So you’ve been assigned both honors science and college-prep science students this year. Whether you have two different classes or a group of mixed ability students, you know differentiating for them isn’t just about changing the textbook or assigning a few extra problems. The differences go deeper—how students think, how fast they move, how much support they need, and how they respond to challenge. While both groups can engage in meaningful, rigorous science learning, the way we approach instruction often needs to shift depending on the group. In this post, we’ll look at some key ways to differentiate between honors and college-prep students—not just on paper, but in how we teach, question, assess, and support them in the classroom.

1. Pace

• Honors Science: You can assume more prior knowledge from these students, which allows you to move through fundamentals or review material quickly at the beginning of the year. Honors students generally need less practice on new concepts, as well. Practice can often be assigned as homework rather than having guided time in class, which keeps a higher pace of content.
• College-Prep Science: Spend more time reinforcing key concepts with these students before moving on, helping students build a strong foundation that will be carried through to future units.
• Example: In my chemistry units, I’ve provided optional problem sets which allow for more practice for college-prep students that may need more repetitive practice.

2. Depth

• Honors Science: These students can handle diving deeper into the nuances of specific topics. Although state standards still need to be met, you may spend more time analyzing the “why” of particular concepts rather than just the “how”.
• College-Prep Science: These students are more focused on simply meeting state standards. Content remains more surface-level to prevent them from being overwhelmed.
• Examples: In my Biology course, I spend additional time discussing the details of photosynthesis and cellular respiration with honors students, whereas college-prep students are simply focused on the overall inputs and outputs of the reactions. Honors students also discuss dihybrid crosses and gene linkage when learning genetics, while college-prep students continue to practice types of monohybrid crosses.

3. Higher-Order Thinking

• Honors Science: Use higher-order questioning (analysis, synthesis, evaluation) with these students. Push students to justify their reasoning, critique data, or predict experimental outcomes. I often have honors students use more CER analysis rather than simply answering questions.
• College-Prep Science: Use more guided questioning with these students to prevent overwhelm. Ask students to explain steps, summarize findings, or identify cause-and-effect relationships. The focus here is more on remembering and understanding with a more guided approach to applying concepts.
• Example: All of my courses use extension pages, which provide in which students can draw and interpret graphs, analyze data, or critique real-world applications of the content. They are an easy way to add in critical thinking questions or provide extra depth for honors science students.

4. Lab Explorations

• Honors: Give these students more independence in labs—less step-by-step instruction, more emphasis on experimental design, error analysis, and written conclusions. Allow them to design their own lab procedures, as long as they are teacher-approved for safety before completing the experiment.
• College-Prep: Provide these students with more structure with clear procedures. Focus on lab skills, data collection, and interpreting results with support.
• Example: When discussing marine water pollution, you may let honors students create their own lab procedure for cleaning up oil spills using a variety of materials rather than providing them with the lab procedure.

5. Content Integration

• Honors Science: Content from different units can be blended, allowing you to discuss content in a holistic way. Integrating previously-learned content shows continuity of the content and provides a more unified approach to science.
• College-Prep Science: These students may get overwhelmed when bringing in content from other units and often do better with a unit-focused approach.
• Examples: In my Chemistry course, honors students regularly need to write and balance their own chemical equations throughout the course, whereas college-prep students are often given the equation to balance or analyze unless writing equations is the specific content being assessed. In my Anatomy course, I include case studies for honors students, which focus on one body system while integrating anatomy and physiology from other body systems, as well.

6. Independent Research or Projects

• Honors Science: Providing opportunities for independent projects allows these students to hone their research and public speaking skills. If you encourage interest-led projects, students can focus on areas of science for which they have a particular passion or interest. Lab reports can be another type of independent project- either completed truly on their own or in a lab group.
• College-prep Science: These students may do projects, but work is often primarily accomplished in class which provides for more opportunities to ask questions and receive guidance. Projects may be more focused rather than individually chosen.
• Examples: Many teachers incorporate independent reading outside of class for honors students using a fiction book that is related to the course content. Although I haven’t used this in my courses, I have included many guided and independent projects, and I’ve also used student-led projects as alternative assessments for honors students.

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Tips for Mixed-Ability Classes:

If you’re teaching both honors and college-prep students in the same class (or levels are not clearly separated), you can build flexible pacing into your lessons:

• Use “must-do, should-do, could-do” tasks.
• Use extension pages for additional honors content that can be done quietly during class.
• Add some early finisher activities for students that work quickly.
• Offer checkpoints where students can either move on or opt into a review station.
• Encourage mixed-ability lab groups to provide leadership opportunities for honors students and extra guidance for college-prep students.

Differentiating between honors science students and college-prep students is about challenging students appropriately, not labeling their abilities. Whether you’re teaching two separate classes or managing a mixed group, adjustments in pacing, depth, questioning, and labs can help every student access rigorous science content. The goal isn’t to teach two entirely separate curriculums, but to create flexbile structures that support and challenge each learner.