http://TeachEffectively.com/2008/06/12/ability_grouping_benefits/ Evidence-based teaching methods for helping students who are at risk for school failure or who have disabilities. Thu, 04 Dec 2008 03:00:03 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 http://TeachEffectively.com/2008/06/12/ability_grouping_benefits/#comment-68888 Fantastic Scholastic Wed, 10 Sep 2008 16:18:49 +0000 http://TeachEffectively.com/?p=491#comment-68888 It makes sense to me. If you have an extraordinary reader with someone who barely speaks english, there's a good chance that kid will get made fun of or try everything in his power to not read so he won't get made fun of. They may have had better outcomes in grouping by ability, but did they learn as much? It makes sense to me. If you have an extraordinary reader with someone who barely speaks english, there’s a good chance that kid will get made fun of or try everything in his power to not read so he won’t get made fun of. They may have had better outcomes in grouping by ability, but did they learn as much?

]]> http://TeachEffectively.com/2008/06/12/ability_grouping_benefits/#comment-68833 Lisa S Thu, 19 Jun 2008 13:49:39 +0000 http://TeachEffectively.com/?p=491#comment-68833 Okay, but then what? You are talking about kindergardeners and First Grade students. In isolation this sounds good, but it has been my observation as a lower-track high school English teacher that once tracked, students have a hard time growing out of the "low" label. I have met students who are incredibly bright and perfectly fluent in English in our lower track English classes in 11th grade. When I ask them about it, they say they were just put into these classes year after year. I understand we can say that we need to hold guidance counselors accountable, but in reality, the path of least resistance will often prevail. And, quite frankly, we know that in many cases laziness at best, and unfair bias at worst, will sadly come into play. So we are left with a very narrow specific benefit to early tracking resulting in a "rail roading" of some perfectly able and potentially high-achieving students into a life of medeocrity or worse. Does the research follow untracked students into later school years to see if they would overcome the problems caused by language anyway? In other words, does this early struggle with language lead to permanent under achievement, or once past that hurdle, and we all know children pick up language incredibly fast, do they achieve or not achieve at a statistically normal rate? And has the reasearcher considered that giving them extra help in Kindergarden, rather than letting them struggle and develop the language, is exactly why they do worse in First Grade? Okay, but then what? You are talking about kindergardeners and First Grade students. In isolation this sounds good, but it has been my observation as a lower-track high school English teacher that once tracked, students have a hard time growing out of the “low” label. I have met students who are incredibly bright and perfectly fluent in English in our lower track English classes in 11th grade. When I ask them about it, they say they were just put into these classes year after year. I understand we can say that we need to hold guidance counselors accountable, but in reality, the path of least resistance will often prevail. And, quite frankly, we know that in many cases laziness at best, and unfair bias at worst, will sadly come into play. So we are left with a very narrow specific benefit to early tracking resulting in a “rail roading” of some perfectly able and potentially high-achieving students into a life of medeocrity or worse. Does the research follow untracked students into later school years to see if they would overcome the problems caused by language anyway? In other words, does this early struggle with language lead to permanent under achievement, or once past that hurdle, and we all know children pick up language incredibly fast, do they achieve or not achieve at a statistically normal rate? And has the reasearcher considered that giving them extra help in Kindergarden, rather than letting them struggle and develop the language, is exactly why they do worse in First Grade?

]]>