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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Not a PP, but if you're at Nottingham, we do not switch classes for ability levels.  There is some pull out and push in with the gifted teacher, and the kids are in ability groups within the classroom[/quote]

Do you think ability grouping works well in the classroom or is it too much for the teacher to teach to so many levels?[/quote]

It seems to work reasonably well.  My second grade DS is an extremely advanced reader and they have him in a group with two other kids who are also very advanced.  Instead of doing some of the more basic language arts things I remember my older child doing in second grade his group is doing a "literature circle" and discussing some more advanced topics like author's motivation etc.  Rather than just learning about what "persuasive writing" is, they've delved deeper and talked about why it persuades, different ways to persuade etc.  My older DS is not a strong reader, and I imagine he's probably in the lowest reading group (no one says "your child is in the lowest reading group", but I can't see how he wouldn't be).  I know he still does a good bit of the all class discussion on big picture topics, but he definitely has lower level words for word study.  I'm not in the classroom often, so it's hard to say if he's getting everything he needs or if the teachers are just teaching to the top of the class.

For math I don't see a ton of differentiation.  Both my kids are really strong at math and grasp concepts very quickly - and it seems like they are doing the same type of lesson as their peers.  To be honest though, I'm more of a words person than a math person, so I'm not sure how you do gifted math while still covering the same topics.  I can understand moving at a faster pace (which I don't believe happens) but I don't know how to delve deeper into the same subject (which is what I see them do in language arts).  It's possible that it's happening and I just don't know.  My kids are probably on the slightly above average, but not gifted, range for math though, so there may be something for other kids.  I haven't had any complaints about them moving too slow in math or not being able to instruct my child and that's not something I've heard other parents talk about, so I'm guessing that math differentiation within the classroom is working ok.

The school does have gifted pull outs, but we don't participate so I don't know how those work.[/quote]

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