"Tiering" Am I understanding this?

[mdp8879]

So, it has been suggested to me (by a collegue, not anyone in an authority position) to try tiering with my co-taught class... has anyone done this successfully?

As it has been explained to me, the idea is that in the same class students are given the oportunity to complete 1 of 2 or 3 different assignments (quizzes and tests included). The different assignments have different difficulty levels.

My questions are these:
Who chooses which students are completing which assignments? If the students choose, won't they just choose the easiest? If the teacher chooses, how is it fair? Isn't it in general an unfair / inequitable situation? How would all students complete all material necessary for the regents exam?

It seems a little strange for me... what are your thoughts?

[AtoZ]

From my experience, opinions about this method vary. I'm sure there are teachers on this forum who'll disagree with me, but here's my two cents:

I've tried the method both ways you mentioned (students' choice and teacher's choice). I've found that students' choice is best for assignments of equal difficulty, so it's not in the category of tiering. So, I'll talk about teacher's choice.

First, it's more work for the teacher. You have to determine your students' levels, create those different assignments and also appropriate assessments. I think it's worth the time. Why?

In my typical (English language arts) classroom, I'll have students reading at 4th grade level and those reading at college level. Their writing skills are almost as varied.
This is a problem in and of itself (who allowed a kid to pass all the way through high school if he/she can't read?), but it's a problem we have to cope with, trying to find a way to help these kids succeed.

So in a classroom like that, at what level do I teach? What type of assignments do I give? If I assign only things at the 10th grade level, the lower-ability readers will be lost and unable to complete the assignments with true comprehension and lasting learning. At the same time, the higher-ability readers/writers will be bored and will experience no growth either. Once I saw this played out in my classroom (10th grade classroom, tackling the required reading of The Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare), I realized that this EQUAL treatment is unfair to most...only the on-level student has a chance for experiencing some growth.

So basically, this approach is oriented towards individual growth...If you ask me, we have to allow this because we've allowed classrooms with reading levels ranging so wildly. (And of course, it's not just reading...)

There are several problems with this approach, but they can be dealt with (I've just moved and don't have all of my books yet, otherwise I'd have some book recommendations for you that deal with this...).

One last thing to explain my title.. let's say you're teaching PE. Out of 20 students, you have one who hurt his/her leg and cannot walk as fast as the other kids (let alone run) for a certain period of time. Your assignment requires that each student completes a run within a specified amount of time. The assignment treats everyone equally. But is it fair to the student who will be able to run eventually (needs physical therapy), but is unable to do so at the time of your assignment?
This analogy is not perfect, but I think it can get my point across. :)

Sorry for the length of this post--I hope it will be something to consider as you navigate through the varying opinions about this method.

[MrT]

Tiering and scaffolding are both great methods used in a democratic classroom. The real question for you is what type of classroom do you run? Would you, as a teacher, say that you see a lot of choice-based theory coming through in your lessons?

If you feel confident in giving your class options, and you present the assignment properly then I can assure you that not every child will choose the easy option.
Remember, adolescents still have strong moral battles when constructing their egos. Some will feel obligated to take the medium-difficulty option due to their abilities. Other, more charismatic, students may choose to test the difficulty of your hardest assignment if you scale the three options properly.

Give it a try, reflect on the lesson and then alter accordingly and you will be ok.