The PDA online module Differentiating Reading Instruction for Students: Making It Explicit was developed to provide comprehensive, high quality, and accessible professional development for teachers who want to improve their skills in differentiating reading instruction and increase their expertise for teaching students experiencing reading difficulties, especially those with significant and persistent difficulties. This population may include but is not limited to students with identified disabilities or students who are English Language Learners. This module has been approved by the Just Read, Florida! office to satisfy the requirements for Competency 4 of the Florida Reading Endorsement. Participants earn 60 inservice points for participation in group meetings, online study, and classroom-related assessment tasks. Participants are supported by a trained facilitator, selected for their expertise in Reading and Exceptional Student Education.
The PDA online module Differentiating Reading Instruction for Students: Making It Explicit content aligns with and extends current Florida reading initiatives by focusing on how to meaningfully differentiate reading instruction to stretch and support each student as they learn to comprehend increasingly difficult text. In order to meet this goal, a teacher must have clarity about the learning goals, adjust instruction using focused informal and formal assessment information, and provide respectful work that is engaging, important, and challenging. When careful analysis of student assessment information indicates a need, a responsive teacher can further differentiate by providing precise, explicit intervention, individually or in small groups, at appropriate levels of intensity and duration. Conspicuous strategies, strategically integrated skills, and judicious review, delivered with appropriate pacing and precise monitoring, are all part of carefully scaffolded instruction which ensures that each learner is able to comprehend complex text.