Tiering – Management One

Expert Tips: Management Considerations for Tiering 

Overview: Use the following video tips and questions to reflect on the management considerations for Tiering your lesson and student assignments. Think about additions, edits or changes you can make to improve your lesson. Be mindful that the most successful Tiered lessons begin with explicitly teaching and modeling how you expect students to participate in the activities.  

Remember that effective teachers:

• Know:  How do you want your classroom to feel, look and sound?
• Teach: What strategies will you use to explain, model and communicate your expectations and procedures?
• Reinforce: What strategies will you use to support students in following the expectations and procedures?
• Enforce: What consequences will you implement when students are unsuccessful in meeting the expectations and procedures? 

Tiering Top Three Tips Video

Take a look at this short video outlining the top three management tips for successfully implementing Tiering.  

Tiering Management Questions

Answer the following interview questions to guide your thinking on the best management considerations for a Tiered lesson or assignments.

1. What are your expectations and procedures for your students while working on a Tiered assignment?
   • How will you communicate and teach them to your students?
   • Where/how will they be posted?
   • Do you feel as though these expectations will guide students when 1) they have a question, 2) get stuck or  3) finish early?  If so, how?
2. Did you create and prepare an accessible Anchor?
   • Where will the Anchor instructions/materials be posted?
   • Is the Anchor something that all students can do?
3. How long are you planning this Tiered work time to take place?  How will you communicate it and track that time?
4. Will students work with partners, in a small group, or independently? If there are partners or small groups, how will  students know who to work with? 
5. How will your room be set up?  If allowing groups or partners with the same assignment to work together, where will they sit? How will you get the room set up that way?  Will you do it ahead of time?  Will students help organize the room?
6. Are there materials that students will need to complete their work?  If so, how will it be distributed efficiently? 
7. In what ways will you hold students accountable for their work and behavior?
8. How will you provide feedback for your students? 
9. If a student(s) is unable to follow the expectations and procedures, what consequences do you plan to implement? When will you implement them?