Today’s students are very diverse. They enter classrooms with widely varying backgrounds, skills, abilities and parental support. The range of abilities grows ever wider and the student-teacher ratio increases as they move from the primary grades to upper elementary.  How can a teacher meet the needs of all her students?

This week I am attending a math institute to review the new math frameworks and current research on math instruction. One of the strategies that I have learned about is called Universal Access (UA). According to the California Department of Education “The ultimate goal of mathematics programs in California is to ensure universal access to high-quality curriculum and instruction so that all students can meet or exceed the state’s mathematics content standards.”

UA is a technique designed to assist teachers in meeting the diverse needs of their students. These are procedures that may be useful in planning for UA:

1. Assessment of the student’s current ability level is the first step. Teachers need to know which standards the students have mastered in order to provide instruction at their particular level.
2. Diagnose areas of difficulty and try to determine the cause of the challenges and intervene quickly.
3. Plan instruction to address those areas of need.
4. Focus on the key standards that students need to move up to the next grade level and differentiate curriculum or instruction or both.
5. Students should be grouped according to the students’ needs. Groups will change based upon ongoing assessment and specific skill to be addressed that session.
6. Enlist help of others, such as parents or community volunteers, older siblings and peer tutors.

There are four phases for implementing UA. The time spent training students is time well spent as it will increase effectiveness of instruction for the rest of the year. In the first and second phase the teacher monitors.

1. The first phase includes instructions and rules.

a) A goal is established. Rules and procedures for UA time are explained.
b) Students work on an activity independent of any teacher support.
c) The instructions include a list of people the students can consult with if they have questions or problems. This could include their partners or the others at their table.
d) Students may not interrupt the teacher.
e) Teacher debriefs students on their experiences.

i) Did students interrupt the teacher?
ii) Were their partners or students at their table able to help them?
iii) Praise for working well together.

2. The second phase includes a review of rules and procedures.

a) Practice transitions from one required activity to a choice activity.
b) Students work on an activity independent of any teacher support.
c) When required activity is completed make a choice between optional activities assigned by teacher. Work on that assignment.
d) The instructions include a list of people the students can consult with if they have questions or problems. This could include their partners or the others at their table.
e) Students may not interrupt the teacher.
f) Teacher debriefs students on their experiences.

i) Did students interrupt the teacher?
ii) Were their partners or students at their table able to help them?
iii) Were students able to transition effectively from one activity to another?
iv) Praise for good transitioning and working well together.

3.  The third phase includes a review of rules, procedures and transitions.

a) Same as the second phase except the teacher pulls one group for instruction.
b) Teacher debriefs students on their experiences.

i) Praise for good transitioning, working well together and participating.

4. The fourth phase includes a review of rules, procedures, and transitions.

a) Same as the third phase except the teacher pulls multiple groups. 
b) Teacher debriefs students on their experiences.

i) Praise for good transitioning, working well together and participating.

UA is an effective technique for providing students with instruction at their level. Formal and informal ongoing assessment is a very important part of this process. Our new math program has a 5 question quick check and rubric to help teacher with placement in groups based on that lesson. Teacher models in their groups how to run group center activities. As time goes on students take on a leadership role for directed their group activities while the teacher is working with another groups. The number of groups is determined by the variation in the skills of the students. There are generally at least three groups.