Only the Names Have Been Changed: Ability Grouping Revisited

Autor/in	Worthy, Jo
Titel	Only the Names Have Been Changed: Ability Grouping Revisited
Quelle	In: Urban Review: Issues and Ideas in Public Education, 42 (2010) 4, S.271-295 (25 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0042-0972
DOI	10.1007/s11256-009-0134-1
Schlagwörter	Ability Grouping; Grade 6; Middle School Teachers; Language Arts; Teacher Attitudes; Instruction; Urban Schools; Parent School Relationship; Track System (Education) + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Homogene Gruppierung; Niveaugruppierung; Streaming; School year 06; 6. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 06; Middle school; Middle schools; Teacher; Teachers; Mittelschule; Mittelstufenschule; Lehrer; Lehrerin; Lehrende; Sprachkultur; Lehrerverhalten; Teaching process; Unterrichtsprozess; Urban area; Urban areas; School; Schools; Stadtregion; Stadt; Schule; Parent-school relationship; Parent school relationships; Parent-school relationships; Parent-school relation; Parent school relation; Eltern-Schule-Beziehung; Leistungsgruppe; Leistungsdifferenzierung
Abstract	In this paper, I employ a study of 25 sixth grade teachers of "regular" and "honors" language arts classes in a large urban district as a vehicle for discussing ability grouping. Despite not being asked any questions about grouping or differentiation, differences in students and instruction among the two class levels was a major focus of the teachers' responses. Most of the teachers' descriptions of students in regular classes were remarkably similar to negative descriptions from ability grouping and tracking research of the 1970s and 1980s, and the instruction they described was comparably limiting. The findings suggest that, among these teachers, euphemistic terms such as regular and "grade level," have replaced clear-cut terms used in the past ("basic" and "low"), making class leveling systems more confusing. Navigating this system is especially difficult for parents with social, cultural, and/or academic capital that does not match well with that of most school personnel. Implications for research and practice are addressed. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10