What is compacting in differentiation?

• A. Extending content for all students
• B. Providing extra practice
• C. Streamlining or skipping mastered content to spend time on higher-level or extended activities
• D. Delaying instruction until mastery is shown

Answer: (C)

Compacting is a differentiation strategy that streamlines learning for students who have already demonstrated mastery of certain material. After using pre-assessments or quick checks to confirm what a student knows, the teacher skips or reduces the repetitive parts of that content. The freed time is then spent on higher-level tasks, extended projects, or more challenging applications, instead of drilling what has already been learned. This keeps instruction efficient and appropriately challenging for advanced learners without slowing down those who need more time on new concepts. It’s not about adding content for everyone, providing extra practice to all students, or delaying new material; it’s about removing redundancy so students can move on to richer learning experiences.