupt you. Anchoring or “sponge” activities are provided for students to use when they are waiting for you to assist them before they can go any further or at the beginning of the class period to get them ready to work.

Tiered Lessons A tiered lesson is a differentiation strategy that addresses a particular standard, key concept, and generalization, but allows several pathways for students to arrive at an understanding of these components based on their interests, readiness, or learning profiles. When developing a tiered lesson, the following eight steps have been provided:

• Identify the grade level and subject for which you will write the lesson.
• Identify the standard (national, state, district, etc.) you are targeting. A common mistake for those just beginning to tier is to develop three great activities and then try to force-fit them into a tiered lesson.
• Identify the key concept and generalization. The key concept follows from the standard. Ask yourself, “What big idea am I targeting?” The generalization follows from the concept chosen. Ask, “What do I want the students to know at the end of the lesson, regardless of their placement in the tiers?”
• Be sure students have the background necessary to be successful in the lesson. What scaffolding is necessary? What must you have already covered or what must the student have already learned? Are there other skills that must be taught first?
• Determine in which part of the lesson (content, process, product) you will tier. You may choose to tier the content (what you want the students to learn), the process (the way students make sense out of the content), or the product (the outcome at the end of a lesson, lesson set, or unit—often a project).
• Determine the type of tiering you will do: readiness, interest, or learning profile. Readiness is based on the ability levels of the students. Giving a pretest is a good way to assess readiness. Students’ interest in a topic is generally gauged through an interest survey, while the learning profile may be determined through various learning style inventories.
• Based on your choices above, determine how many tiers you will need and develop the lesson. When tiering according to readiness, you may have three tiers: below grade level, at grade level, and above grade level. If you choose to tier in interest or learning profile, you may control the number of tiers by limiting choices or using only a few different learning styles. Differentiation means doing something different—qualitatively different. Make sure you keep this in mind when tiering the lessons. Second, be sure that students are doing challenging, respectful, and developmentally appropriate work within each tier. In other words, no group should be given “busywork.”
• Finally, develop the assessment component to the lesson. The assessment can be formative, summative, or a combination of both. You may use some means of recording observations of the various groups, such as flip cards or sticky notes. You could develop a rubric for each tier based on the particular product that is created. You may give a formal paper-and-pencil test. Whatever it is, choose your assessment based on your needs and your lesson design.

Conclusion Time, energy, and patience are required to learn to differentiate instruction effectively in an academically diverse classroom (especially during these challenging times throughout the ongoing pandemic!). In addition, you need administrative and peer support, as well as professional development over extended periods of time.

For more information on tiering, contact the  Center for Gifted Stud ies and Talent Development , Ball State University (BSU).

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This article covers everything you need to know about Differentiated Instruction Strategies for Gifted Students, including best practices and examples.

It enables teachers to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each student and to provide instruction that is tailored to the individual’s learning style and needs. Differentiated instruction is especially important for gifted students , as they often have unique learning needs that require specialized instruction. It is important to differentiate instruction for gifted students because they often possess a wide range of abilities, which require different levels of instructional support. For example, a gifted student may excel in math, but struggle with reading comprehension.

By differentiating instruction, teachers can ensure that all students receive an education that meets their individual needs. Differentiating instruction for gifted students involves providing instruction that is tailored to their unique abilities and needs. This can include increasing the level of complexity in assignments, providing additional opportunities for enrichment, and allowing students to work at their own pace. Additionally, teachers should create activities that challenge gifted students without overwhelming them, and provide opportunities for creative problem solving.

To effectively differentiate instruction for gifted students, teachers must first identify the needs of each student. This can be done by observing student behavior, assessing student work, and speaking with parents and other teachers. Once these needs have been identified, teachers can develop differentiated instruction plans that provide appropriate challenges and support for each student. When creating differentiated instruction plans, teachers should consider the student’s interests, strengths, and weaknesses.

For example, if a gifted student is highly advanced in math, the teacher could create an individualized plan that provides challenging math assignments while also providing additional support in weaker areas such as reading comprehension or writing skills. By providing individualized instruction plans for each student, teachers can ensure that all students are receiving the support they need to succeed. Differentiating instruction for gifted students also involves providing activities that challenge them without overwhelming them. This can be done by allowing students to work at their own pace and by providing enrichment activities that are tailored to their interests and abilities.

Differentiation Strategies for Gifted Students

Content differentiation, process differentiation, product differentiation, environment differentiation, curriculum-based differentiation, best practices for differentiated instruction for gifted students.

By understanding each student’s unique abilities and needs, teachers can create personalized learning experiences that will engage and challenge them. Teachers can assess each student’s current knowledge and areas of need in order to provide the most appropriate instruction for their individual needs. Providing flexible learning environments is also important for providing effective differentiated instruction for gifted students. Teachers can create a variety of learning experiences that will engage and challenge the students. This includes providing multiple pathways to demonstrate mastery of content, allowing choice in how they participate in activities, and offering a range of activities that vary in complexity.

Additionally, teachers can provide options for students to work independently or in small groups depending on their individual preferences. Allowing students to take ownership of their learning is another important component of differentiated instruction for gifted students. Teachers should give students the autonomy to explore their interests and take control of their own learning. This could include providing opportunities for student-led research projects, allowing students to choose the topics they would like to learn more about, and giving them time to explore their ideas through creative projects or activities. Finally, utilizing technology is an important part of providing effective differentiated instruction for gifted students. Technology can be used to provide engaging and meaningful learning experiences that meet the needs of each student.

Teachers can use technology to create personalized learning paths and interactive activities that will challenge and engage gifted students. Additionally, technology can be used to facilitate collaboration between students and allow them to share their ideas in a safe and engaging environment. By utilizing these best practices, teachers can provide effective differentiated instruction for gifted students. Through recognizing individual student needs, providing flexible learning environments, allowing students to take ownership of their learning, and utilizing technology, teachers can create personalized learning experiences that will engage and challenge gifted students. Examples of how these practices can be implemented in the classroom include providing multiple pathways to demonstrate mastery of content, allowing choice in how they participate in activities, offering a range of activities that vary in complexity, providing opportunities for student-led research projects, allowing students to choose the topics they would like to learn more about, and giving them time to explore their ideas through creative projects or activities. Differentiated instruction is an important strategy for ensuring that gifted students receive the appropriate level of academic challenge.

This article discussed a variety of strategies for differentiating instruction, such as tiered assignments, flexible grouping, and self-paced learning. It also explored best practices to ensure effective differentiated instruction, including providing clarity of expectations, providing choice within assignments, and allowing for individualized support. Finally, this article provided examples of how to implement differentiated instruction in the classroom. By applying these strategies and best practices, educators can create an optimal learning environment for gifted students. In conclusion, differentiated instruction is an effective way to provide gifted students with an appropriate level of challenge and support.

Educators should use the strategies discussed in this article to create an optimal learning environment for gifted students in their classrooms.

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Shahid Lakha

Shahid Lakha is a seasoned educational consultant with a rich history in the independent education sector and EdTech. With a solid background in Physics, Shahid has cultivated a career that spans tutoring, consulting, and entrepreneurship. As an Educational Consultant at Spires Online Tutoring since October 2016, he has been instrumental in fostering educational excellence in the online tutoring space. Shahid is also the founder and director of Specialist Science Tutors, a tutoring agency based in West London, where he has successfully managed various facets of the business, including marketing, web design, and client relationships. His dedication to education is further evidenced by his role as a self-employed tutor, where he has been teaching Maths, Physics, and Engineering to students up to university level since September 2011. Shahid holds a Master of Science in Photon Science from the University of Manchester and a Bachelor of Science in Physics from the University of Bath.

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Differentiated Instruction Strategies: Tiered Assignments

Janelle cox.

• September 23, 2014

Many teachers use differentiated instruction strategies  as a way to reach all learners and accommodate each student’s learning style. One very helpful tactic to employ differentiated instruction is called tiered assignments—a technique often used within flexible groups.

Much like flexible grouping—or differentiated instruction as a whole, really—tiered assignments do not lock students into ability boxes. Instead, particular student clusters are assigned specific tasks within each group according to their readiness and comprehension without making them feel completely compartmentalized away from peers at different achievement levels.

There are six main ways to structure tiered assignments: challenge level, complexity, outcome, process, product, or resources. It is your job, based upon the specific learning tasks you’re focused on, to determine the best approach. Here we will take a brief look at these techniques.

Ways to Structure Tiered Assignments

Challenge level.

Tiering can be based on challenge level where student groups will tackle different assignments. Teachers can use Bloom’s Taxonomy as a guide to help them develop tasks of structure or questions at various levels. For example:

• Group 1:  Students who need content reinforcement or practice will complete one activity that helps  build  understanding.
• Group 2:  Students who have a firm understanding will complete another activity that  extends  what they already know.

When you tier assignments by complexity, you are addressing the needs of students who are at different levels using the same assignment. The trick here is to vary the focus of the assignment based upon whether each group is ready for more advanced work or simply trying to wrap their head around the concept for the first time. You can direct your students to create a poster on a specific issue—recycling and environmental care, for instance—but one group will focus on a singular perspective, while the other will consider several points of view and present an argument for or against each angle.

Tiering assignments by differentiated outcome is vaguely similar to complexity—all of your students will use the same materials, but depending on their readiness levels will actually have a different outcome. It may sound strange at first, but this strategy is quite beneficial to help advanced students work on more progressive applications of their student learning.

This differentiated instruction strategy is exactly what it sounds like—student groups will use different processes to achieve similar outcomes based upon readiness.

Tiered assignments can also be differentiated based on product. Teachers can use the Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences to form groups that will hone particular skills for particular learning styles . For example, one group would be bodily/kinesthetic, and their task is to create and act out a skit. Another group would be visual/spatial, and their task would be to illustrate.

Tiering resources means that you are matching project materials to student groups based on readiness or instructional need. One flexible group may use a magazine while another may use a traditional textbook. As a tip, you should assign resources based on knowledge and readiness, but also consider the group’s reading level and comprehension.

How to Make Tiering Invisible to Students

From time to time, students may question why they are working on different assignments, using varied materials, or coming to dissimilar outcomes altogether. This could be a blow to your classroom morale if you’re not tactful in making your tiers invisible.

Make it a point to tell students that each group is using different materials or completing different activities so they can share what they learned with the class. Be neutral when grouping students, use numbers or colors for group names, and be equally enthusiastic while explaining assignments to each cluster.

Also, it’s important to make each tiered assignment equally interesting, engaging, and fair in terms of student expectations. The more flexible groups and materials you use, the more students will accept that this is the norm.

Tiering assignments is a fair way to differentiate learning. It allows teachers to meet the needs of all students while using varying levels of tasks. It’s a concept that can be infused into homework assignments, small groups, or even learning centers. If done properly, it can be a very effective method to differentiate learning because it challenges all students.

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Tiered Lesson Plan Template

I wrote about creating a tiered lesson plan , and here I’m sharing a template teachers can use themselves.

I created this template for myself because none of the ones I found met my needs.

Using the Tiered Lesson Plan Template

When I’m creating a tiered lesson plan, I begin by filling out the top part. I don’t know the length of the lesson yet, so I leave this blank.

In the “background/previous knowledge” section, I list everything I’m assuming students know.

If I’m going to pre-assess students before the lesson, I put in that section how I’m going to do it.

In the “materials” section I list what I need to teach the lesson.

The “notes” section is for anything I might need to keep in mind or for anything that I want to jot down after I facilitate the lesson.

Then, I create the Tier III activity (the most challenging). I copy and paste that, then I adjust for Tier II and then repeat for Tier I. I have my tiers aligned vertically, but if you watch me creating the lesson plan, I often switch to horizonatlly for ease of formatting (that’s literally watching me – it’s a screencast).

I put in the assessment I’m doing, and then any extra accomodations. For example, I may have a student with an unusual 504 that I need to make note of for the lesson.

I go back up to the top, now that I’m done, and I fill in how long I think it will take for the lesson. It could be anywhere from 30 minutes one time to three weeks!

After I’ve executed the lesson, I adjust that if needed and add any notes. I also make any changes needed.

When I was in the Army there was a saying, “No plan survives first contact with the enemy.”

Our students are obviously not our enemy, but logistics, time, and unforeseen consequences sometimes are, and our plans need frequent adjustment because of that.

I’m not saying you’ll have to change the whole plan; I’m just saying don’t laminate it quite yet.

Getting Your Own Tiered Lesson Plan

If you’d like to use my tiered lesson plan template, I’ve got three versions for your personal use:

• a pdf version in case you like it to look exactly like you see it below
• a Word version you can edit (understanding that if you don’t have (the free) Montserrat font , it won’t look the same as you see below)
• a Google doc that you can edit and expand and call your very own (though not share with others – see legally notice below – They can get their own for free!)

Note: Unfortunately, I have to say this, so sorry if it’s a little cold. I share this with readers for their own personal use. It is a violation of both Copyright and DMCA law to post it on the internet or share it in any way. It would probably shock you how often I find that people have taken things I’ve made and posted them on sites that are the places copyright goes to die. This is illegal and unethical. Do not do this.

Wrapping Up:

Creating differentiated lesson plans is so rewarding, and good tools make it even more approachable. I hope you like this template and find modifications for it that will work for you! I’d love to see what you do with it!

You May Also Like:

• Differentiation Gone Wrong: A Worksheet Nightmare
• What Teachers Need Parents to Know about Differentiation
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Instructional Strategies

Special strategies help gifted/talented (G/T) students maximize their educational opportunities. These strategies are especially important in structuring programs for G/T students that enable them to meet the state goal—the development of innovative products and performances. Curriculum compacting and tiered assignments are a few strategies that help ensure students in flexible groups are working at their maximum potential. Other strategies, such as using student experts and production crews, can help G/T students maximize their skills so that teachers and other students benefit as well.

Curriculum Compacting

Curriculum compacting is an instructional strategy in which the regular curriculum is adapted for G/T students by eliminating work that has been mastered and streamlining instruction to a pace commensurate with gifted students' readiness. Advanced students familiar with a topic can often demonstrate mastery on an assessment before a teacher introduces content to the class. These students require engagement with challenging replacement materials instead of redundant work. Compacting is appropriate for gifted learners because it provides an educational option that challenges learners and affords students who demonstrate high levels of achievement the time to pursue differentiated activities. The following are basic principles of curriculum compacting:

• Teachers must be very knowledgeable about the objectives and content of a topic to assess what information is new or redundant for each student.
• Pre-instruction assessment is required to determine areas of mastery.
• Pre-instruction assessment strategies should be varied, efficient, and thorough to document the students' levels of attainment of required knowledge and skills.
• Grades must be based on the curriculum compacted rather than the replacement material.
• Students must have a vested interest in the replacement task, which should involve advanced content and accelerated learning rather than enrichment.

Adapted from Kingore, B. (ed.). (n.d.). Reading strategies for advanced primary readers. Austin, TX: Texas Reading Initiative Task Force for the Education of Primary Gifted Children.

Resource for additional information: Reis, S., Burns, D., Renzulli, J. (1992). Curriculum compacting. Mansfield Center, CT: Creative Learning Press, Inc.

Procedures for Compacting

Stage 1: indications of student strength.

Think about the following questions:

• What are the indications of student strength in this area (e.g., standardized test scores, previous grades, teacher reports, class work, student comments)?
• What units/topics/skills are to be compacted?
• In what ways might a teacher assess previous knowledge (e.g., pretests, checklists, interest inventories, conferences, demonstrations, portfolios, student self-evaluations, observations)?

After gathering information about general and specific strengths, record the findings for accountability purposes.

Stage 2: Outline Specific Activities and Assignments

If necessary, note the activities and assignments needed to master the material. These may be designed to accelerate content and/or teach needed skills, as indicated by the pre-assessment. Be sure to include the following:

• Materials to be eliminated or accelerated
• Activities designed to teach and practice needed skills
• Means to prove mastery of skills learned

Stage 3: List Alternative Activities

Base these activities on students' interests and strengths, keeping in mind the resources available and local policy. At this stage, student choice is the most important consideration. 

Develop simple forms for documenting compacting and managing the process. Students should maintain process records instead of relying on the teacher's management strategies. Formative and summative assessment strategies and criteria, as well as a timeline for assessment, should be established by teachers and students prior to implementing the replacement activities.

Excerpted from: Starko, A. (1986). It's about time: In-service strategies for curriculum compacting. Mansfield Center, CT: Creative Learning Press.

Tiered Assignments

Tiered activities provide classroom options for all students to work on the same unit or in the same content area yet still be challenged individually. Tiered assignments incorporate appropriately challenging tasks that vary in the content level of information, the thinking processes required, and the complexity of products students must create. These diverse assignments provide for varying learner differences by modifying learning conditions, providing leveled activities, motivating students, and promoting success. They allow students to focus on the essential skills at different levels of complexity and abstraction. Such activities engage students beyond what they find easy or comfortable, providing genuine challenges that help them progress.

Procedures for Developing a Tiered Activity

• Select the concept, skill, or generalization to be addressed.
• Determine the students' readiness and/or interests.
• Create an activity that challenges most students, is interesting, and promotes understanding of key concepts.
• Vary the activity appropriately for students with fewer skills.
• Create additional activities that require high levels of thinking, are interesting, and use advanced resources and technology. Determine the complexity of each activity to document those that will challenge above-grade-level students and gifted learners.
• Ensure that each student is assigned a variation of the activity that corresponds to that student's readiness level.

The complexity of tiered activities is determined by the specific needs of the learners in a class. The levels of the activities begin at the readiness levels of the students and continue to stretch the students slightly beyond their comfort zones to promote continual development. In classes in which all students are at or above grade-level, the lowest tier would respond to grade-level or even above-grade-level readiness. All tiers require teacher modeling and support.

Resource for additional information: Tomlinson, C. (1999). The differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs of all learners. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Tiered Assignment Examples

Assumptions.

• The teacher has reviewed pertinent data on students' abilities, interests, learning styles, and production modalities.
• The teacher has pre-assessed the students on the material to be learned.
• The teacher has compacted the curriculum according to the pre-assessment data.
• The teacher has organized instruction using flexible grouping.
• The teacher has a clear understanding of the expected student performance as a result of the assignment.

Learning objective: Students will use agreed-upon criteria to study information on the issue of global warming, examining a variety of primary and secondary sources. They will draw conclusions based on their findings and relate the information to the idea that conflict is a catalyst for change. Findings will be presented to the class through an oral presentation using a graphic organizer or a teacher-approved product of choice.

Introductory activity: The teacher asks the question: "What do we know about the issue of global warming?" Student answers are recorded. The teacher then asks, "As scientists, what criteria might we use to judge the validity of the information regarding global warming?" The criteria are posted for future reference. Students are then asked to develop a concept map representing what they know about the issue. Using the two pre-assessment techniques, the teacher determines that there are three distinct levels of readiness to accomplish the task. All students will use the posted criteria to judge the information they will use for the activity.

Tier I: Students will use reading material that pictorially represents required information and conduct a pre-developed survey of science teachers and students to determine their awareness of the issue, beliefs about the issue, and reasons for those beliefs. Students will apply the validity criteria to the information gathered. Findings will be presented.

Tier II: Students will use grade-level reading material to gather secondary information and develop and conduct a survey of a least two scientists currently investigating the issue. Students will apply the validity criteria to the information gathered. Findings will be presented.

Tier III: Students will compare their knowledge of global warming with at least one other environmental issue and note the similarities and differences in the evidence that is presented by each side of the issue. Each issue being addressed must meet the established criteria. Findings will be presented.

Culminating activity: Students present their findings on global warming and explain how this issue is an example of conflict as a catalyst for change. After all presentations are completed, the teacher asks: "What can we generally say about the issue of global warming? What predictions can we make based on our current knowledge of this issue? What value, if any, do the validity criteria have in drawing defensible conclusions?"

Flexible Grouping

Grouping within the classroom provides an optimal learning environment for all students. Flexible grouping is the practice of short-term grouping and regrouping of students in response to the instructional objectives and students' needs. It contrasts with more stagnant grouping procedures in which students are placed in the same group or given whole-group instruction for all or most of the school year. Flexible groups are fluid. In any week, a child may work independently, be in one group for a specific purpose, and then participate in other groups to accomplish different objectives. In a differentiated classroom that uses flexible grouping practices, whole-class instruction can also be used for sharing introductory information and group-building experiences.

Flexible grouping avoids the stigma of labeling children by their ability levels, and it recognizes that no single group placement matches all of a child's needs. With flexible grouping, students are assigned to groups in varied ways and for varied purposes. Students can be grouped by skill, readiness, ability, interest, or learning style. They may be grouped for socialization or for production tasks. Grouping can take place within a classroom, among grade-level classrooms, across grade levels, throughout an entire school, or even between schools.

Student Experts

Many students have expertise in one area or a combination of areas. Some students are content experts and some are process experts, while others may be tools experts. The teacher's time can be increased significantly if these areas of student expertise are discovered early in the year, nurtured, and used wisely. Teachers should use appropriate care when using student experts as a strategy. Students must have the option to volunteer for this work rather than being assigned this work. Gifted students are too often used to do the teacher's work, and they feel their need to learn new knowledge and skills is being ignored. Procedures for establishing student experts:

• Have students sign up for an area(s) of expertise
• Assess student level of expertise
• License each student for an area(s) of expertise
• Have student experts develop an appointment book for times they can be available
• Have student experts keep a log of training they provide

Areas of expertise

• Public speaking, communication, writing
• Content/topic/skills
• Independent study process
• Creative problem solving process
• Deductive reasoning
• Graphic representation
• Production techniques
• Computer application programs
• Photography equipment
• Science equipment
• Overhead projector
• Sound equipment
• Computer equipment

Production Crews

Production crews can get a big job done. If a project has many and varied products as parts of the whole, then the use of production crews can be effective. Students should volunteer for the crew and should have an interest and some level of skill for the chosen task. Division of production tasks is evident in the world of work and can be just as effective in the classroom. The key is that each student has a meaningful task to complete and that each will be assessed on that task as it is related to the larger job. For example, a student may have an original idea but may lack the skills to convey that idea in a variety of ways. Production crews could take the original idea and create meaningful ways to sell it or present it to an appropriate audience.

Supporting Gifted Learners: Essential School Strategies

Recognizing and understanding the unique characteristics of gifted learners is the cornerstone of providing the tailored educational environment they need to thrive. Giftedness in the classroom is often characterized by an advanced ability to learn and apply knowledge quickly, an insatiable curiosity, and a deep passion for specific subject areas. These students may also exhibit heightened creativity, problem-solving skills, and emotional depth.

However, without proper support, these exceptional abilities can sometimes lead to feelings of isolation, frustration, or boredom due to a mismatch between the student's learning needs and the pace or depth of traditional classroom instruction. Therefore, it's critical for educators to employ strategies that align with how to support gifted and talented learners in school , ensuring that these students are sufficiently challenged and engaged. This might include differentiated instruction, acceleration opportunities, or independent study projects that allow them to explore their interests in greater depth.

To truly nurture the potential of gifted learners, schools must adopt a holistic approach . Vanguard Gifted Academy specializes in this endeavor, offering personalized learning that is attuned to each student's readiness level, alongside a rich STREAM curriculum that integrates science, technology, research, arts, and mathematics.

If you believe your child could benefit from such an educational approach and wish to learn more, for more information or to schedule a tour, email us at [email protected] .

Creating a Stimulating Learning Environment

A stimulating learning environment is pivotal in fostering the growth of gifted and talented learners. Such an environment ensures that these students are not only acquiring knowledge but are also being challenged to think critically and creatively. To achieve this, schools must provide resources and activities that go beyond the standard curriculum, catering to the advanced intellectual levels of gifted students.

Teachers can create this enriched environment through the use of complex problem-solving tasks, hands-on experiments, and real-world applications of theoretical concepts. Incorporating student-led projects and discussions allows gifted learners to take ownership of their education and pursue their interests in depth. Additionally, integrating technology and multimedia resources can further enhance their learning experience, making education both engaging and relevant.

It is also essential to encourage a classroom culture that values diversity in thought and perspective. This can be achieved by promoting collaborative projects where gifted learners work with peers to explore different viewpoints and develop social skills. By doing so, the classroom becomes a dynamic space where gifted students are constantly stimulated to push their boundaries and achieve their full potential. In this environment, every day brings new opportunities for discovery and intellectual growth.

Differentiating Instruction for Gifted Students

Differentiating instruction is a cornerstone in the education of gifted and talented learners, as it tailors teaching methods and materials to accommodate their unique learning styles and advanced skill sets. To effectively support gifted and talented learners in school, educators must assess each student's individual needs and craft a customized learning plan that challenges them appropriately.

One approach to differentiation is to accelerate the pace of learning for students who grasp concepts quickly. This can involve compacting the curriculum to eliminate redundancy, thus allowing more time for in-depth study into subjects of interest. Alternatively, tiered assignments can provide varying levels of complexity within the same lesson, ensuring that each gifted learner is engaged at the right level of challenge.

Another strategy is to provide open-ended tasks that encourage higher-order thinking. Instead of simply recalling facts, gifted students should be asked to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information. Projects that foster independent research and critical thinking skills can significantly enhance the learning experience for these students. By providing choices in how they demonstrate their knowledge—through written reports, presentations, or creative expressions—educators can further personalize instruction to suit each gifted learner's strengths and interests.

Ultimately, differentiated instruction for gifted learners is about creating a flexible and responsive learning environment. It's an environment that encourages exploration and supports the intellectual and emotional growth of each student, enabling them to reach their exceptional potential.

Social-Emotional Support for Gifted Learners

Gifted learners often experience unique social-emotional challenges that require tailored support to ensure their well-being alongside their academic growth. These students may feel isolated due to their distinct interests or advanced intellectual abilities, which can make social interactions with age peers more complex. To address this, schools need to foster environments where gifted students feel understood and accepted.

Implementing social-emotional learning (SEL) programs in schools is a vital part of how to support gifted and talented learners. These programs can help gifted students develop self-awareness about their emotional needs and social skills. Activities that promote empathy, build resilience, and teach coping strategies for frustration and perfectionism are particularly beneficial. Through SEL, gifted learners can better navigate the intricacies of friendships and collaborate effectively with diverse groups.

Mentorship programs also play a critical role in providing social-emotional support. Pairing gifted students with mentors—whether older students, educators, or professionals in the student's field of interest—can give them a sense of belonging and a safe space to express their aspirations and concerns. Mentors can guide students through academic challenges while offering advice on managing the emotional aspects of being gifted.

Ultimately, providing a comprehensive social-emotional support system for gifted learners helps them to develop a well-rounded personality. It not only prepares them for academic success but also equips them with the skills necessary to thrive in all areas of life.

Engaging Gifted Students with STREAM

Engaging gifted students in school requires a curriculum that is both challenging and relevant to their advanced capabilities. STREAM, which stands for Science, Technology, Research, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics, represents an interdisciplinary approach that aligns perfectly with the educational needs of gifted and talented learners. By integrating these subjects, students are encouraged to apply their knowledge creatively and innovatively, preparing them for real-world problem solving.

Gifted students thrive in environments that offer depth and complexity. STREAM projects often involve open-ended questions and require students to engage in critical thinking and independent research. This helps to satisfy their intellectual curiosity and promotes a growth mindset. For instance, a STREAM project might ask students to design a sustainable ecosystem, incorporating biology (Science), coding for data collection (Technology), hypothesis testing (Research), constructing a model (Engineering), creative presentation (Arts), and statistical analysis (Mathematics).

The inclusion of the Arts in STREAM is particularly significant for gifted learners, as it provides a platform for self-expression and exploration of their multifaceted interests. It also fosters an appreciation for aesthetics and the importance of design, which can enhance their STEM-related projects. Collaborative STREAM activities further support social-emotional development by encouraging teamwork and communication among gifted peers.

By integrating STREAM into the curriculum, educators can provide gifted students with a stimulating educational experience that harnesses their potential. It is a dynamic way of learning that not only nurtures their academic abilities but also instills in them the confidence to explore and innovate.

Collaboration Between Educators and Families

True educational success for gifted learners often hinges on the collaboration between educators and families. This partnership is vital in understanding and meeting the unique needs of gifted and talented students. Parents and teachers can exchange insights about a child's interests, strengths, and potential areas of growth, crafting a more tailored educational experience.

Schools can foster this partnership through regular communication, such as newsletters, parent-teacher conferences , and workshops that focus on how to support gifted and talented learners in school . This open dialogue ensures that both parties are aligned on the student's goals and can work together to provide consistent support both at home and in the classroom.

Parental involvement in school activities and the learning process enriches the educational experience for gifted students. Parents can volunteer in STREAM projects, share their expertise, or provide resources that enhance the curriculum. Additionally, educators can provide parents with strategies to challenge their gifted children at home, ensuring learning is continuous and extends beyond the classroom walls.

At Vanguard Gifted Academy , we understand the importance of this collaborative effort. We encourage families to engage with our educators and become active participants in their child's education. For more information or to schedule a tour, email us at [email protected] .

Together, educators and families can create a supportive and enriching environment that empowers gifted students to reach their full potential, making the most of the specialized educational opportunities provided at Vanguard Gifted Academy.

Five Ways to Support Gifted Students in Your Classroom

Do you struggle to support the needs of gifted children in your classroom? Teachers often find it difficult to understand the specific needs of gifted students, which means they often don't get the support they need in the classroom. Find out how you can better support the gifted students in your classroom below!

1. Learn how gifted students think.

If you want to support gifted students in your classroom, it's important that you make an effort to learn how they think and learn about the different struggles they face. Understanding that gifted students have special needs, requirements, and trends in behavior will help you meet their needs and better support them in the classroom.

2. Created tiered assignments for students.

Tiered assignments can help you meet the needs of all students. Choose the basic standard objective and design an assignment on that standard to make the middle tier. Once the middle tier is finished, you make the other tiers by adding support for at-risk children and adding challenge for gifted students. Here are two simple ways you can add challenge to assignments:

• Give gifted students more complex numbers in a math assignment or a more difficult text to read.
• Add a second component to assignments, such as having them apply the skill they've learned to a real-world situation or asking them to write an explanation of their thinking.

3. Include a variety of levels in your classroom library.

Make sure your classroom library has a variety of texts to support the reading ability and interests of gifted students. You can also encourage students to bring reading materials from home, but make sure the materials they bring challenge them to learn new words and increase their reading skills.

4. Utilize their talents and interests.

Gifted students are often asked to do busy work when they finish assignments ahead of others. Instead of taking that approach, try utilizing gifted students' talents and interests to further explore a skill. For example, students could write or draw something related to the assignment/skill or they could act out solutions to the problem or project.

5. Explore real-word application.

Gifted students understand math algorithms, science concepts, and grammar rules very quickly. You can encourage them to move beyond the skill they're learning by applying it in the real world. For example, they can explore how area and perimeter affect an architect's design or how scientists use animal classification to understand animal life and how it functions.

Create a differentiation strategy for your classroom with the educational materials and resources available in our Elementary section.

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• Multi-Tiered System of Support for Gifted Students

Use of a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) provides responsive services for all students. It is a process that provides high-quality, research-based instruction based on learner needs. Needs are identified by monitoring students’ progress. Adjustments to instruction and interventions are based on students’ performance and academic growth. MTSS promotes a well-integrated system, connecting general, gifted, and special education with intervention and enrichment services.

The MTSS process addresses academic, social and emotional needs. Under the MTSS model, student needs are categorized under three tiers of support.

Tier 1 refers to the instruction that occurs within the classroom. The majority of students’ needs are met within this tier. The five core best practices in gifted education to form the foundation of differentiation for gifted learners include: pre-assessment, compacting, learning contracts/independent study, tiered instruction and assignments for depth, complexity and higher-order thinking, and grouping strategies that allow for a like-ability learning cohort.

Tier 2 interventions are utilized with a small percentage of identified students after documented Tier 1 interventions haven’t supported achieving appropriate growth. Students who require this level of intervention are typically outliers, even within the gifted population.

In rare cases, a student may require Tier 3 interventions. This level of intervention involves significant changes to a student’s learning experience.

Individual schools are the primary resource for information on gifted education and the front line of communication for families. The Gifted and Talented Department focuses on providing professional development and serving as a resource to district staff. 

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Tiered Assignments

What are tiered assignments.

According to Tomlinson (1995), tiered assignments are used by teachers within a heterogeneous classroom in order to meet the diverse needs of the students within the class. Teachers implement varied levels of activities to ensure that students explore ideas at a level that builds on their prior knowledge and prompts continued growth. Student groups use varied approaches to explore essential ideas.

Williams (2002) offers the following definition on her website: Tiered assignments are parallel tasks at varied levels of complexity, depth and abstractness with various degrees of scaffolding, support, or direction. Students work on different levels of activities, all with the same essential understanding or goal in mind. Tiered assignments accommodate mainly for differences in student readiness and performance levels and allow students to work toward a goal or objective at a level that builds on their prior knowledge and encourages continued growth. 

How can tiered assignments help your students?

Using tiered assignments allows for the following:

• Blends assessment and instruction,
• Allows students to begin learning where they are,
• Allows students to work with appropriately challenging tasks,
• Allows for reinforcement or extension of concepts and principles based on student readiness,
• Allows modification of working conditions based on learning style,
• Avoids work that is anxiety-producing (too hard) or boredom-producing (too easy), and
• Promotes success and is therefore motivating. (Tomlinson, 1995)

How can you implement tiered assignments in order to effectively meet the diverse learning needs of students?

One of the main benefits of tiered assignments is that they allow students to work on tasks that are neither too easy nor too difficult. They are highly motivating because they allow students to be successful at their level of readiness. Tiered assignments also allow students to work in their specific learning styles or preferences (Williams, 2002).

What are the guidelines for implementing tiered assignments?

Tomlinson (1995) offers the following guidelines for implementing tiered assignments:

• Be sure the task is focused on a key concept.
• Use a variety of resource materials at differing levels of complexity and associated with different learning modes.
• Adjust the task by complexity, abstractness, number of steps, concreteness, and independence to ensure appropriate challenge.
• Be certain there are clear criteria for quality and success.

Where can you find more information about tiered assignments?

Cherokee County Schools This homepage by Eulouise Williams has additional information on tiered assignments including examples of tiered assignments created by teachers in their district.

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Instructional Modifications for Gifted Students

Home » Parent Press » Parenting Hacks » Academics » Instructional Modifications for Gifted Students

Imagine the pure joy you experience when you see that twinkle in your child’s eyes, their earnest thirst for knowledge surpassing their age. You recognize they’re not just bright; they’re gifted. Yet, navigating the educational landscape for such talented minds can be daunting. Inside this blog, let’s unravel how instructional modifications for gifted students can become your guiding light. As a cornerstone of differentiated instruction, these modifications foster engagement, spur motivation , and instill self-efficacy in gifted learners. More than just a tool, they empower our kids to traverse challenging learning paths at their own pace, fostering their talents and kindling their passions. Prepare to uncover insights and practical tips on implementing instructional modifications for gifted students. Together, we’ll ensure that your child’s constant thirst for knowledge is quenched and their boundless potential is nurtured.

Table of Contents

Plunge into Instructions

As I navigate my journey working with gifted kids, I’ve discovered various instructional modifications. They’ve consistently fostered growth, nurtured potential, and ignited passion, creating an environment where gifted kids thrive. Let’s explore these further.

Tiered Assignments

Do you remember when you found a puzzle too complex for your kid, yet unraveling it themselves left them brimming with satisfaction? That’s what tiered assignments aim for—the same task, different challenge levels. For instance, a science project can be made more intricate for gifted students by adding a component demanding more in-depth research.

Curriculum compacting

Nothing stifles a gifted learner’s spirit more than redundant lessons. Say an algebra lesson—your child understands it after the first iteration, but the class continues. Curriculum compacting eliminates the mastered work, aligning pace with the readiness of gifted kids.

Flexible Grouping

Consider this as changing playgroups depending on your kid’s evolving interests. Sometimes, it’s a group building Lego cities; other times, it’s an assembly brainstorming mysteries of the universe. Similarly, flexible grouping keeps shifting, catering to students’ strengths, needs, or interests, ensuring a rich learning experience.

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Differentiated Instruction

Imagine having a GPS that adapts on the go. A bit of traffic ahead? It recalculates. That’s what differentiated instruction does—thoughtfully tweaks content, process, products, environment, and even assessments to suit your gifted child’s academic voyage.

Journey beyond the conventional

We’ve just skimmed the surface. The ocean of instructional modifications for gifted students runs far more profound. Some more effective strategies that caught my attention were:

• Acceleration : Moving at a pace that challenges their intellect
• Enrichment : Expanding on existing knowledge
• Cluster Grouping : Grouping gifted students for certain subjects
• Problem-Based Learning : Simulating real-world problem-solving
• Tiered Lessons: Differentiated content within the same lesson
• Independent Study : Encouraging self-learning and exploration
• SPECIFIC Curriculum Models : Frameworks designed for gifted learners
• Project-Based Learning: Applying concepts to real-life scenarios
• Pairing Up Gifted Students : Mutual growth through constructive competition

Additional activities like Sudoku, Logic and reasoning puzzles, KenKen puzzles, Brain teasers, or Riddles provide an intellectual challenge and add a fun element to their daily routine.

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Looking for fun ways to help your child learn life skills? Try Goally! The Goally tablet comes with award-winning learning apps and video classes to help kids develop the skills they need to become independent with FUN & evidence-based practices.

Our apps teach executive function , language , emotional regulation, finger dexterity skills , and more.

As your child develops new skills, you can increase the difficulty level of the tasks in the app to challenge and motivate them even further. This helps your child grow and progress at their own pace, while also keeping them engaged and excited about their development.

Above all, remember this—every child is different. Just because a particular modification worked for another child doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for yours. My advice? Create a mix, experiment, and monitor progress. Soon, you’ll find the perfect blend of instructional modifications for your gifted student. It may be challenging, but it’s rewarding as every step forward equips your child to reach their fullest potential.

Emily is a seasoned blog writer for Goally, leveraging her extensive background in child psychology and special education to provide valuable insights and resources for parents. Her commitment to understanding and addressing the unique needs of these children, combined with her expertise in educational strategies, makes her a credible and empathetic voice for families.

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Six Strategies for Challenging Gifted Learners

But first, the big picture, 1. offer the most difficult first, 2. pre-test for volunteers, 3. prepare to take it up, 4. speak to student interests, 5. enable gifted students to work together, 6. plan for tiered learning, "it's just good teaching".

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Amy Azzam  is a freelance writer and former senior associate editor of  Educational Leadership .

ASCD is a community dedicated to educators' professional growth and well-being.

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May 28, 2024 | Mac Murray

Helping Teachers Recognize Gifted Learners and Elevate Classroom Conversation

‘Project Focus’ brings more learners into gifted programs — and more strategies from gifted education into general classrooms

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Gifted education provides advanced opportunities for millions of students in public schools across the United States. But the availability and accessibility of gifted programs varies widely, and teacher preparation to support gifted learners tends to be limited.   

As a result, many students who would benefit from inclusion in a gifted education environment either attend school in places where these resources don’t exist or are excluded from these opportunities.  

With an award of $3.4 million from the US Department of Education Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Program , UConn researchers are launching “Project Focus” to combat both these issues.  

Project Focus will be a professional development program for teachers of students in third through fifth grade. The program will help participants learn to both proactively recognize learners needing advanced services and bring engaging gifted education strategies, like asking high-level questions, into their own classrooms.   

“Project Focus is really all about supporting teachers in how they engage in questioning and discussion in the classroom, as a way of giving more students access to the opportunity to engage in high-level discussion about what they’re learning,” says project PI Catherine Little, a professor in the Neag School of Education who specializes in giftedness, creativity, and talent development.  

Identifying gifted learners from underrepresented groups is a key research priority for the Javits Program. Project Focus is helping educators learn how to recognize and respond to giftedness among underserved populations, such as “students from low-income backgrounds and students who are language learners; multilingual students; and students who are twice exceptional, meaning they could potentially be identified both for gifted education and special education needs,” according to Little.  

Little’s co-PI is Kylie Anglin, an assistant professor in the Neag School who specializes in causal and computational research methods. Anglin will be working with the research team to generate computer models that can analyze the transcripts of recorded audio from classrooms.   

By assessing different variables — such as the amount of time teachers speak versus students, the questions teachers ask, and even the types of conjunctions students use in their responses — the researchers will be able to evaluate the quality of classroom discussion and provide targeted recommendations for educators.  

The project’s combination of professional learning and continuous classroom evaluation is unique, pairing a data-focused analytical framework with evidence-based best practices to elevate classroom learning.   

“I’m very interested in research design that helps us answer whether programs and policies actually meet their goals,” Anglin says. She’s looking forward to “measuring on-the-ground changes in teacher practice — looking to see how these classrooms actually sound different after teachers have participated in the professional development.”  

For Little, who is a former elementary school teacher turned gifted education researcher, this work is a continuation of previous Javits-supported projects she has led, including Project SPARK and Project LIFT . Both these efforts included a significant focus on increasing access to gifted education among underserved learners. In another recent initiative, Project EAGLE , UConn researchers focused on increasing representation of English language learners in gifted education.  

“All these projects have built on each other,” Little says. “I’ve long worked with the thread of curriculum and instruction as a major mechanism for responding to the needs of gifted learners – and how curriculum and instruction can be our way of providing increased access.”  

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When Being 'Gifted' No Longer Feels Like a Gift

When psychologist Lewis Terman launched his decades-long study of high-IQ children in 1921, he had a specific goal in mind: to prove that "gifted" people were born leaders, and superior in just about every way. Although his theory didn't pan out, Terman did kick off national interest in identifying and cultivating intellectually gifted children. Just over a century later, experts in science, education, and psychology are grappling with questions about how we define giftedness, who qualifies as gifted, how we should teach and treat gifted children, and where the limits of their talents lie. On this episode, we hear stories about the challenges of growing up gifted, how musical prodigies are made — and identified, and what a chess wunderkind has to teach us about the value of raw talent vs. experience.