Layered EducationWhen to use it
- A quick check shows students are in different places
- Some students need reteaching while others are ready to extend
- Students need more practice and feedback than whole class allows
Using Two Teachers Well
Flexible Grouping and Small Groups
Use stations, parallel groups, and short pull-aside groups that change as the data changes.
Why it works
Two teachers can cut group size in half or more. Smaller groups mean more responses and faster feedback. Regrouping often, from current data, avoids fixed ability groups and the lower expectations that can come with them.
Try this tomorrow
- Form groups from an exit ticket or quick check, not from labels
- Mix groups for discussion, match groups for a specific skill
- Regroup at least every unit
- Have both teachers lead groups that include students with and without IEPs
- Give the independent station a clear, posted task
If two of you are in the room
Co-teaching pairs can split this between them, and swap who takes which part so both teachers work with every student.
One teacher
Teaches one group or station.
The other teacher
Teaches another group or station, and both rotate so every student works with each teacher.
What the research can and cannot tell us
The Education Endowment Foundation found a small average benefit for within-class grouping in a very limited evidence base, with no overall impact for secondary students, and warns about lower expectations when groups are fixed. Research on co-teaching outcomes is also mixed and depends on implementation.
Resources
9 resources for this topic, drawn from 8 organizations. Everything opens free, and the ones from other organizations open on their own sites.
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HLP 17: Use Flexible Grouping
Read what flexible grouping means and when to use same-skill or mixed groups.
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HLP 17 Leadership Guide
Use the look-fors and reflection questions to check how your pair forms and changes groups.
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HLP Highlight Tool: HLP 17 Flexible Grouping
Work through a brief description, video clips, suggested activities, and a plan of action.
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Guidelines for Co-Teaching in Texas: Field User Guide
Borrow sample co-taught lesson plans, including 11th grade U.S. history, that show which model is used when.
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Differentiated Instruction: Differentiate Process
Plan tiered activities, learning centers, and jigsaw groups based on readiness, interest, or learning profile.
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Strategies for Effective Tier 1 Grouping and Differentiation
Use screening and diagnostic data to form skill-based groups in core instruction. Reading focused.
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Intervention Plan for Small Groups or Individual Students
Fill in a template to plan and document what a small group will get, and how often.
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Within-Class Attainment Grouping
Read the evidence on grouping by attainment inside a class, and why groups need to stay flexible.
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Helping Teens Build Skills Through Station Rotation
A high school science teacher breaks one goal into short skill stations and circulates to give targeted help. Transcript included.
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These resources are shared for professional learning and planning. They are meant to inform your professional judgment, not replace it. Each student's IEP and your district, state and federal requirements always come first. Listing a resource here is not an endorsement by Layered Education. This is educational information only, not legal advice.
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