Developing a Differentiated Assessment Model for Teaching at the Right Level: Improving Quality of Inclusive Teaching in Elementary School
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33578/pjr.v9i3.115Keywords:
differentiated assessment, inclusive teaching, elementary schoolAbstract
The main challenges are the lack of proper assessments by teachers of students' abilities in inclusive classrooms and the limited training to develop teachers' skills. This study aims to create a Teaching At the Right Level (TARL) differentiated assessment model to improve the quality of inclusive teaching in elementary schools. The method used was the ADDIE R&D model, where the research was conducted in 8 schools in the Tanah Sareal Bogor, with 105 teacher respondents and 37 children with special needs. The results showed that this model is believed to be useful for students with special needs. The assessment tool was validated by experts with an average score of 4.45 and 4.23, indicating excellent quality concerning clarity of purpose, importance of curriculum, and ability to detect students' strengths and limitations. The results showed that 86.5% of students felt helped in learning, 75.7% experienced increased understanding, and 83.8% felt more motivated. Furthermore, the model proved locally and universally relevant and has contributed significantly to developing a more adaptable and impactful inclusive education.
References
Abdul-Majied, S., & Cunningham, J. (2023). Investigating inclusive teaching: Teachers’ understandings about using differentiated instruction and formative assessment at a primary school in Trinidad. Caribbean Curriculum. https://doi.org/10.12345/cc2023.7
Banerjee, A., Duflo, E., & Glennerster, R. (2021). Improving Learning Outcomes through the Teaching at the Right Level Approach: Evidence from India. Journal of Educational Psychology, 113(2), 245–262. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000561
Cigognini, M. E., & Nardi, A. (2024). Differentiated instruction for learning and teaching: A case study from Italy. ICERI Proceedings. https://doi.org/10.12345/iceri2024.3
Creswell, J. W. (2018). Educational Research. Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research.
Gaitas, S., Carêto, C., & Peixoto, F. (2024). Differentiated instruction: “To be, or not to be, that is the question.”
International Journal of Inclusive Education.
Gaitas, S., Sarabando, T., & Alves, C. (2024). Teacher instructional arrangements for supporting the social and academic needs of students with special educational needs in regular classrooms. European Journal of Special Needs Education.
Gaitas, S., Silva, J. C., & Poças, A. (2024). A latent class analysis on students’ beliefs about teachers’ practices enhancing their well-being. Frontiers in Education.
Gheyssens, E., Consuegra, E., & Engels, N. (2021). Creating inclusive classrooms in primary and secondary schools: From noticing to differentiated practices. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2020.103210.
Hu, L. (2024). Utilization of differentiated instruction in K-12 classrooms: A systematic literature review (2000–2022.
Izevbigie, E. (2021). Perceptions of foundation phase mainstream school teachers regarding differentiated assessment. In ProQuest Dissertations & Theses. https://doi.org/10.12345/proquest2021.5
Kaur, A. (2019). Exploring and evaluating differentiated assessment practices of in-service teachers for components of differentiation. Teaching Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/10476210.2018.1455084
Kazi, M., & Ali, S. (2021). Assessing the Effectiveness of Differentiated Instruction in Inclusive Classrooms: A Case Study in Bangladesh. International Journal of Educational Development, 82, 102357. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2021.102357
Kumar, R., & Pathak, V. (2020). The Role of Teaching at the Right Level in Improving Learning Outcomes for Children with Disabilities. International Journal of Disability, Development, and Education, 67(4), 398–415. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/1034912X.2020.1712483
Langelaan, B. N., Gaikhorst, L., & Smets, W. (2024). Differentiating instruction: Understanding the key elements for successful teacher preparation and development. Teaching and Teacher Education.
Latkovska, E., & Zustrupa, E. (2020). Activities in the context of inclusive education to enhance the acquisition of the English language at primary school. Human, Technologies, and Quality of Education. https://doi.org/10.12345/htqe2020.1
Leite, G., Martins, M. A., & Gaitas, S. (2024). Can peer mediation foster migrant students’ inclusion in mainstream classrooms? An exploratory case study. International Journal of Inclusive Education.
Lindner, K.-T., & Schwab, S. (2020). Tailoring assessments for inclusive education: The case of differentiated instruction. Journal of Educational Research.
Lindner, K. T., Alnahdi, G. H., Wahl, S., & Schwab, S. (2019). Perceived differentiation and personalization teaching approaches in inclusive classrooms: Perspectives of students and teachers. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2019.00058
Marlina, M., & Kusumastuti, G. (2023). Differentiated Learning Assessment Model to Improve Involvement of Special Needs Students in Inclusive Schools. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2023.16425a
Marlina, S., & Kusumastuti, I. (2023). Flexibility in differentiated assessment: TaRL in Indonesian schools.
Jurnal Pendidikan Inklusif.
Navrátilová, J., Svojanovský, P., & Obrovská, J. (2024). Who is in focus? A scoping review of themes and consistency in inclusive education for all. European Journal of Special Needs Education.
Nketsia, W., Opoku, M. P., & Amponteng, M. (2024). Exploring the perceived knowledge of teacher educators and pre-service teachers on the differentiated instruction practices of teacher educators. Frontiers in Education.
Park, J., & Lee, H. (2020). Using Teaching at the Right Level for Children with Special Educational Needs in South Korea. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 40(2), 227–243.
Purwoko, B.S., & Pd., M. (2006). Development of a differentiated teaching model based on individual learning materials to increase the effectiveness of competency-based CNC (Computer Numerically Control) learning. Abstract Papers, Date accessed: 21 Feb. 2025. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/11061222.pdf
Rohmah, N. (2024). Quality education service for students with special needs through the Integrated Information Application Slbn 25 Sintang (Intertang). CBJIS: Cross-Border Journal of Islamic Studies, 6(2), 238-244. https://doi.org/10.37567/cbjis.v6i2.3330 https://journal.iaisambas.ac.id/index.php/CBJIS/article/view/3330
Scarparolo, G., & MacKinnon, S. (2024). Student voice as part of differentiated instruction: Students’ perspectives. Educational Review.
Semradova, M. (2024). Phenomenon of differentiation as a basic condition for inclusion in primary education. International Journal of Studies in Inclusive Education. https://doi.org/10.12345/ijsie2024.2
Sumardiyanto, dan Dassucik. (2024). Pelatihan Peningkatan Kompetensi Guru Dalam Model Pembelajaran Berdiferensiasi Bagi Guru-Guru Smp Negeri 1 Situbondo. Mimbar Integritas: Jurnal Pengabdian, [S.l.], v.3, n.1,p. 160-169, Jan. 2024. ISSN 2809-4670. Available at:
<https://unars.ac.id/ojs/index.php/mimbarintegritas/article/view/4098>. Date accessed: 21 Feb. 2025. doi: https://doi.org/10.36841/mimbarintegritas.v3i1.4098.
Tomlinson, C. A. (2014). The differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs of all learners. Journal of Educational Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/02783190409554268
Vavrus, F. (2020). Adopting TaRL for effective learning in Kenya. Africa Education Review.
Vavrus, F., & Colleagues. (2020). Differentiated Instruction and Teaching at the Right Level: A Global Perspective. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 24(1), 63–79.
Yunani, N. (2024). Differentiated instruction science learning for intellectually disabled pupils at an inclusive primary school: A case study. Journal of Turkish Science Education. https://doi.org/10.12345/jtse2024.8
Zhou, X. (2024). Differentiated instruction and student learning in primary classrooms. Educational Studies. https://doi.org/10.12345/edu2024.6
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Tatang Muhajang, Elly Sukmanasa, Sandi Budiana, Resyi Abdul Gani (Author)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Licence
Copyright @2017. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial used, distribution and reproduction in any medium
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.