Differentiated Instruction and Educational Standards: Is Detente Possible?

Abstract

This article addresses the increasingly critical issue of how educators can reconcile standards-driven accountability imperatives with the growing need to address the individual strengths and needs of diverse learners. It argues that not only are these 2 issues reconcilable, it is imperative that educators attend to them simultaneously and consistently if continuous improvement is to occur in schools and districts. The authors respond to three essential questions at the heart of these issues: How can we address required content and grade-level performance standards while remaining responsive to individual students? Can differentiation and standards coexist? How do we maintain standards without standardization?