Using NoRedInk for Differentiated Instruction

Supporting All Students

 

1. Analyze the data from your unit diagnostic to inform your planning.

We recommend beginning with a Unit Diagnostic to assess areas of strength and need. This allows you to use data to meet students at their skill level.

Once you’ve given a Unit Diagnostic for the Pathway or concept your students are about to learn, note which topics students struggled with under the callouts at the top. Explore the “Display” drop-down menu to view student performance on individual topics in your diagnostic.

Determine which skills need full-class instruction and which should be differentiated. 

2. Differentiate Practice

If you assigned a Unit Diagnostic, use the “Create Unit” button to assign differentiated practice. Assign the more foundational topics from your diagnostic to students in the Below Basic or Basic proficiency bands and the more complex topics to students in the Proficient or Advanced bands. 

When assigning Practice generally, remember that NoRedInk Pathways are comprised of topics listed in a meaningful scope and sequence. Topics that come first in a Pathway are always the most fundamental building blocks, while later topics are more complex. Struggling students may benefit from “Part 1” topics before moving forward in the Pathway. 

💡Reminder: Pre-teaching before Practice benefits all students!

3. Differentiate Writing 

When assigning Quick Writes or Guided Drafts, consider creating differentiated assignments by customizing the prompt or rubric to meet the needs of your students.

• Learn more about customizing Quick Writes here.

• Explore customization options in Guided Drafts here.

One of the most powerful ways to differentiate a Guided Drafts is by customizing the parts of the essay to be completed. For example, you may assign body paragraphs as required for all students, but offer introductions and conclusions as an optional challenge for high performers.

Supporting Struggling Students

 

1. Chunk Practice assignments

We’ve found that 2-4 topics per assignment keeps students engaged without feeling overwhelmed. If you break up your unit into multiple Practice assignments, you can:

• Slow down to lay a strong foundation for the students who need it.
• Create extension activities, like Checkpoints and Quick Writes, for high-achieving students.

2. Pre-teach and model

Pre-teaching before Practice in NoRedInk can make a big difference in student motivation, confidence, and performance. Consider connecting your computer to a projector to show students Tutorials, Lessons, and Practice questions before they begin. 

One option is to utilize an "I Do, We Do, You Do" process while previewing Practice questions: model and think-aloud as you answer a question or two, ask students to help on the next one, then release for independent work. 

Extension Activities in NoRedInk

 

1. Formative assessments with “Quiz Me”

If students finish an assignment early, have them self-assess their understanding before a quiz by using the “Quiz Me” feature on any topic they’ve already mastered!

💡If a student misses any questions on the “quiz”, the practice will re-open!

2. Skill-Building Quick Writes

Skill-Building Quick Writes are easy-to-assign activities that ask students to apply what they’ve learned in Practice to their own writing. Assign a pre-made Skill Building Quick Write as an extension for more advanced students, or as a whole-class activity when everyone has completed Practice. 

3. Passage-based quizzes

Because NoRedInk’s passage-based quizzes allow students to work on a diverse set of errors at both the sentence and paragraph levels, they assess skills more authentically and with greater rigor. 

Choose from single pathway quizzes, ACT®, or SAT® centered quizzes.

4. Encourage students to practice independently

Students can always visit the Learn page to practice any topics independently. 

Students may choose to work on any skills in need of remediation, or they can choose to move ahead to the next topics in a Pathway. Teachers may also suggest topics based on feedback from an assessment or a writing assignment.

💡Teacher pro-tip: Do you have students studying for a standardized test? Have them track their own progress using the filters on the Learn page!