The Broward County Department of Advanced Academics developed an example of a learning contract and curriculum differentiation. Using the novel, Hoot, by Carl Hiaasen, we have an excellent model to use as a resource and guide. Notice that each subject area is represented in this Learning Contract. You, as the teacher, will determine which subject areas align with the students’ EP goals. For example, if the student has a math goal, the teacher would direct the student to select a math project from the math section of the contract. Once all parties are in agreement, the contract is signed. A rubric is also included which allows students to know what is expected for each project.
When you introduce the learning contract, as with the other strategies we’ve shared thus far, you offer it on a voluntary basis. You will find students buy in to the strategy more and are empowered when you have confidence in their ability by providing choices. To determine if a student is eligible for a learning contract you may still find it necessary to pretest. If the student passes with 95% or above (or whatever you consider to be a qualifying grade) you offer him/her a learning contract. In the long run, this allows the student to work through the unit more independently having the time to develop quality products.
Your contract should have two sections or more and include a rubric. The content for the unit should be identified either by pages or concepts to be mastered in the first section. The second section should contain the choices you are offering the student to demonstrate mastery of the items listed in the first section. Whether you make it a separate section or include it – you must have a section of your learning contract that spells out the behaviors and expectations the student is expected to perform while working independently. If your students’ strengths are highly diverse you may consider posting an “expected performance” chart in the room with the “rules and regulations” for working with learning contracts. In the book, Teaching Gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom, Susan Winebrenner shares a wonderful template for designing your own learning contracts. Winebrenner, Susan (2003). Teaching Gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing Inc.
Joseph Renzulli and Linda Smith developed The Compactor – a tool for compacting curriculum. Once you have successfully obtained the information from the preceding strategies, you can develop the compactor as a visual for your student – he/she can see exactly what the choices are and you have a record of how you determined the qualifications of the student, what concrete data was collected, and how the student is going to proceed with independent performance to demonstrate continued growth and mastery.
This is a very uncomplicated tool – the area of strength would be the specific topic mastered by the student prior to the lesson being taught. For accountability and purposes of record keeping you fill in the column stating specifically what the student accomplished. Many times the alternate activities are connected to the area of mastery, however, there are times when a student excels at a subject, but does not enjoy that subject. You must be very careful not to make the alternate activities seem like more work – this would then make the compactor seem like a punishment and might have a reverse affect on the student – causing him/her to slow down and even make mistakes on purpose. Of course you work in the positive and, the solution is quite simple. Think about it for a moment. What would you do for a student who has mastered estimation, doesn’t enjoy math, but loves to write? You could send the child to the media center, have him/her peruse the math picture books, and then write their own fable using estimation!
One very strict rule you must enforce with curriculum compacting is that if there are some areas that a student hasn’t yet mastered in the unit, he/she must understand that participating with the rest of the class is mandatory until that area is mastered. A major advantage to curriculum compacting is that it has the potential to motivate all students to work towards mastery and to apply their thinking skills. Many times students know the process, they just choose not to take the time to delve into their long-term memory banks and seek the solution! Compacting has the potential to bring out the best in everybody!