Article on benefits of eliminating math tracking

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The best scenario is to have students together in the same classroom (tracking is legalized segregation), but receiving flexible small group instruction. Whole group instruction never helps or works as there’s no way that all students in a class ever need the exact same thing in the same way at the same time. Differentiation is always needed.

Whose best scenario is this? You want teachers to plan and prepare multiple levels of instruction daily. You want students to independently learn for the majority of the period. And this is post COVID when behaviors are out of control and students can’t work independently without having major classroom behaviors.

Math should be ability grouped so kids can learn at the pace they need.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The best scenario is to have students together in the same classroom (tracking is legalized segregation), but receiving flexible small group instruction. Whole group instruction never helps or works as there’s no way that all students in a class ever need the exact same thing in the same way at the same time. Differentiation is always needed.

For kids who are advanced what does “flexible small group instruction mean?” Wouldn’t that just be the same thing as an advanced track but in the same classroom?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The best scenario is to have students together in the same classroom (tracking is legalized segregation), but receiving flexible small group instruction. Whole group instruction never helps or works as there’s no way that all students in a class ever need the exact same thing in the same way at the same time. Differentiation is always needed.

Whose best scenario is this? You want teachers to plan and prepare multiple levels of instruction daily. You want students to independently learn for the majority of the period. And this is post COVID when behaviors are out of control and students can’t work independently without having major classroom behaviors.

Math should be ability grouped so kids can learn at the pace they need.

I think that a lot of studies and other educational ideas might be sound in theory but don’t consider how it will impact the teachers. They cannot possibly implement everything that people say is best practice. This is what is happening in my son’s school and it just means that the teacher doesn’t implement any of these things well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The best scenario is to have students together in the same classroom (tracking is legalized segregation), but receiving flexible small group instruction. Whole group instruction never helps or works as there’s no way that all students in a class ever need the exact same thing in the same way at the same time. Differentiation is always needed.

Whose best scenario is this? You want teachers to plan and prepare multiple levels of instruction daily. You want students to independently learn for the majority of the period. And this is post COVID when behaviors are out of control and students can’t work independently without having major classroom behaviors.

Math should be ability grouped so kids can learn at the pace they need.

I think that a lot of studies and other educational ideas might be sound in theory but don’t consider how it will impact the teachers. They cannot possibly implement everything that people say is best practice. This is what is happening in my son’s school and it just means that the teacher doesn’t implement any of these things well.

+1
We are asking teachers to do an impossible job right now. And any parent of a quicker kid knows that ability grouping means they almost never meet with the teacher and/or end up on the computer a lot. That’s not what most want for their kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The best scenario is to have students together in the same classroom (tracking is legalized segregation), but receiving flexible small group instruction. Whole group instruction never helps or works as there’s no way that all students in a class ever need the exact same thing in the same way at the same time. Differentiation is always needed.

This isn't a best scenario at all. And direct instruction, whole group instruction, works well. Just not in a heterogeneous classroom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:(tracking is legalized segregation)

As is age grouping.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The best scenario is to have students together in the same classroom (tracking is legalized segregation), but receiving flexible small group instruction. Whole group instruction never helps or works as there’s no way that all students in a class ever need the exact same thing in the same way at the same time. Differentiation is always needed.

This works in early elementary school where kids only have a 10 minute attention span, but in high school it would mean kids getting far less instruction and help. In a leveled class the teacher might spend 30 minutes lecturing and then 15 minutes helping students while they work on problems. If you have three math groups in the classroom all at different levels, then the teacher spends 20 minutes instructing each group at their level and zero time answering student questions as they work.

[Anonymous]

I do think there should be options for kids to "catch up" to move ahead levels in tracking. You shouldn't be placed on a certain track as a 10 yo with no chance to mature and move to a more advanced track. This probably requires summer class options, as well as tutoring options during the school year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do think there should be options for kids to "catch up" to move ahead levels in tracking. You shouldn't be placed on a certain track as a 10 yo with no chance to mature and move to a more advanced track. This probably requires summer class options, as well as tutoring options during the school year.

That’s totally true, and it seems like those things would be much easier to implement than having teachers try to teach all different ability levels. Or maybe it would mean less work for teachers and more for admin so it’ll never happen?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The best scenario is to have students together in the same classroom (tracking is legalized segregation), but receiving flexible small group instruction. Whole group instruction never helps or works as there’s no way that all students in a class ever need the exact same thing in the same way at the same time. Differentiation is always needed.

You can’t be serious. Unless you have a separate instructor for each ability group in the class, it would be impossible for the teacher to get through a whole year’s worth of instruction/material for each ability group.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The best scenario is to have students together in the same classroom (tracking is legalized segregation), but receiving flexible small group instruction. Whole group instruction never helps or works as there’s no way that all students in a class ever need the exact same thing in the same way at the same time. Differentiation is always needed.

You can’t be serious. Unless you have a separate instructor for each ability group in the class, it would be impossible for the teacher to get through a whole year’s worth of instruction/material for each ability group.

Well I think you’re both right. The ideal is just that—an ideal that is impossible to achieve.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The best scenario is to have students together in the same classroom (tracking is legalized segregation), but receiving flexible small group instruction. Whole group instruction never helps or works as there’s no way that all students in a class ever need the exact same thing in the same way at the same time. Differentiation is always needed.

This works in early elementary school where kids only have a 10 minute attention span, but in high school it would mean kids getting far less instruction and help. In a leveled class the teacher might spend 30 minutes lecturing and then 15 minutes helping students while they work on problems. If you have three math groups in the classroom all at different levels, then the teacher spends 20 minutes instructing each group at their level and zero time answering student questions as they work.

I high school it would mean that you'd have a teacher with a class of senior having to teach calc BC or linear algebra to a few kids, consumer math to a few others, and everything in between

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The best scenario is to have students together in the same classroom (tracking is legalized segregation), but receiving flexible small group instruction. Whole group instruction never helps or works as there’s no way that all students in a class ever need the exact same thing in the same way at the same time. Differentiation is always needed.

You can’t be serious. Unless you have a separate instructor for each ability group in the class, it would be impossible for the teacher to get through a whole year’s worth of instruction/material for each ability group.

Even in upper elementary this ideal is not working. When you have 28 students including students with 0 English and some with IEP’s and some with 504 with behaviors… it’s a lot.

[Anonymous]

I believe the opposite. Not only should math be tracked, but entire schools should be separated by ability levels, not just math, and sometimes English.

All teachers could teach more effectively if the ability of the students in their classroom was similar. They could more precisely target the needs of their students and work more efficiently and more effectively.

[Anonymous]

It may be bad for generally smart and well behaved kids to fall off the highest tracks because so many of their classmates aren’t smart or most importantly well behaved or motivated.
This is the only drawback of tracking I am seeing.
At the same time, tracking in MS is a subtle way to avoid all the worst peers. Our MS uses discreet ELA tracking as well and often the scheduling is driven by math tracking as well.