Tara Reed

Topic/Purpose

Informally grouping and regrouping students throughout the day, week, and year can help match individual needs to the instructional content in each group. The key is to be flexible and group the students according to specific skills needed as well as taking individual social factors into consideration. To strategically group according to needs, goals, and interests can benefit both the teacher and the student. The goal is for students to become more productive with their time and receive more targeted instruction. Continual change and assessment will help make flexible grouping a success. In this mini-course we will learn how to strategically use flexible grouping in mathematics.

Needs Assessment

1. Instructional Problem

Teachers are struggling to meet the needs of a diverse range of learning levels in their classrooms. Learning how to target instruction and provide differentiated instruction in the classroom is one of the best techniques for increasing understanding amongst students. Flexible grouping is a strategy that can help students learn more and help teachers avoid feeling pulled in too many directions due to teaching an unreasonable amount of levels at one time.

There have always been problems with grouping students according to ability levels, including a social stigma attachment and student disengagement. According to Statistics about Education in America, 1 out of every 3 students is below basic in reading proficiency, and America currently ranks 25 out of 30 developed countries in math proficiency. Scores are not improving despite interventions place in the classroom. The ability levels in a fourth grade classroom can range from several grade levels below, to several grade levels above and teachers are expected to meet every student at their level and help them improve. How do teachers accomplish this task when students only receive about 4 hours of instructional time in a school day? Flexible grouping addresses these problems and provides solutions by being data driven and goal specific.

2. What is to be Learned

Participants will learn what flexible grouping means, the research supporting effectiveness, and the steps to implement this strategy into their own classrooms. The will be given examples of how flexible grouping is used in classrooms today, what to strive for, and an explanation of what flexible grouping is not.

3. The Learners

Learners within this course include educators and administrators teaching children in grades K-6. Learners will the common core subjects of math or reading. Participants will have varying degrees of familiarity with flexible grouping concepts.

4. Context for Instruction

The mini course can be conducted online or in a small group professional development setting. The learners will need to have computer access with an internet connection in order to complete the course.

5. Exploring the Instructional Problem and Solution

Participants will explore some of the difficulties classroom teachers face when trying to meet students' individual needs and ability levels. They will be introduced to the benefits and structure of flexible and will create a plan to implement flexible grouping in their classroom.

6. Goals of this Mini-Course

The participants will: gain an understanding of what flexible grouping entails.

read research that supports the effectiveness of flexible grouping strategies.

view examples of how flexible grouping is used in classrooms.

create a plan to implement flexible grouping into their own classrooms.

Analysis of the Learner and Context

Intended audience: This mini course is designed for teams of grade level teachers who are interested in a collaborative approach to flexible grouping across the grade level. This course can also be beneficial to administrators who wish to stay informed of the new strategies their teachers are implementing, as well as self contained teachers who wish to use flexible grouping with their homeroom class. The course specifically focuses on math, but is relevant to any academic area.

Pre-requisit skills: The learners should be familiar with using the internet and have basic troubleshooting knowledge. They should also have experience in the educational field, preferably as teachers. An undergraduate degree in education is recommended, but this course may also be valuable to students who are pursuing a degree in education.

Performance Objectives

In a discussion forum, the learners will compare and contrast flexible grouping with traditional ability grouping.

In a written response, the learners will work independently or in teams to create an informational newsletter to parents explaining the implementation of flexible grouping in their classroom with 80% accuracy as graded by a rubric.

Given samples, students will create a method for organizing flexible grouping within their classrooms.

In a Google document, the learners will create a template for collecting data and keeping records with 80% accuracy as graded by a rubric.

Given the classroom setting, the learners will create a plan to implement flexible grouping by utilizing a checklist.

Task Analysis

1.) What do we mean by "flexible grouping"? (Explanation, benefits, and research findings)

The learners will explain the difference between flexible grouping and traditional ability grouping in a class discussion.

The learners will analyze research and data that supports the use of flexible grouping in the classroom.

The learners will clarify any misconceptions about flexible grouping through discussions and question/answer sessions with peers.

2.) How to get parents onboard

The learners will choose appropriate wording to define flexible grouping to parents in a non-threatening way.

The learners will create a letter to send home to parents in order to explain the introduction of flexible grouping to the classroom.

The learners will review and comment on the letters of classmates.

3.) Tier Organization

The learners will review websites which support tier organization and flexible grouping.

The learners will create an organization plan that will work for their grade level team by utilizing a checklist.

The learners will review and comment on classmates' organization plan.

4.) Data Collection and Grouping Process

The learners will create pre and post assessments to be used for data collection and cut off scores.

The learners will create a timetable for assessing and regrouping of students.

The learners will create a shared spreadsheet to utilize as a grade book.

5.) Putting it All Together

The learners will create a plan to implement flexible grouping with their students.

The learners will come back to the group in two weeks to reflect on the implementation of the plan.

Curriculum Map

References and Resources

Link to my personal page: User:Tara_r

Return to ETAP 623 taught by Byrne

Link to Flexible Grouping Course: Flexible_Grouping

American Psychological Association (APA) (1997). Learner-centered psychological principle.

Collins, A. (1996). Design issues for learning environments. In S. Vosniaduou, E. De Court, R. Glaser, & H. Mandl (Eds), International perspectives on the design of technology supported learning environments (pp. 347-361). Mahwah, NY: Erlbaun.

Larson, M.B. and Lockee, B. B. (2013) Streamlined ID: A Practical Guide to Instructional Design. New York, NY: Routledge. Perkins, B., & Blythe, T. (n.d.). Putting Understanding Up Front. Educational Leadership.

Shambaugh, R., & Magliaro, S. (n.d.). Mastering the possibilities: a process approach to instructional design. Retrieved from https://blackboard.albany.edu/bbcswebdav/courses/2149-ETAP-623-6039/Readings/ShambaughCh3.pdf