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Summary:** Chapter five discusses [|tiering assessments]. This is when a teacher creates lessons, assignments, or projects that are at different difficulty levels. This allows for [|differentiated instruction] and grading to be fair because students are at different learning levels. The tiering can occur by asking more advanced students to get more in-depth on a topic, while early readiness students focus on understanding. This ensures that all students still meet the standards and expectations. This chapter also discussed learning contracts and RAFT(S). Learning contracts allow teachers and students to agree about what the student needs to learn and what they do learn. RAFT(S) is a format that allows the student to choose the type of project they wish to accomplish while maintaining the same goals.
 * Christina
 * Synthesis:** In this chapter, we all agreed on several points. The first, and most common, was that tiering is a delicate process that takes time and practice to master. Since we have no hands-on experience with tiering, we are all hesitant to tier. Another point was that tiering is best used when teachers first identify the minimum goal a student must reach, and build from there. In this way, we expect all students to meet the standard and will help them reach that goal.

Amanda Martemucci
FIAE-Chapter 5: Chapter 5 is about tiering assessments. Students learn at different speeds and this shouldn’t be accounted for when grading. Tiering assessments allow for students of different levels to be graded on the same piece of work but on a different level that fits their learning. It could be as simple as asking advanced students to elaborate more in-depth on a topic, possibly trying to find connections with similar topics while early readiness students just focus on understanding the topic itself. Both tasks allow for the teacher to see how students understand the subject and they can grade students accordingly. Differentiation calls for this use of tiering because every student learns differently. Right now, I’m hesitant about tiering because I don’t really know how to go about it. It will be helpful though after practicing using it. I certainly won’t have students with the same learning level, and tiering assessments will help make the grading equal.

Bridget
Chapter 5: Tiering Assessments Tiering is when a teacher adjusts assignments and assessments to suit students’ abilities and interests. It does not mean less work for students having a harder time and more work for students who have already grasped the concepts. Through the use of tiering, teachers are able to provide assignments for all students based on their readiness level that will still allow them to meet standards and expectations. Learning contracts, learning menus, and tic-tac-toe boards are great examples of using tiering to suit students’ needs and interests while still bringing them up to speed on the gaining of required knowledge. Like most things in teaching, tiering is a learned skill and the more it is practiced, the better we are able to do it. In order to teach in a differentiated classroom, we need to be able to tier and do so effectively. In my classroom, I will need to fully understand my students and their needs as well as the standards they need to meet in order to tier effectively. Giving students options and say in how I will do this will be a great way to involve them in their learning and show me what I need to know about them.

Moe
This chapter discussed how we must gear assessment toward where the students currently stands in their learning and to push them through that ‘level’, but to be careful of pushing them too far. Some ways we can do this is through the use of learning contracts and RAFT(S). The learning contract allows the teacher and student come to an agreement about what the students’ needs to learn and what they learn. RAFT(S) is Role, Audience, Format, and Topic; the teacher proposes prompt like projects and the student gets to choose what they do. I really liked both of these methods of assessing because the teacher and student get to work together toward a common goal. I think its vital for students to take responsibility for their learning and assessment. The author also talks about tiering assessment questions, which means you change to complexity of the test questions to fit your students. This sounded like an easy way to help my students out because I think that they should be given the opportunity to do their best. I think it’d be easy to incorporate both of these things in to the kind of teaching I want to accomplish because they fit perfectly with my idea that students should take some of the responsibility.

Jesika
Chapter 5: Tiering Assignments Tiering means scaffolding which means starting off with a small element then building on it. This is a good idea because it allows students to start off with smaller, less intimidating pieces then building on them to produce a more in depth product with out ever really noticing how complex it really was. Also the use of learning contracts allows students to have a plan of action when working by themselves or in groups. The division of tasks is equalizing in groups and helpful with task management in both situations. I have personally experiences these things a lot this semester (though not in my previous schooling). I find that group experiences are more pleasant when you, and the professor, know what everyone is expected to do. Tiering has made the idea of lesson planning less daunting. I don’t think I would have known where to start without it. I will definitely us these practices in my classroom.

Kristen
Sometimes some students will be more ready for lessons than others and some teachers tier lessons accordingly. A teacher must first identify the minimum goal a student must reach. Not every lesson will need tiering, however for those where there is a vast range of comprehension it is helpful. Wormeli suggests the use of a learning contract so students can work at their own speed as well as know all expectations for the unit. Learning menus and tic-tac-toe boards are helpful tools as well because they give students choices and specific goals to meet. Cubing and summarization pyramids help students visualize what they need to do and how they need to do it. RAFT(S) help give choices with descriptions for the student to understand their role and/or direction. Sometimes all the tiering students need to see is a change in vocabulary used in the assignment given. If it seems boring, change up the language! Being able to effectively tier a lesson will take a little work but its good for both the teacher and the student when done correctly.

Christina
Chapter five of //Fair isn’t Always Equal// discusses tiering assessments. There are many formats in which you can tier, or increase and decrease the difficulty level, of an assignment, project, or unit to use for differentiated instruction. These formats include cubing, tic-tac-toe boards, learning contracts, and summarization pyramids. By tiering, teachers are able to provide assignments that are geared to the level of that student, whether it is more advanced or basic. RAFT(S) is a format that allows the student to choose from a set list of options what type of project they wish to accomplish while maintaining the same goals.

Chelsea
Tiering is the idea of differentiating for students. Tiering assessments means that we have to adjust to students readiness levels. But it also doesn’t mean that we have change the complexity of our lessons, we just have to change some aspects. One example in the book is slowing introducing different aspects to writing a newspaper article one at time and then eventually having students incorporate all of them together. The book also talked about learning contracts. Learning contracts let students work at their own pace by allowing them work in a way that best suits their needs. However, learning contracts have a large level of trust attached to them. Another idea was a learning menu, in which students pick different choices from a “menu” these allows students to pick their own assignments. The book also described RAFTS in which students choose something from each column to create an individual assignment. I really like the ideas that were presented in this chapter because it gives a variety of ways in which you can create one assignment and allow students to pick what works best for them.

Kevin
Chapter 5 is about tiering assessments. This means adjusting the level of assessments based on the students readiness level. Wormeli says an important thing to remember is start the tiering at full proficiency of the standard and move from there. The book gives a long list of things a teacher can do to add complexity to a task, or that they can remove from a task to lower the difficulty level. I like that book gives a few examples of tiering because it seems like something that can be difficult to get just right. I imagine it may often happen that a teacher shoots too high or too low. The author also speaks about an equalizer but I have no idea what that is talking about. Another example of tiering is to use learning contracts this is where student and teacher design tasks together. Tiering seems like it probably requires a lot of work and will probably require me to get a lot of practice.