Teachers are also formally observed and interviewed about the change process, their feelings about differentiated instruction as a vehicle to meet varied learners' needs, and the challenges they face. Blending insights from a range of data sources allows researchers to develop an evolving understanding of how teachers learn about and apply principles of differentiated instruction. In turn, these understandings shape plans for coaching and staff development sessions that follow in the process. In the second treatment group, focusing on authentic assessment, the emphasis is on guiding teachers to evaluate student understanding using tiered prompts and graduated rubrics. Tiered prompts are a continuum of performance tasks aimed at the different levels of student readiness or learning profiles represented in the classroom.
Tasks vary from concrete and structured to abstract and open-ended.
The number of tasks created may differ in each classroom, but generally have two or three tiered options. After the tiered prompts are completed, teachers evaluate the tasks using graduated rubrics. Skills and concepts are shown on a continuum from novice to expert, with criteria for each level specifically delineated. Students examine the criteria for mastery prior to beginning the tasks so there are no surprises about expectations for mastery or quality. That is, they come to understand how students demonstrate knowledge and skill at various levels of complexity and through different modes.