Differentiation serves multiple purposes Differentiation: helps teachers to develop processes to adapt lessons so that the needs of all students can be met, reduces learned helplessness in lower achieving students, prevents the higher achieving students from becoming bored, and reaches all students within their zone of proximal development so that they continue to progress. 1. low achievers (LA) performing below, or significantly below, curriculum standards; 2. students who are achieving at the grade level (MA); and 3. high achievers (HA) performing above, or significantly above, curriculum standards.