Ability grouping helps top students, and doesn't hurt weak studentshttps://www.joannejacobs.com/post/ability-grouping-helps-top-students-and-doesn-t-hurt-weak-studentsPlacing all students in the same class is supposed to help low achievers aim higher without hurting high achievers, in theory Teachers are told to "differentiate" instruction to meet the needs of students at very different levels.
But does it actually work that way?
Strong students learn less math in mixed classes, concludes a new Education Endowment Foundation study of English middle schools, reports Richard Adams in The Guardian. Weaker students, as judged by prior math achievement, do about the same whether they're in mixed classes or lower-track classes, University College London (UCL) researchers found. Furthermore, students placed in lower-track classes were more confident of their math abilities than those in mixed classes.
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Teaching mixed classrooms is increasingly difficult, write Scott J. Peters and Jonathan Plucker. "The typical American classroom includes students that span three to seven grade levels of achievement mastery."
My emphasis. Clearly, one size cannot fit all. No matter what ability level(s) on which a teacher in such a mixed class focuses, many students will be unchallenged and/or left behind.
In 7th Grade I was in a mid-level Math class for some reason ("Y" out of "X", "Y", and "Z"). It was less than challenging, and courtesy of the teacher having extra credit questions on tests I got a slightly cringe-worthy "A+". The following year I was in "X", high-level, Math, and it was a much better fit ... and more engaging.
