Education Week - January 28, 2015 - 26

LETTERS to
the EDITOR
Editor's note: The following letter by James R.
Delisle first appeared on edweek.org in response
to the outpouring of online comments about his
recent Commentary critiquing differentiated
instruction.
Delisle: Comments Underscore
Differentiation's Failings
To the Editor:
When I wrote my Commentary
"Differentiation Doesn't Work" (Jan.
7, 2015), I anticipated that it would
generate some discussion. Indeed, it
has. In reading the comments made
directly to Education Week on edweek.
org, as well as the dozens of emails I
have received from readers in several
countries, I can conclude only one
thing: Differentiation works ...
unless it doesn't.
Many of those who disagreed with
my premise touted their own successes
with differentiation, while those who
struggled with its implementation
(mostly teachers) used terms like
"overwhelmed" and "discouraged."
Those opposed to my views called me
"misinformed" or "naive," while those
who liked what I had to say applauded
my "bravery" and "clarity" in stating
the flaws of differentiation.
A good number of readers assumed
that I wanted to return to the days of
whole-class instruction (I don't), and
surprisingly few readers expressed
concerns for how little gifted students
benefit from differentiation in
heterogeneous classrooms, which was a
major point of my Commentary.
My favorite comment came from a
reader who stated that differentiation,
as a concept, is "sublimely beautiful,"
while its implementation has been
"ridiculous." Amen to that.
I stand by my assertion that
differentiation in a heterogeneous
classroom setting is a difficult, at times
impossible, task to complete for a single
teacher.
If students were "strategically mixed"
(as one reader put it) in classrooms
instead of being placed haphazardly,
without regard to their readiness to
learn, then differentiation would have
a chance at succeeding. However, until
such time, differentiation will leave
more students behind than it propels
forward.
James R. Delisle
Distinguished Professor of Education
Kent State University (Retired)
North Myrtle Beach, S.C.
academic integrity, but a concurrentenrollment
program can support it. National
accreditation standards ensure that courses
taught by high school instructors are the
same as those taught on campus. Students
take real college courses from a partner
institution, and faculty members develop
collegial relationships from which all
students benefit. Credit transfer is high even
without state mandates.
Gillian B. Thorne
Executive Director, Office of Early College Programs
Director, UConn Early College Experience Program
University of Connecticut
Storrs, Conn.
Arts Standards Will Help Youths
Learn Across Disciplines
To the Editor:
Your recent collection of arts education
Commentaries highlighted the irreplaceable
value of the arts to learning, documenting many
exciting occurrences in the field ("Inspired
Learning: A special Commentary section on arts
education," Dec. 3, 2014).
The new framework for arts teaching and
learning-the National Core Arts Standards,
or ncas-also demonstrates the progress our
educational system has made in acknowledging
the positive impact of arts experiences on
students' overall educational achievement.
The ncas, the first national arts standards
to be released in 20 years, was created after
reviewing arts education best practices from
around the world and eliciting feedback.
It addresses the demands of 21st-century
education by connecting grade-level arts
standards with the Common Core State
Standards for English/language arts and math.
The framework now includes a conception
of the arts as literacies, with guidance on
creating, producing, performing, presenting,
responding, and connecting. These standards
will help students develop skills that transfer
across disciplines: imagination, investigation,
construction, and reflection. Artistic literacy
doesn't simply teach artistic skills, but also the
skills required for other endeavors.
This broader conception of arts in education
echoes the contemporary view of education in
general, which extends the definition of literacy
beyond reading and writing to address other
concerns, such as technological fluency and
the ability to synthesize multiple streams of
information.
The release of the ncas implores us to evaluate
(and re-evaluate) the best ways to teach our
students the skills they need to be successful in
college, career, and life.
Jerry James
Director of Teaching and Learning
Eric Pryor
Executive Director
The Center for Arts Education
New York, N.Y.
Data Alone Cannot Solve
Education's Problems
Early-College Programs
Benefit Students, Colleges
To the Editor:
In an article in the Dec. 10, 2014, issue,
"College Policies Mixed on ap, ib, Dual
Classes," there was not a single mention of
the most robust, scalable, and successful
early-college-credit model available and in
use in most states: concurrent enrollment.
Mass transfer of Advanced Placement
scores can undermine a university's
To the Editor:
A Dec. 23, 2014, Inside School Research
blog post, "Report Questions Sustainability of
Longitudinal Student-Data Systems," outlined
the findings of a U.S. Government Accountability
Office report exposing gaps in the ability of
states to match individual students' education
records to their later results in the workforce. It
is a critically important story for those of us who
know that the power of valid data can be used to
guide continuous improvement in teaching and
learning (and the policies that support them).
When Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems
were first proposed, supporters suggested that
26 | EDUCATION WEEK | January 28, 2015 | www.edweek.org/go/commentary
they would be a solution for fixing what was
wrong with education. Unfortunately, merely
having the data does not fix the problem. Even
knowing the problem does not fix the problem.
The solution side of the data equation is
the next big frontier. While the gao report
raised some important caution flags, it is still
a pretty big feat to capture and use key data
sets to advance some of our most important
education goals. For example, according to the
Data Quality Campaign, 45 states can provide
feedback to high schools on how their students
fared after graduation. The gao reports that
29 states use longitudinal-data systems to flag
individual students at risk of dropping out of
school.This is progress, but we cannot give up or
slow down. The gao report highlights remaining
blind spots in realizing a data system that
follows students from childhood all the way
through K-12, in higher education, and into the
workforce. We must continue this imperative
work.
Brad C. Phillips
President
Institute for Evidenced-Based Change
San Diego, Calif.
Computer-Programming Prepares
Students for Problem-Solving
To the Editor:
With success stories like that of Facebook's
Mark Zuckerberg, more people are willing
to learn what programming is and why
it's important to begin learning about it in
primary and secondary schools.
Code.org has been a major player in
spreading the word about programming, with
over 95 million people so far participating
in one of its "Hour of Code" events ("Code.
org Kicks Off Computer Science Education
Week at White House," Digital Education
blog, www.edweek.org, Dec. 8, 2014). With
celebrities like Will.i.am proclaiming that
"great coders are today's rock stars," who
can resist learning the superpower that is
computer programming?
As a high school teacher-librarian, I teach
a mandatory course to freshmen called
Computing Technology. The primary learning
goal is to develop curiosity by exploring new
ideas and issues through information and
technology. The last unit focuses on computer
programming using the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology's Scratch language
and coding tutorials available from the
code.org website. Programming encourages
students to practice logical thinking,
spatial reasoning, and the ability to make
connections while using the trial-anderror
method for problem-solving. Whether
analyzing literature, learning a new math
concept, or applying formulas to physics,
students with programming skills will be
more willing and able to work through tough
problems across the curriculum.
A little exposure to computer programming
can make a big difference for the future
of science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics.
Jamie-Lee Schombs
Library Media Specialist
Loyola School
New York, N.Y.
Chris Whetzel for Education Week
To the
Contrary:
Differentiation
Does Work
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 32
moves forward consistently from his or
her starting point.
I have no more patience with classes
where advanced learners stagnate
than I do with classes that shortchange
kids who struggle with school. Here
are a couple of points worth considering,
however. The studies most cited in
terms of benefits of homogeneous instruction
for bright learners examined
two conditions: heterogeneous classrooms
in which little or nothing was
done to provide plus-one learning for
advanced learners, and homogeneous
classrooms in which teachers regularly
planned for plus-one learning.
In the two decades since those studies,
I've observed and studied schools
in which the entire faculty focused on
providing a third condition: differentiation
in mixed-ability classrooms where
regular planning for a full spectrum of
learners-including advanced learners-was
a given.
Teachers in those schools typically
COMMENTARY POLICY
Education Week takes no editorial positions,
but publishes opinion essays and letters from
outside contributors in its Commentary section.
For information about submitting an essay or
letter for review, visit
www.edweek.org/go/guidelines.
"teach up," planning first for advanced
learners, then scaffolding instruction
to enable less advanced students to
access those rich learning experiences.
Further, they extend the initial
learning opportunities when they are
not sufficiently challenging for highly
advanced learners. In those schools,
achievement for the full spectrum of
learners-including advanced learners-rose
markedly when compared to
peer schools where this approach was
not pervasive.
For the record, I've never felt differentiation
was a panacea. I have never
advocated what I'd call "Noah's Ark"
classrooms assigned two of every kind
of learner in the school. I absolutely
understand that differentiating instruction
well is not easy. But then, I've
never felt that teaching should be easy.
I work with a growth mindset about
teachers, as about students. I believe
that with intelligent, sustained support,
most teachers can learn-step by
step and over time-the attitudes and
skills necessary to provide plus-one
learning in the context of classrooms
that are both academically rich and
academically diverse. n
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