Differentiation is a teacher's response to a learner's needs and is an educational practice keenly implemented by Flint Hill School faculty. The differentiated academic program at Flint Hill School creates opportunities for students to explore interests, to form questions, to research and to make personally relevant information learned and acquired.

Each student presents a variety of abilities and interests, and a teacher skilled in differentiated instruction will respond to individual students’ needs. In this way, students work at a pace and on material that is developmentally and educationally appropriate. Through differentiated strategies teachers are able to challenge students in a variety of ways, keeping capable students engaged and reaching their potential.

Differentiation is guided by the following general principles (as outlined by Carol Ann Tomlinson, Ed.D. / UVA professor):

1. Respectful Tasks - In a differentiated classroom, certain essential understandings and skills are goals for all learners. However, some students need repeated experiences to master them, and other students master them swiftly. The teacher in a differentiated classroom understands that she does not show respect for students by ignoring their learning differences. She continually tries to understand what individual students need to learn more effectively, and she attempts to provide learning options that are a good fit for each learner whenever she can.

2. Flexible Grouping - To address the various individual learning needs within a whole class, teachers group students in a variety of ways. A class may work together in unison, or in small groups. Students may have the same materials to work with, or be provided with a larger selection from which to choose. The teacher will decide who works together for some tasks, while student choice is afforded for others. A teacher may group students of similar readiness, interest, or learning profile together, or he may place students with different talents and strengths together.

3. Ongoing Assessment and Adjustment - In a differentiated classroom, assessment is ongoing and diagnostic. Its goal is to provide teachers with day-to-day data on students' readiness for particular ideas and skills, their interests, and their learning profiles. Teachers don't only use assessment as something that comes at the end of a unit to find out what students learned; rather, assessment is today's means of understanding how to modify tomorrow's instruction.