ABILITY GROUPING

Ability Grouping



Ability Grouping

Introduction

Thomas Jefferson stated? "Nothing is so unequal as the equal treatment of unequal people" (Fiedler? 2002). Yet? with the current trends in education? all students are placed in the same educational setting? regardless of their individual needs. Educational trends are leading all students to be placed in one mixed-ability classroom? and specialized classrooms are viewed as a form of discrimination. The disparities between exceptional students' rights and special needs students' rights are astonishing. Consider for example? in 1993? U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley reported that only 2 cents of every $100 spent on pre-collegiate education in 1990 went to gifted programs. And the 1996 federal budget allocated $3 million for gifted education. We spend far more on education for children with disabilities than on children with gifts (Winner? 1996). Gifted children are usually bored and unengaged in school and therefore not reaching their potential (Winner? 1996). With the current trends to provide heterogeneous classrooms for all students educators are failing to meet the academic needs of the gifted children.

Discussion

Ability grouping has a long history that began as early as the 1960s (Sharpes? 1999). There are many forms of grouping? which can affect the consistency of research. For example? the most extreme form of ability grouping is tracking. Tracking involves placing students according to their general measure of academic ability and arranging students in tracks ranging from the highest to the lowest. The students remain in these homogenous tracks for all content areas. One difficulty with tracking is the inability of students to move from one track to another? disregarding any changes due to environmental? maturation? or instructional effectiveness or ineffectiveness (Borland? 2002). The academic and vocation tracks can often be found in secondary schools.

Ability grouping has a long history that began as early as the 1960s (Sharpes? 1999). There are many forms of grouping? which can affect the consistency of research. For example? the most extreme form of ability grouping is tracking. Tracking involves placing students according to their general measure of academic ability and arranging students in tracks ranging from the highest to the lowest. The students remain in these homogenous tracks for all content areas. One difficulty with tracking is the inability of students to move from one track to another? disregarding any changes due to environmental? maturation? or instructional effectiveness or ineffectiveness (Borland? 2002). The academic and vocation tracks can often be found in secondary schools.

Ability grouping for mathematics and reading instruction is common at the elementary and junior high levels. A large national survey of 1988 found that about 86% of U.S. public-school students in middle and high schools are placed in ability-grouped classes for math instruction. Grouping is typically arranged for subjects like mathematics? where marked differences in readiness? interest? and skill are evidenced among students (Tice? 1997). Substantial differences in mathematics performance as a function of mathematics course content have been well documented as early as grade 8 (Brewer? 1995). Ability grouping for the acceleration of the curriculum ...