Component 2: Differentiation in Instruction
Component 2: Differentiation in Instruction is a portfolio entry. You submit work samples from two students and a written commentary that analyzes their strengths and needs, explains the instructional adaptations you made, and documents evidence of growth. The entry tests whether you can use assessment evidence to plan responsive instruction rather than whether you can describe differentiation in general.
Core rules and concepts
- Differentiation means adapting content, process, product, or environment based on specific evidence, not giving one student more worksheets.
- Choose two students with genuinely different profiles, such as a student who needs support with organization and a student ready for extension.
- The commentary must follow an evidence chain: what the work shows, what you diagnosed, what you changed, and what the next work sample shows.
- Quote or point to specific features of the work. 'She improved' is not evidence; 'the second sample adds a topic sentence and two supporting details' is.
Worked example
A fifth grader's persuasive essay has strong voice and relevant reasons but no paragraph breaks, so the ideas run together. The diagnosis is organization, not idea development. The adaptation: a paragraph-frame organizer, a mentor paragraph annotated for topic sentence and evidence, and a revision checklist limited to organization. The second sample shows two clear body paragraphs. In the commentary, explain why the organizer addressed the diagnosed need and how the checklist focused revision.
Traps that cost marks
- Selecting two work samples that show no change or no clear teaching decision.
- Describing activities without linking them to the student's specific need.
- Treating differentiation as a label ('my ELL student') instead of evidence.
- Overlooking student assets and focusing only on deficits.
- Breaking confidentiality by including names or identifying details.