An analysis of the implementation of Differentiated Instruction in a middle school and high school and the effects of implementation on curriculum content and student achievement

Some school districts have begun using Differentiated Instruction as a means to meet the needs of all students in mixed-ability classrooms in their middle schools and high schools. Since there have been no major studies on the effectiveness Differentiated Instruction (DI) in this application, this research will add to the existing body of knowledge. The participants were teachers in a district that was in their final year of implementation of DI. Answers to a teacher survey developed for this study and scores on standardized tests were analyzed. Analysis of the data showed that, at both levels, the implementation has affected the completion of curriculum content and has only been accomplished on a limited basis; that there were differences in teacher beliefs about DI and in implementation between levels; that teacher resistance to change affected implementation and that teaching level, gender and post-graduate instruction in DI were contributing factors. Middle school teachers felt that there were positive effects on student understanding and teachers at both levels found that there was no positive effect on student achievement; analysis of standardized test scores appear to support these findings in most cases. The results suggest that the middle school environment is more suited to DI than is the content-driven comprehensive high school. This study is limited to the effects of the implementation in one school district and this study should be replicated on a larger scale to see whether these results hold true for other districts.