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New in Canvas: Differentiation Tags
Posted on 08/14/2025
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Canvas has introduced a great new tool, Differentiation Tags, that makes it easier for instructors to customize instruction and communication for specific groups of students.
What Are Differentiation Tags?
Once enabled in your school’s admin settings, instructors can add private tags to students through the People tab in a course. These tags can then be used to:
- Assign work to a specific group of students
- Send targeted messages
- Filter grades in the gradebook
Unlike Canvas “Groups,” Differentiation Tags are invisible to students, making them ideal for tracking, accommodations, or differentiated instruction.
How You Might Use Tags
- Mark students who need specific accommodations or extra support
- Identify students by home language for language-specific resources
- Track progress of students who are at level, below level, or above level
How to Use in Your Course
- Go to the People section of your course.
- Select the students you want to tag.
- Click Tag As, then choose an existing tag or create a new one.
Tags only apply within the current course and do not transfer to other courses.
How to Enable (For Account Admins)
- In Feature Options, turn on Differentiation Tags.
- In Settings, scroll to Features and check the box for Differentiation Tags.
- Click Update Settings to save.
