Using Formative Assessment to Differentiate Mathematics Instruction, Grades 4–10
Seven Practices to Maximize Learning
- Leslie Laud - Bank Street College of Education, New York, USA
Seven easy steps to differentiating math instruction for busy teachers
Are you able to support your struggling students while also challenging your high achievers? Research clearly shows the value of using formative assessment to differentiate mathematics instruction, but putting it into practice can be daunting. This book makes it much easier! Staff development expert and former math teacher Leslie Laud provides a clear roadmap for using formative assessment to differentiate mathematics instruction for students in Grades 4–10, using strategies ideal for a Response to Intervention (RTI) model. She presents a comprehensive framework of research-based practices that show how to:
- Get started and establish norms
- Implement formative assessment
- Create tiered lessons
- Manage a multitasking classroom effectively
Tested and enhanced by experienced math teachers, the book's strategies are designed for use in conjunction with any curriculum or textbook. Included are a wealth of practical examples, reproducibles, and student activities—all developed with effective time management in mind. Whether you are just starting or interested in enhancing your mathematics instruction, this book will prove an invaluable resource.
"The powerful principles described can enhance stduents' learning of mathematics inside and outside the classroom and help teachers modify their lessons and teachings. It is a great way to enrich the teaching and learning of mathematics concepts in middle schools as well as reaching low and high achievers in the classroom."
My course is a multi-term secondary methods course. I adopted Laud's book for the second term of the course when my teacher candidate are developing their units for their student teaching. It provides a valuable perspective on assessment that treats assessment as something that is for individual students to support the teaching and learning process while providing tools to make it happen.
