What we have learned so far in this course is that students come to us from diverse backgrounds and have their own unique learning needs. We have also learned that the systems of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are grounded in differentiated instructional practices to form the basis of quality curriculum.

As noted in Week Two, you participate in your school's Professional Learning Community (PLC) as developing experts in implementing differentiated instruction. For this assignment, you will create the content for a blog (not actually creating the blog at this time) that identifies differentiated assessment and teaching strategies. These strategies can be used to assess student mastery of the new Common Core State Standards while providing engaging and rigorous classroom instruction.

For the purpose of this assignment, you will be using a Word document (two to three pages) to create a prospective blog that can be designed online at another time.

Within your blog, you must:

• Describe (in general) the standards for mathematics.

• Describe (in general) the standards for English language arts.

• Summarize the Common Core State Standards initiative including their purpose (i.e., the expectations of the CCSS) and academic impact.

• Discuss how differentiated instruction is an essential strategy for the CCSS.

• Explain five or more differentiated strategies, tools, or activities that will support teachers' implementation of the CCSS for mathematics.

• Explain five or more differentiated strategies, tools, or activities that will support teachers' implementation of the CCSS for English language arts.