Improving students' academic achievement through differentiated instruction

The No Child Left Behind Act mandates that achievement gap be closed between African American students and their White and Asian counterparts by having all students meet high levels of proficiency in reading and math by 2014. This study used Tomlinson's theory of differentiated instruction (DI) to determine if the knowledge and application of learning preferences to provide DI would increase student achievement in a middle school. This quasi-experimental mixed-methods study was designed to answer two questions involving understanding the difference in achievement between students who are taught with DI and those who are taught with traditional methods of instruction and teacher perceptions regarding DI and its impact on student performance in the classroom. A convenience sample included an experimental group of 30 students who received instruction using DI strategies suitable to their learning styles and a control group of 30 students received instruction with traditional methods. Pretest and posttest data from the Chicago Public Schools' Reading Benchmark Assessment were used to measure the impact of DI on academic achievement. A t-test analysis showed that there was no significant difference in the achievement between students who were taught using DI and those who were taught using traditional instruction. The experimental classroom teachers' perception of DI was drawn from responses to a survey and face-to-face interview where the researcher took notes and coded the interviewee's responses. The qualitative analysis indicated that DI has a direct impact on student growth because it allows the student to be creative in demonstrating what they have learned and what product will be used to show understanding. This type of educational reform has the potential of closing the academic achievement gap and influencing social change in the U.S. educational system by moving from traditional instructional to modern strategies.