Using Formative Assessment to Differentiate Middle School Literacy Instruction

Leslie Laud has differentiated math instruction in her own classroom and in her co-teaching with her math colleagues, and has been doing so for almost two decades. She teaches an online course on Differentiated Middle School Math Instruction at Bank Street College of Education. Additionally, she has presented at many conferences both nationally and internationally, including The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics annual conference. She has also published many articles in leading journals such as Educational Leadership and Teaching Exceptional Children. She currently leads staff development groups with teachers in school systems in the Boston area. She received both her doctorate in curriculum and instruction and her master's in special education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Pooja Patel M.Ed. is a learning specialist who is currently working as a middle school English and Humanities teacher at United Nations International School. She has taught a class on writing instruction at Bank Street College of Education. She also has presented at some national conferences, including the Council of Exceptional Children and the New York Branch of the International Dyslexia Association (NYBIDA). Additionally, she has published many articles in peer reviewed journals such as Preventing School Failure and Teaching Exceptional Children. She received a master's degree from the reading specialist program from Teachers College, Columbia University. In addition to working in the general education classroom, she works with students one-on-one outside of the classroom.