Meeting Diverse Needs
According to DESE's Candidate Assessment of Performance, an educator is deemed proficient in meeting diverse needs if they "use appropriate inclusive practices, such as tiered supports and scaffolded instruction, to accommodate differences in students’ learning needs, abilities, interests, and levels of readiness, including those of academically advanced students, students with disabilities, and English learners."
By preparing lessons through a multicultural lens, students from diverse backgrounds feel more included and connected to the subject matter. Students who feel connected to the subject matter are more likely to participate in activities and lessons, and will be more likely to take something away from the lesson. Preparing assessments through a multicultural lens has the same effect, as students from diverse backgrounds will have a better understanding of the assessment. This therefore removes any difficulties the student may have had precluding them from taking the assessment at their best. Above all, preparing lessons and assessments from a multicultural lens allows students from diverse backgrounds to feel seen and heard, making them feel safer in the classroom.
I always made sure students had multiple ways to show their work to me. For instance, when my Algebra 1 students were working on systems word problems, I made sure they had space to solve by graphing or by elimination/substitution. This way, students could choose the method they were most comfortable with.
I also made videos for students and posted them to my YouTube. This way, students who may have missed something in class or learn better by watching videos had opportunities to see the problems again. Additionally, captions are auto-generated by YouTube, so English Language Learners have access to tools to better help them understand, and reduce the barriers between them and mastery of the subject.