Redefining Fair: How to Plan, Assess, and Grade for Excellence in Mixed-Ability Classrooms
Differentiation is a necessary response both to the changing demography of schools and to our understanding of how students learn. But the differentiation of instruction and assessment is often blocked by outdated beliefs regarding fairness. In Redefining Fair, Damian Cooper draws from his extensive experience in the field to answer the most common questions teachers have about putting differentiation into action, and offers instructional solutions that are comprehensive, practical, clear, and effective.
The book's ten chapters include strategies and examples of assessment methods that will improve student learning and enable all students to realize their potential.
This book shows K—12 teachers and administrators:
How to determine students' readiness to learn and learning preferences
When to use scaffolding and tiering
The crucial difference between providing content and coaching skills
Assessment and differentiation strategies that will maximize learning for all students
What excellence means in the mixed-ability classroom
How to use responsive teaching and meet standards
The difference between norm-referenced and criterion-referenced grades, and what methods to use for grading mixed-ability classes
Ways to ensure that report cards convey information accurately, fairly, usefully, and clearly to both students and parents
Strategies to facilitate the development of critical-thinking and problem-solving skills students will need to navigate the vast amounts of information they encounter in our digital world
Redefining Fair: How to Plan, Assess, and Grade for Excellence in Mixed-Ability Classrooms