In educational policy,  all students’ right to flourish is founded in the Education Act (SFS 2010:800). During the 30 years since the Salamanca Declaration, many efforts have been made to make education and schools more inclusive for learners of diverse abilities.  Nevertheless, both in previous research and in documents produced by official policy agents, a recurring claim is that not enough support is given to the development of students who are ahead in ther learning. For example, the School Inspectorate (2010, 2016, 2018) points to a need to support to such students as a matter of equity. 

Applied to the teaching of English, this problem relates, for example, to students who are native speakers, students who are highly able in what has been described as extra-mural English activities (Sundquist 2009), and students who are defined as linguistically able or even gifted in the area of language (Sims 2021). Frequently identified consequences for these students are that they have to wait for their peers, that they are given ad hoc activities below their level of ability, and that they have to rehearse already attained skills (Sims 2023).

Drawing on Tomlinson’s (1996) theory of differentiated teaching, this project explores the extent to which exercises and texts in English textbooks in Middle school education may potentially stimulate students of diverse abilities; in short, the project aims to assess the books’ level of adaptivity (Bardy et al. 2021). The sample consists of the four series of the most sold textbooks on the Swedish market accordning to Läromedia. 

Tentative conclusions include the notion that few opportunities for differentiation are available within the books. While some differentiation appears possible, the books are not sufficiently sensitive to the diverse needs of students of mixed-ability classrooms. Therefore, it could be concluded that the current approach is insufficient in facilitating successful language acquisition for all students.

As a way forward, we suggest the possibility of replacing textbooks with the more dynamic and authentic tool found in fiction as the centre of  teaching.