My Opinion on Grouping Students by Ability in School Essay

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My Opinion on Grouping Students by Ability in School

One of the oldest and the most controversial forms of education is the ability grouping of students. It has always been a topic of debate among academic researchers and child psychologists whether students should be differentiated and grouped according to their academic aptitude.

Even after years of debates and controversies about this dynamic topic, the question has still been persistent - does grouping students by ability work? Ability grouping can be within the classroom or by separating students into classrooms based on ability.

Many believe that rather than maintaining heterogeneous classrooms, homogeneous classrooms created based on aptitude would be more effective and worthwhile. Other experts believe that this may create a feeling of inferiority among students who are not in the "smarter" classrooms, which could result in depression, lack of concentration, and other destructive symptoms. In a comprehensive review of research on different types of ability grouping in elementary school, Robert E. Slavin (1986) found that some forms of grouping can result in increased student achievement. Slavin's review focused on five grouping plans.

1. Grouping students as a class by the ability for all subjects doesn't improve achievement.
2. Students grouped heterogeneously for most of the school day but regrouped according to the ability for one or two subjects, can improve achievement in those areas for which they are grouped.
3. Grouping heterogeneously except for reading instruction (commonly referred to as "The Joplin Plan") improves reading achievement.
4. Nongraded instruction. Instruction that groups students according to ability rather than age and that allows students to progress at their own rates can result in improved achievement.
5. In-class grouping is a common approach in which teachers break out two or three ability-based groups within a class for instruction that can benefit student achievement. (Slavin's research supports this practice for math instruction. Findings related to reading instruction aren't as conclusive; in-class grouping is so widespread a practice for teaching reading that it's difficult to find "control groups" for such a comparative study.)

Is Ability Grouping Legal?

Writing in Harvard Educational Review (see Resources below), Kevin G. Welner and Jeanne Oakes assert that the courts can play an important role in "detracking" America's schools. They point to research (Fullwood, 1991) that revealed that 53 percent of White Americans regarded African Americans as likely to be less intelligent than Whites; 55 percent of White Americans felt Latinos were likely to be less intelligent than Whites. Where does that perception come from? The perception might be based, in part, on school systems that track their students according to ability. Brown v. Board of Education (1954) might have started the era of desegregation, Oakes says, but ability grouping has canceled out many of the possible benefits of that landmark decision. Tracking, in many cases, is just another form of racial segregation. One test of the use of ability grouping was highlighted in an article that appeared in the magazine Principal (see Resources below). In that article, authors Perry A. Zirkel and Ivan B. Gluckman wrote:

Approximately half the students in the Augusta, Arkansas, school district are African American. The district has used ability grouping since 1970 when it was forced to dismantle its segregated system. In 1991, an African American parent filed suit, claiming that the district's ability grouping and placement practices violated the Fourteenth Amendment's equal protection clause.

In 1992, the district changed its policy of maintaining three homogeneous ability groups (low, middle, and high) for each class, an arrangement that saw a disproportionate number of African American students in the lower ability groups. Under the new policy, grades K-3 would gradually move from homogenous to heterogeneous grouping over a three-year period, and grades 4-6 would retain homogenous grouping only for math, reading, and language arts under a so-called "modified Joplin plan."

The court decided that the Augusta district's pervasive ability grouping policy for grades K-3 violated the Fourteenth Amendment, but that the modified Joplin plan for grades 4-6 did not violate the Constitution [Simmons v. Hooks, 843 F. Supp. 1296 (E.D. Ark. 1994)]. The difference appeared to be the evidence, in the form of expert testimony, that grouping for reading had beneficial effects that outweighed the stigma of homogeneity.

In their conclusion, Zirkel, and Gluckman note, "the legal boundaries are, on the whole, notably broad with regard to ability grouping. Principals should recognize that the answer to the issue of heterogeneous versus homogeneous groups is in many cases a matter for educators, not judges, to determine."

Thus, during a discussion about ability grouping, it is important to consider all the pros and cons.

Advantages of Ability Grouping

Proponents of ability grouping use the following arguments in support of their stance-:

1. Increases pace: Ability grouping helps in placing similar students in one classroom or group. Thus, it helps in increasing the pace of advancement of the study skills of the students at higher levels of ability. The higher-standard students can grasp concepts within a shorter time as compared to other students and can be allowed to move forward. Otherwise, in a heterogeneous classroom, the better students would have to wait for the others to understand a particular topic, as a result losing time and decreasing the pace of their growth and development.
2. Individual attention: Providing individual attention is difficult in a heterogeneous classroom since teachers almost have no choice but to give equal attention to all students present. However, in the case of a homogeneous classroom, teachers can concentrate on teaching the students at the pace of that particular group, thus enhancing their learning process and helping them to pick up the lessons faster than otherwise.
3. Boosts confidence: In a heterogeneous classroom, the weaker students sometimes have self-concept issues due to the presence of more intelligent students who grab the upper ranks in class. But in the case of a homogeneous classroom, the other students are at about the same level. Thus, it boosts their self-confidence and determination.

Disadvantages of Ability Grouping

Those against ability grouping use the following arguments to discourage its use -:

1. Feelings of segregation: Dividing students into classes based on ability can be difficult for young students to manage, and can set up a kind of "caste system" within our schools, causing unnecessary division and arguments.
2. Methods of division: What system can be used to divide students that is fair and equitable? Standardized tests may not accurately reflect the abilities of the students, and some students could be placed in the wrong groups.
3. Teacher expectations: Even if they did not do so consciously, teachers may treat students in the different groups as superior or inferior based on their groupings, leading to the perception by the students that they are not talented enough to do as well as their peers in other groups.

If a school is considering the possibility of using ability grouping as an educational tool, it should be helped by making it consider the above advantages and disadvantages before making any policy decisions.

 

Work Cited

Ability Grouping: The New Susceptibility of School Tracking Systems to Legal Challenges

Welner, Oakes, Kevin G. and Jeanne, Harvard Educational Review, Fall 1996.

It's the Law: Ability Grouping

Zirkel, Gluckman, Perry A. and Ivan B., Principal, September 1995.