It Takes Two:Examining How Cluster Grouping and Co-Teaching Raises the Bar for Teachers and

Students

Sarah BongartenAIG Differentiation Coach

Orange County Schools, NCsarah.bongarten@orange.k12.nc.us

Goals of this SessionTo have working

definitions of cluster grouping and co-teaching.

To have an understanding of how cluster grouping and co-teaching benefits AIG students and their teachers

Barriers to Differentiated Curriculum and Instruction for AIG Students in the Regular Classroom

Very few AIG studentsToo many levels of

ability/achievement Focus on supporting

struggling studentsLack of teacher

expertise and resources for working with AIG students

Equity and/or fairness issues

Cluster GroupingA group of AIG

students are placed in a classroom, ideally with a teacher who has had training in gifted education

Full time clusteringSubject specific

clusteringCluster grouping vs.

tracking

Cluster Grouping ModelClassroom 1 Classroom 2 Classroom 3 Classroom 4

High Achieving (AIG)

X

High Average

X X X

Average X X X X

Low Average

X X

Low X

Special Education

X (twice exceptional)

X

Benefits of Cluster GroupingIntellectual peer

groupResponsive teachersFlexible groupsReduction of

stigmatization

Co-TeachingCo-teaching is…Two teachers

working together to plan and deliver appropriate curriculum and instruction for all students in the room

Co-teaching is not…One teacher

teaching while the other enforces discipline, makes copies, completes paperwork, etc.

Team TeachingTwo teachers deliver a

lesson simultaneously, building off one another

Station TeachingEach teacher leads a

station, and students rotate to appropriately challenging activities

Benefits of Co-TeachingClassroom Teacher Benefits

Support with planning and differentiated instructional strategies

Smaller student load and another professional in the room

AIG Specialist BenefitsEasier to enrich and extend

curriculum and connect activities to what is being taught in the classroom

Nurture students who are not AIG identified

Student BenefitsCohesive, rigorous

curriculum and instruction

Responds to specific student needs

Reduction of stigmatization

Benefits of Co-Teaching

It Takes Two: Cluster Grouping and Co-Teaching

Effective cluster grouping paves the way for effective co-teaching.Reduces the

number of classroom teachers with whom the AIG must coordinate

Allows AIG specialists to work directly with students on a consistent basis

Questions and Contact InfoSarah Bongarten

sarah.bongarten@orange.k12.nc.us919-245-4007 ext 127061914 New Hope Church RoadChapel Hill, NC 27514