Abilities Grouping

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the problems associated with abilities grouping in the schools. The author begins by explaining the reasoning and history of abilities grouping and then goes on to examine the negative consequences of such a system. The paper then argues that, instead of abilities grouping, assessment must be linked to more appropriate examples of actual intelligence levels, rather than structured and biased tests.

From the Paper:

"The arguments in favor of abilities tracking attest that when instructors are given a group of students who are comparable in their abilities they then have less struggle teaching them. Additionally, proponents of ability tracking also claim that the value of tracking, to identify those who are in need of additional help is crucial to their later success, even if that later success is inclusive only of remedial expectations. Some experts argue that ability grouping is not ability tracking and that the milder form of (ability grouping) is actually very helpful to students and instructors, as it attempts to meet needs with abilities, not only on the part of the student but also on the part of the educator."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Ansalone, G., & Biafora, F. (2004). Elementary School Teachers' Perceptions and Attitudes to the Educational Structure of Tracking. Education, 125(2), 249.
• Ede, A. (2006). Scripted Curriculum: Is It a Prescription for Success?. Childhood Education, 83(1), 29.
• Fiedler, E. D., Lange, R. E., & Winebrenner, S. (2002). In Search of Reality: Unraveling the Myths about Tracking, Ability Grouping, and the Gifted. Roeper Review, 24(3), 108.
• Gallagher, W. J. (2005). The Contradictory Nature of Professional Teaching Standards: Adjusting for Common Misunderstandings Professional Teaching Standards Are Often Burdened with Committee-Speak, Redundancy, Contradiction, and Lofty Pronouncements. but, Mr. Gallagher Argues, It Is the Standards' Incompatibility with Our Nation's Current Obsession with Standardized Testing That Is Most Exasperating. Phi Delta Kappan, 87(2), 112.
• Geoghegan, W. (1994). Re-placing the Arts in Education. Phi Delta Kappan, 75(6), 456.

More papers on Abilities Grouping:

• Analytical Essay # 69700 : "Tracking, Ability Grouping and Segregation"
• Research Proposal # 49092 : "Ability Grouping"
• Essay # 5515 : "Ability Grouping and Students"

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