Grouping Practices: NC State DPI

Research Brief

Courtesy of

Effective Practices Section
School Improvement Division
North Carolina State Department of Public Instruction

(For additional related information, see the DPI website.)

Grouping Practices

Description

Grouping practices, also referred to as ability/homogeneous grouping or tracking, separate students according to their perceived achievement and ability. This is done to provide instruction based on their perceived achievement/ability levels. Grouping students in this manner can lead to a 'self-fulfilling' prophecy of low performance. The result is an achievement gap that is often permanent and irreversible.

Students are assigned to groups in a variety of ways:

Within-class grouping is most commonly practiced in elementary schools. A teacher may separate his or her students into groups based on their achievement levels, usually for reading and math. An elementary school may also do between-class grouping, separating students by perceived achievement level and placing them in a class for all day instruction.
Middle schools are more likely to practice between-class grouping. Schools that utilize a block schedule will keep students together throughout the day as they change classes.
High schools that group for instructional purposes use a varying form of between-class grouping, often referred to as 'tracking'. Students rarely have an opportunity to move up from the 'track' into which they have been assigned.

Evidence of Effectiveness

There is a little supporting evidence for the effectiveness of tracking or ability/homogeneous grouping. There IS evidence that

Tracking and ability grouping provide unequal educational opportunities and outcomes.
Instructional grouping is a primary mechanism for the resegregation of schools by race and socioeconomic class.
Ability labels lead to diminished self-esteem, low expectations, and resignation among students labeled low ability.
Rather than allowing slower students to catch up, ability grouping and tracking actually magnify differences in achievement and ability.

Implication for Instruction

Provide instruction for equality and equity in the heterogeneous classrooms by

utilizing integrated instruction
creating cooperative learning groups
team teaching or inclusionary practices
peer tutoring or cross-grade tutoring
grouping for specific skills instruction
utilizing parent/community volunteers

Proven Programs

Accelerated Schools Project encourages all students by providing an environment rich with learning activities and focuses on empowering the entire school community to have unified purpose.
For additional information contact Henry Levin, Director, Accelerated Schools Project, 402 S. CERAS, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-3084, 415-723-0840, or contact the Compensatory Education Section, NC Department of Public Instruction.
Comer School Development Program supports heterogeneous grouping and emphasizes family participation. The Comer Model trains teachers and counselors to work with all children, with parents and community and with each other to provide the student with a home and school environment conducive to learning. The Comer Model is the outcome of a complex interaction of six developmental pathways which are deemed equally important and essential in the understanding of the total child. These pathways include: physical, cognitive/intellectual, speech and language, psycho/emotional, social/interactive and moral development.
For additional information contact James Comer, Director, School Development Program, Yale Child Study Center, 230 S. Frontage Rd., P. O. Box 207900, New Haven, CT 06520-7900, 203-785-2548, or contact the Compensatory Education Section, NC Department of Public Instruction.
Junior Great Books encourages students to work in small integrated and heterogeneous discussion groups to analyze short works of fiction or non-fiction. The program emphasizes a philosophy of 'shared inquiry.'
For additional information, consult the most recent NDN catalog or contact Steve Craig, Editor, The Great Books Foundation, 35 E. Wacker Drive, Suite 2300, Chicago, IL 60601-2298, or contact Effective Practices Section, NC Department of Public Instruction.
Success for All is a school-wide program for pre-K through 5th grade students. Components include one-on-one tutoring and extended reading periods in which students are regrouped across age lines to focus on specific reading skills. The program heavily encourages cooperative learning strategies in which students work with partners and teams towards common goals. Two other major components include Family Support Teams to promote parent involvement and Staff Support Teams which serve as a catalyst for dissemination of instructional strategies.
For additional information, contact Robert Slavin, Center for the Social Organization of Schools, 3505 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, 410-516-8800), or contact the Compensatory Education Section, NC Department of Public Instruction.

Site(s)

To obtain information on sites, contact individuals/organizations listed above.

References

Ediger, Marlow, (1999). "Grouping for Instruction in Teaching Science." ERIC_NO: ED433229.

Elbaum, Batya;Vaughn, Sharon; Hughes, Marie; Moody, Sally; Watson, (1999). "Grouping Practices and Reading Outcomes for Students with Disabilities." Exceptional Children, 65, 3, 399-415.

Hill, Peter W.; Rowe, Kenneth J., (1998). "Modeling Student Progress in Studies of Educational Effectiveness." School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 9, 3, 310-33.

Rogers, Karen B., (1999) Using Current Research to Make "Good" Decisions About Grouping. NASSP Bulletin, 82, 595,m, 38-46.

Vaughn, Sharon; Moody, Sally Watson; Schumm, Jeanne Shay, (1998). "Broken Promises: Reading Instruction in the Resource Room." Exceptional Children, 64, 2, 211-25.