Differentiated Instruction and Assessment for Middle School

Presented by Rick Wormeli

This course showcases a 2-day workshop from Rick Wormeli. With entertaining instruction, Rick passionately shares his vision of effective middle school practice, integrating differentiated instruction, assessment and grading.

The workshop was filmed in partnership with NELMS (the New England League of Middle Schools).

How can this content help my school?

Based on real-life examples, Rick candidly explains how to successfully differentiate instructions, shattering the myths about differentiation. In the process, he looks at relevant issues, including assessment principles, what to accept as evidence of mastery, and how to deal with averaging, homework, late work, gradebooks, report cards and more!

What will you learn to do?

• Create lesson plans and assessment systems that enable you to first discover, and then meet the different needs of students.
• Administer quality pre-assessments that help shape your instructional choices and processes
• Develop formative assessments that take a primary role in the differentiated classroom -providing feedback, documenting progress, and guiding instructional decisions.
• Use assessments to communicate rather than to compensate or reward
• Scrutinize grading systems to identify when they are unfairly norm-referenced or biased and convert assessments to nonjudgmental, criteria-referenced systems instead.

Upon completion of the workshop, participants should feel prepared to manage the differentiated classroom by offering students nurturing, rigorous, fair, and differentiated instruction that promotes student engagement and academic success.

View short segments:

Segment 1: Rick Wormeli describes the course.

Segment 2: Snippet from the first topic - Preparing Educators for Differentiated Instruction

Hear what teachers are saying

"Having attended several conferences/workshops specifically to hear Rick Wormeli, I think this web-based resource (given today's economic pressures and challenges) will offer teachers an efficient and user-friendly opportunity to hear from one of the real standard bearers in the world of differentiated instruction and assessment.
The quality of the videos is quite good! I also enjoyed having a transcript of the presentation, access to printable resources, and Rick's PowerPoint slides available simultaneously. I cannot think of a more effective way, both in terms of cost and ease of use, for schools to get Rick's expertise into the hands of teachers!"
– John F. Fox, Ph.D.
Director of Middle School
Worcester Academy (MA)

"Attending Rick's two day conference on Differentiated Assessment & Grading was a wonderful experience.  I returned to school and began investigating a book study for staff using Fair Isn't Always Equal and wondered how I could recreate the same degree of engagement and energy. I was thrilled when I learned that KDS was offering an online version of Rick's conference. This fall, our book study will now include 'guest appearances' by Rick as we intertwine video clips with chapters and discussions."
– Nikki Gullickson, Principal
Salem Middle School (CT)

"I watched the first segment of Rick Wormeli's online workshop twice. Once alone and the second time with one of my dedicated teachers. Just to let you know my first impression, GREAT!!! We are planning to view Rick's workshop in groups of 7 on the first day of School-Based PD."
– Scott Giegerich, Associate Principal Portland Middle School/High School (CT)

About the Presenter

• Rick Wormeli
  

  Rick Wormeli is a National Board Certified Teacher and a columnist for Middle Ground magazine, published by the National Middles School Association (NMSA). Awarded in April 2008 the prestigious New England League of Middle School’s James P. Garvin Award for distinguished service and the winner of Disney's American Teacher Award for English in 1996, Wormeli has an international reputation for his presentations on middle-level education, innovation, and teacher professionalism. The author of Day One and Beyond: Practical Matters for New Middle Level Teachers;Differentiation: From Planning to Practice, Grades 6 – 12;Fair Isn’t Always Equal: Assessing and Grading in the Differentiated Classroom; and Meet Me in the Middle: Becoming an Accomplished Middle Level Teacher, he consults for National Public Radio, USA Today, and the Smithsonian Institute.

Course Topics

• Topic 1 - Preparing Educators for Differentiated Instruction
• Topic 2 - Accommodating Learning Profiles through Assessment and Strategies in DI
• Topic 3 - Implementing Essential Principles and Strategies of Differentiated Instruction
• Topic 4 - Creating a Fair and Relevant Grading System in the Differentiated Classroom
• Topic 5 - Exactly What, When, and How to Grade in a Differentiated Classroom
• Topic 6 - Designing Grades as Instructive Instruments in a Differentiated Classroom