Miller 1

Kayden Miller

Mrs. Cramer

Comp Pd. 5

7 December 2018

The Different Advantages to Ability Grouping

Stephanie Tolan1, an American children’s book author and a senior fellow at the Institute

of Educational Advancement, once said, “you don’t have the moral right to hold one child back

to make another child feel better.” She believes that a child should be able to advance forward

with nothing holding them back, if the opportunity arises. Tolan’s statement refers to ability

grouping within schools. Ability grouping, also known as tracking, is the practice of putting

students with similar grades into small groups, a method were educators differentiate

instructions. The two kinds of ability grouping are within-class grouping and between-class

grouping. Between-class grouping is where a school separates student into different classes and

courses based on their grades. While within-class grouping is where a teacher separates students

of similar grades into small groups for reading and math. With ability grouping making a strong

comeback in the past decade and becoming more popular within schools, some people agree with

Stephanie Tolan, while others do not. Ability grouping within schools must be implemented

because it encourages the development of skills in critical thinking competencies and positive

social interactions.

1Allusion- Allusion is a reference to a famous person, group, historical event, places, or a work of art. This relates
to allusion because Stephanie Tolan is referring to an author who is an expert in her field.
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First, ability grouping in an educational environment, encourages the development of

skills within critical thinking competencies. The findings found in the study 2 indicated that face-

to-face instructional methods make a significant difference in student learning (Garside). This

shows that ability grouping benefits students by putting them face to face with teachers and

within groups of students with the same skill set 3. Working at a closer proximity with the

teachers made a difference because students were able to ask more questions and get more

detailed answers. Traditional learning methods are also known to show no significant differences

in critical thinking skills (Garside). Traditional learning methods are done in settings where there

are a large group of students that have different abilities. Where traditional education has large

groups of random students, ability grouped classes have been narrowed down to students with

similar scores and social skills. These results have shown that the traditional learning methods do

not help students in academics, while ability grouping has shown to raise students’ scores. Along

with the development of skills 4 in critical thinking competencies, it also shows the development

of positive social interactions.

Positive social interactions are also encouraged to develop with the implementation of

ability grouping within schools. Within (Hallinan and Sorensen) it was argued that the

assignment to the same instructional group increases opportunities for student interaction,

underscores student similarities, and produces new similarities, and that these factors foster

2 Ethos- Ethos is a means of convincing an audience via the authority or credibility of the persuader, be it a notable
or experienced figure in the field or even a popular celebrity. This is making a reference to ethos because when it is
talking about the study it is trying to convince the audience of its credibility.
3 Antithesis- Antithesis establishes a clear, contrasting relationship between two ideas joining them together, or

juxtaposing them, often in parallel structure. This is making a reference to antithesis because students’ is being
repeated when it is talking about the student's different skill sets within the courses and their interaction with the
teachers of the classes.
4 Anaphora- Anaphora is the repetition of a phrase or word, used for emphasis. This is making a reference to

anaphora because the repetition of the word “skills”, puts emphasis on the students compacity to learn and their
ability.
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friendship. Showing that the influence of positive friendships blossom, with the implementation

of ability grouping. The results also showed that the density of best friend choices within ability

groupings increases over time, the overlap between ability groups and cliques increases over

time, and membership in the same ability group has a positive effect on the probability that a

student will choose a peer as a best friend (Hallinan and Sorensen). Ability grouping gives

students a better chance to find friends, because it provides them with the proper setting to do so.

Ability grouping has positive benefits on social interactions, but people also think that it causes

these students to receive low quality instructions.

Conversely, opponents also claim that students5 in these lower groups receive lower

quality instructions, which contributes to the achievement gap. This is a false statement because

studies show that students do better within these classes. The students are put within these

classes, because of their abilities, grades, allow them to do so. They are involved in classes

where the quality of these students’ work is similar, so they ask similar questions to what other

students want to know. They have the teacher and other peers to ensure that they get a higher

quality of instruction. Also, the work is specifically tailored to fit the needs of the students within

these courses. This ensures that the students do not receive lower quality instructions. It also

ensures that it does not contribute to the achievement gap. The argument that lower groups

receive lower quality instruction, which contributes to the achievement gap is not true as shown

by the following reasons above.

Detractors of ability grouping state that the lower learning groups are disproportionately

filled with poor and minority students, according to the NEA Research Spotlight on Academic

5 Syllogism- Syllogism starts and argument with a reference to something general, and from this it draws a
conclusion about something more specific. This is making a reference to syllogism because students could be
generally referencing anyone, of any grade level or ability as long as they are a student within a school or are
learning something.
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Ability grouping. This argument is not true for multiple reasons. These reasons being, that

ability grouping of educational reasoning is available for anyone. Ability grouping has nothing to

do with the students' minority or wealth, it is completely based off of the student's ability to

perform within school. The classes are tailored not based on mental capability but towards

intellectual capability. Ability grouping is based on students' grades, and their overall ability to

keep up with the class, whether it is between-class or within-class grouping.4 The argument that

the lower learning groups within ability grouping are disproportionately filled with poor and

minority students is not true for the aforenoted reasons.

The benefit of developing skills in critical thinking competencies and positive social

interactions are why ability grouping should be within schools. Such as by having the courses

specifically tailored to fit the needs of the students and allowing the students to be within the

appropriate setting for their skill set. The setting includes them having students with the same

skills and the teacher are more available to help when problems arise. This allows the students to

be able to rely on their peers and create a friendlier environment. Ability grouping gives

students a better chance to find friends. The fact that the students all have the same mental

capacity makes finding friends an easier situation when done with ability grouping. Traditional

learning methods show no significant differences in critical thinking skills.

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Works Cited

Garside, Collen. "Look who's talking: A comparison of lecture and group discussion teaching

strategies in developing critical thinking skills." Communication Education, vol. 45, no.

3, 1996, pp. 212-27,

nca.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03634529609379050#.W_RIfejWGM8. Accessed 6

Dec. 2018.

Hallinan, Maureen T., and Aage B. Sorensen. "Ability Grouping and Student Friendships."

American Educational Research Journal, vol. 22, no. 4, 1 Jan. 1985, pp. 485-99,

doi:10.3102/00028312022004485. Accessed 6 Dec. 2018. Abstract.