discussions

608 course

Read the section on page 240 entitled, Research on Ability Grouping and Tracking.

Discuss your views and experiences regarding ability grouping and tracking.

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first student

Total views: 10 (Your views: 1)

The excerpt regarding research related to abiity grouping and tracking was quite interesting to me. As a Director of Special Education, students on our teacher's TOR caseloads may, at times, struggle with reading comprehension. As a result, some of our students are 'pulled' to a smaller group to receive specialized instruction.

However, over the past several years, we have shifted from the 'pull out' services and into a much more inclusion type setting. We believe that all children, as much as can benefit, are to receive grade level instruction within the general education setting. This helps to ensure that all kids, regardless of 'tracking' will receive the same instruction, same opportunities and receive it within the general education setting.

Having said that, I do agree with the authors and reserach data that suggests that tracking for elementary readers is rarely successful. However, we still must keep in mind kids will need instruction at their instructional level. While I agree that full blown tracking isn't the answer...and that all kids do need grade level instruction....we also need to provide those additional minutes at their instructional level

The second student

Ability grouping refers to placing students into groups according to their perceived academic abilities. Likewise, tracking refers to the school’s ability to offer a wide range of courses with varying difficulty levels. Students placed into particular groups and tracks are often determined by school personnel on the basis of standardized and nonstandardized testing and classroom performance. Students who perform well are often found on college-bound tracks, where students who do not perform well are on vocational tracks. This kind of program is designed to prepare students for their future.

Although designed with good intentions, ability grouping and tracking has resulted in more negative consequences than positive. Research has shown that this system leads to unfair labeling of a student early on and contributes to the educational achievement gap. There are also a number of emotional and psychological effects on students as a result of ability grouping and tracking. Not only does it impact self-esteem, I believe that it also reinforces a self-fulfilling prophecy for students (i.e., “I must not be smart enough to attend college if I’m in remedial classes”) and they will become self-defeating for the rest of their educational career. It is unfairly stereotyping based on one aspect of a student’s ability.

In my experiences, the students definitely held a prejudice against non-advanced students. Even teachers had negative views about teaching the remedial classes, and sometimes the average classes. The advanced placement classes had created a hierarchy of privilege or entitlement among teachers. Every teacher wanted to teach the advanced classes because those classes were considered “the best group of kids” with whom to work despite their background, as evident in Rachel’s Story.

If grouping and ability tracking will remain a permanent and inevitable entity of the education system, then the program for lower-ability groups needs to be changed to integrate more direct instructional time and more reading time. Perhaps the connotation of each group should also be removed to prevent prejudices by both students and teachers. I can understand the perception and good intentions of ability grouping and tracking, but research has shown it is doing more harm than good.

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