Ability grouping
Encyclopedia
Ability grouping is the educational practice of grouping students by academic potential or past achievement.
Ability groups are usually small, informal groups formed within a single classroom. Assignment to an ability group is often short-term (never lasting longer than one school year), and varies by subject (Gamoran 1992). Assignment to an ability group is made by (and can be changed at any time by) the individual teacher, and is usually not recorded in student records. For example, a teacher may divide a typical mixed-ability classroom into three groups for a mathematics lesson
: those who need to review basic facts before proceeding with today's lesson, those who are ready to learn new material, and those who need a challenging assignment. For the next lesson, the teacher may revert to whole-class, mixed-ability instruction, or may assign students to different groups. Such grouping may be very fluid and temporary, such as when elementary
reading teachers place children into small reading groups whose members may change several times throughout the school year.
In a mixed-ability classroom, ability groups allow the teacher to target review, direct instruction, and advanced work to the needs of a small group, rather than attempting to meet the divergent needs of the entire class simultaneously (Slavin 1987).
Ability grouping is not synonymous with tracking
(Slavin 1987). Tracking differs from ability grouping by scale, permanence, and what students learn. While a teacher could easily move an individual student from the "red table" to "blue table" ability group, tracking is a formal designation that often persists throughout a students' entire school career. In a tracking system, the entire student population is assigned to different classes (or schools) according to their perceived academic potential. Students attend all classes only with students whose overall academic achievement is the same as their own. Among younger students, a tracked school may teach the same underlying subjects, such as reading and mathematics, in different styles, speeds, or depth. Among older students, the students in different tracks are usually given the opportunity to learn only subjects that are deemed appropriate for their track. For example, a student in a "college" track is usually not permitted to study blue-collar vocational skills like welding
.
Homogeneous grouping refers to grouping students solely with their academic peers, while heterogeneous grouping means that students are grouped with others of varying ability. Ability grouping can occur in either a heterogeneous or homogeneous classroom.
students:
Ability groups are usually small, informal groups formed within a single classroom. Assignment to an ability group is often short-term (never lasting longer than one school year), and varies by subject (Gamoran 1992). Assignment to an ability group is made by (and can be changed at any time by) the individual teacher, and is usually not recorded in student records. For example, a teacher may divide a typical mixed-ability classroom into three groups for a mathematics lesson
Lesson
A lesson is a structured period of time where learning is intended to occur. It involves one or more students being taught by a teacher or instructor...
: those who need to review basic facts before proceeding with today's lesson, those who are ready to learn new material, and those who need a challenging assignment. For the next lesson, the teacher may revert to whole-class, mixed-ability instruction, or may assign students to different groups. Such grouping may be very fluid and temporary, such as when elementary
Elementary
Elementary may refer to:*Elementary or Primary education, the first years of formal, structured education that occur during childhood*Elementary school, a school providing elementary or primary education*Elementary , 2007...
reading teachers place children into small reading groups whose members may change several times throughout the school year.
In a mixed-ability classroom, ability groups allow the teacher to target review, direct instruction, and advanced work to the needs of a small group, rather than attempting to meet the divergent needs of the entire class simultaneously (Slavin 1987).
Ability grouping is not synonymous with tracking
Tracking (education)
Tracking is separating pupils by academic ability into groups for all subjects or certain classes and curriculum within a school. It may be referred as streaming or phasing in certain schools. In a tracking system, the entire school population is assigned to classes according to whether the...
(Slavin 1987). Tracking differs from ability grouping by scale, permanence, and what students learn. While a teacher could easily move an individual student from the "red table" to "blue table" ability group, tracking is a formal designation that often persists throughout a students' entire school career. In a tracking system, the entire student population is assigned to different classes (or schools) according to their perceived academic potential. Students attend all classes only with students whose overall academic achievement is the same as their own. Among younger students, a tracked school may teach the same underlying subjects, such as reading and mathematics, in different styles, speeds, or depth. Among older students, the students in different tracks are usually given the opportunity to learn only subjects that are deemed appropriate for their track. For example, a student in a "college" track is usually not permitted to study blue-collar vocational skills like welding
Welding
Welding is a fabrication or sculptural process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by causing coalescence. This is often done by melting the workpieces and adding a filler material to form a pool of molten material that cools to become a strong joint, with pressure sometimes...
.
Homogeneous grouping refers to grouping students solely with their academic peers, while heterogeneous grouping means that students are grouped with others of varying ability. Ability grouping can occur in either a heterogeneous or homogeneous classroom.
Social effects
Social stigma can be reduced by giving groups neutral names (e.g., colors, rather than "remedial group"). Flexible group assignment and regular re-assignments reduces stigma (Aydin and Tugal 2005).Application to high-ability students
Rogers (2002) identifies the following as the most frequent forms of grouping for high-abilityGifted education
Gifted education is a broad term for special practices, procedures and theories used in the education of children who have been identified as gifted or talented...
students:
- Whole class strategies:
- Full-time ability classes or tracksTracking (education)Tracking is separating pupils by academic ability into groups for all subjects or certain classes and curriculum within a school. It may be referred as streaming or phasing in certain schools. In a tracking system, the entire school population is assigned to classes according to whether the...
. These include special schools for the gifted, full-time gifted programs or classes, and the school-within-a-school approach. - Untracked whole class instruction, the most common whole-class approach when others on this list are not utilized.
- Full-time ability classes or tracks
- Small group strategies:
- Gifted pull-outsGifted Pull-outGifted pull-outs are an educational approach in which gifted students are removed from a heterogeneous classroom to spend a portion of their time with academic peers...
- Cluster groupingCluster groupingCluster grouping is an educational process in which four to six gifted and talented and/or high achieving students are assigned to an otherwise heterogeneous classroom within their grade to be instructed by a teacher that has had specialized training in differentiating for gifted learners...
- Subject-based ability grouping
- Within-class ability grouping
- Like-ability cooperative grouping
- Cross-grade grouping by achievement level
- Peer tutoring dyads
- Mixed-ability cooperative grouping, the most small common group approach when others on this list are not utilized
- Gifted pull-outs