AN ANALYTIC EXAMINATION OF DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION IN THIRD, FOURTH, AND FIFTH GRADE READING CLASSES IN WILSON COUNTY SCHOOLS

Abstract

Differentiated instruction (DI) is an approach to instruction that requires that classroom teachers design lessons that address the needs of individual learners. As a result of local and national reporting on reading achievement levels in elementary schools, and illiteracy among adults in communities small and large throughout the nation, educators continue to grapple with how to increase reading skills for more students. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which DI in elementary schools impacted End-of-grade Reading Test results for students in grades three, four, and five in the Wilson County Schools (WCS) district. For three consecutive years in WCS, student achievement percentages on the End-of-Grade Reading Test illustrated stagnant growth for students in grades three, four, and five. Despite district efforts, little to no growth occurred. The investigator of this study sought to determine the extent to which the differentiated instruction captured in the classroom learning environment impacted student achievement on the End-of-Grade Reading Test. Based on the findings of this study, the impact of differentiated instruction on student achievement in reading in third, fourth, and fifth grade classrooms in the Wilson County Schools district was inconclusive, and, therefore, could not be determined.