© 2005 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2006 British Educational Communications and Technology Agency. Published by Blackwell Publishing, 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA. British Journal of Educational Technology Vol 37 No 2 2006 177–189 doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.2005.00527.x Blackwell Publishing Ltd.Oxford, UKBJETBritish Journal of Educational Technology0007-1013British Educational Communications and Technology Agency, 20052005372177189Articles Authoring tools and inclusive practiceBritish Journal of Educational Technology Curriculum authoring tools and inclusive classroom teaching practice: a longitudinal study Alan Bain and Robert John Parkes The authors are currently engaged in a study on the use of the impact of the Curriculum Authoring Tools on preservice teachers’ capacity to differentiate instruction, and appropriate associated professional language. Address for correspondence: Alan Bain, Charles Sturt University, Panorama Avenue, Bathurst, NSW, Australia 2795. Email: abain@csu.edu.au Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the longitudinal application of a suite of curriculum authoring tools (CATs) to inclusive classroom teaching practice in a secondary school setting. The study sought to establish whether the incorporation of the CATs into the teachers’ curriculum development and implementation covaried with improved implementation integrity of classroom teaching practice over time. A repeated measures design was used to establish whether those teachers with high levels of tool use also recorded higher levels of implementation integrity in their use of specific inclusive teaching practices. The effects of the tools were measured using 578 50- minute classroom observations gathered over a 2.5-year period. The results indicated that higher levels of implementation integrity in classroom practice covaried with the extent to which the tools were used for the design and implementation of curriculum. Introduction Responsiveness to learner diversity is increasingly viewed as a benchmark of school success as well as a major focus of efforts to make schools more inclusive (Ashman & Elkins, 2004; Berends, Bodilly & Nataraj Kirby, 2002; Kerzner-Lipsky & Gartner, 1997; Senge et al, 2000). Attaining this benchmark requires teachers to deploy well- researched learning and teaching approaches to differentiate classroom instruction. The skills required for differentiating classroom instruction include advanced knowl- edge of multiple instructional approaches, the capacity to teach students the skills necessary to function in groups, and the subsequent management of those groups, the development and implementation of differentiated learner expectations, and the provi- sion of feedback at different levels (Mastropieri & Scruggs, 2004). Teachers seeking to