Differentiated Instruction

The field of gifted education has long used the term differentiation to describe programmatic, curricular, and/or instructional adjustments for gifted students across different settings. Research on small-group instruction also speaks to the efficacy of the readiness differentiation. One secondary meta-analysis of five metaanalyses reported significant small positive effects of within-class grouping on academic attainment; importantly, this study determined that students at all levels benefited from within-class readiness grouping. Although the pragmatic guidance for teachers on differentiation has increased-and national standards across content areas acknowledge the need for differentiation-there are no recent large-scale, randomized treatment/control group studies on the incidence or prevalence of differentiation in American classrooms. Research that furthers the goal of helping teachers see students as individuals and plan for differentiation in manageable, the practical ways is likely to have a positive impact on all students&s; growth and success.