Tracking and Ability Grouping in the Middle School: Ten Tentative Truths

1993 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 17-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul S. George
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Ability Grouping

scholarly journals “You Need to Be More Responsible”: How Math Homework Operates as a Status-Reinforcing Process in School

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica McCrory Calarco ◽  
Ilana Horn ◽  
Grace A. Chen
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Parent Involvement ◽  
Standardized Testing ◽  
Student Outcomes ◽  
Ability Grouping ◽  
Ethnographic Study

Practices like ability grouping, tracking, and standardized testing operate as status-reinforcing processes—amplifying then naturalizing unequal student outcomes. Using a longitudinal, ethnographic study following students from elementary to middle school, we examine whether math homework can operate similarly. Because of inequalities in families’ resources for supporting homework, higher-SES students’ homework was more consistently complete and correct than lower-SES students’ homework. Teachers acknowledged these unequal homework production contexts. Yet, official policies treated homework as an individual endeavor, leading teachers to interpret and respond to homework in status-reinforcing ways. Students with consistently correct and complete homework were seen as responsible, capable, and motivated and rewarded with praise and opportunities. Other students were seen as irresponsible, incapable, and unmotivated; they were punished and docked points. These practices were status-enhancing for higher-SES students and status-degrading for lower-SES students. We discuss implications for homework policies, parent involvement, and interpretations of inequalities in school.

Middle School Ability Grouping and Student Achievement in Science and Mathematics

1992 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 205-227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas B. Hoffer
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Student Achievement ◽  
Ability Grouping ◽  
Social Background ◽  
Advanced Students ◽  
Achievement Growth ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Group Placement ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Positive Effect

This paper analyzes the effects of middle school ability grouping on cognitive achievement in mathematics and science. In contrast to most previous research on tracking, this analysis compares outcomes in grouped and nongrouped schools. The hypotheses tested here are, first, that ability grouping raises the aggregate level of student achievement and, second, that ability grouping achieves this end by increasing the learning of all students. Comparing average student achievement growth from the seventh to the ninth grades in grouped and nongrouped schools shows that overall gains from ability grouping in either subject are negligible, controlling for differences in student social background and initial levels of achievement. Comparing the achievement growth of nongrouped students and high- and low-group students shows that high-group placement generally has a weak positive effect while low-group placement has a stronger negative effect. Ability grouping thus appears to benefit advanced students, to harm slower students, and to have a negligible overall effect as the benefits and liabilities cancel each other out.

Adolescent Students Who Stutter: A Qualitative Exploration of School Experiences

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 1327-1336
Author(s):  
Tiffany R. Cobb ◽  
Derek E. Daniels ◽  
James Panico
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Middle School ◽  
Peer Relationships ◽  
Speech Therapy ◽  
School Setting ◽  
Image Data ◽  
School Experiences ◽  
Adolescent Students ◽  
Therapy Decision ◽  
Qualitative Phenomenological

Purpose The purpose of this study was to explore the ways in which adolescent students who stutter perceive their school experiences. Method This study used a qualitative, phenomenological research design. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 7 adolescent students who stutter (3 in middle school and 4 in high school). Participants were interviewed about their school experiences, including the effects of stuttering on academics, learning, teacher relationships, peer relationships, speech therapy experiences, and self-image. Data analysis consisted of transcribing interviews and analyzing them for emerging themes. Results Findings revealed that participants described a variety of experiences around the school setting. Participants reported less favorable middle school experiences. Middle school participants reflected more on teasing, bullying, and feelings of embarrassment, whereas high school participants revealed that teachers, staff, and peers were receptive and accepting of them and their stuttering. All participants reported that their speech therapy helped with classroom participation. Conclusions As a result of the participants' varied experiences, it is important to listen to and incorporate the voices of students who stutter into school, classroom, and therapy decision-making practices.

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