Two Hands Are Better Than One to Differentiate

• In Event: Programming, Professional Learning, and Instruction for Gifted Learners

Abstract

This study examined the impact of a push-in model, where gifted specialists collaborate with classroom teachers to differentiate mathematics content for fourth- and fifth-grade students who had mastered grade-level material. Twenty-four classrooms in suburban Florida and Texas districts were assigned to treatment (n=11) or control (n=13) conditions. Treatment teams received two days of professional learning on curriculum compacting and differentiation strategies and implemented pretesting and three weekly hours of co-teaching to provide enrichment, increased cognitive demand, or higher-grade standards. Interim benchmark data from Texas indicate that treatment classrooms consistently outperformed controls, with overall higher rates of benchmark mastery. These findings suggest that collaborative differentiation by gifted specialists enhances overall mathematics achievement and supports advanced learners in mixed-ability settings.

Authors

• Del Siegle, University of Connecticut

• D. Betsy Mccoach, University of Connecticut

• Ashley Y. Carpenter, College of William & Mary

• Susan Dulong Langley, University of Connecticut

• Kelly L. Kearney, University of Connecticut

• Kenneth J. Wright, Talcott Mountain Science Center and Academy

• E. Jean Gubbins, University of Connecticut