The MS in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Program helps NYS-certified PreK-12 teachers more effectively teach and communicate with a diverse student population
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The EDDN 637 Differentiated Assessment
The EDDN 637 Discussion Board on Practice and Application with a Focus on Differentiated Assessment connects the principles of differentiation to the practical work of classroom teaching by focusing on lesson planning, authentic student products, reflection, and multimodal explanation. It is also a low-stakes grade preparation for a larger assignment later in the semester and serves as a knowledge check for me, the faculty. The answers my candidates provide are helpful for my commentary focused on the upcoming assignment. A central feature of the assignment is the use of anonymized student products. These products provide concrete evidence of how differentiation functions in practice. Rather than discussing differentiation only in theory, the assignment requires analyzing real student work and demonstrates how assessment can be adjusted while maintaining meaningful learning goals.
Dionysia Di Meo is an experienced educator and NYS‑licensed bilingual (Greek) Speech‑Language Pathologist specializing in pediatric language/phonological disorders, dysphagia, and Autism Spectrum Disorders. She has extensive experience in Early Intervention, holds TSSLD certification, and is pursuing an Advanced Certificate in TESOL at Touro University. An aspiring polyglot, she is learning Italian, Spanish, and Turkish, and teaches Greek Language, History, and Culture at a National Blue Ribbon School.
Through Touro’s TESOL program, I learned that the most powerful classrooms are built on scaffolds, not shortcuts – meeting Multilingual Learners where they are and believing in where they can go.
Dionysia Di Meo, Touro University TESOL Candidate
Featuring my teacher candidates’ work in my TESOL blog is an intentional pedagogical practice that recognizes them as emerging professionals whose ideas, reflections, and instructional designs deserve visibility within the field. It makes the complex process of becoming a TESOL educator visible by showcasing how candidates connect coursework, theory, fieldwork, and multilingual learner advocacy in authentic classroom contexts. Most importantly, it positions my candidates not simply as students completing assignments, but as capable, praxis-oriented future educators whose developing expertise, creativity, and professional voices contribute meaningfully to the broader educational community. Below is the exemplary DB submitted by my candidate Dionysia Di Meo:
Dr. J's Education Blog 