6. “Respectful” and engaging work for all students. Because differentiation often demands students doing things that are different from what other students doing, and students working through different “pathways” to an academic goal, each student is assigned work that looks and feels to them as inviting and important as the work of his or her classmates. Each student focuses on the essential knowledge, understanding, and skill as determined from the core, by the teacher (usually the same objectives apply to all pathways). Each student is required to think at his or her own highest level in order to complete the work. Adjusting the quality and or nature of an assignment will generally (always, really!) be more effective in meeting demonstrated needs than increasing or decreasing the quantity of tasks. Drill and rote repetition do not habitually mark struggling students, and advanced learners are not indicated by habitually receiving all of the engaging tasks, nor do they get “tangential” tasks because of fast finishing or not needing what is being taught.

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