Traditionally, giftedness was perceived as a fixed trait, exclusively evaluated through cognitive testing. However, contemporary perspectives view it as a dynamic and socially constructed attribute reflected in many domains. As this paradigm-shift aligns with global movements emphasizing the importance of avoiding labelling students and enhancing…

This essay considers what happens in the English classroom when teaching the same lesson to two classes considered to be of different levels of 'ability'. It explores what happens during a discussion about the fate of Eva Smith in "An Inspector Calls" when students' reading of a text diverges. I consider what teachers do when students'…

This article offers one teacher's thoughts about how the experience of having to teach students who had been labelled and grouped by 'ability' unsettled her practice. Such 'ability' thinking runs counter to her beliefs as a teacher. The article sheds light on ways in which practice can be re-fashioned in the light of principles associated with…

Evaluations of professional development programmes often seek to represent definitive outcomes, with phenomena posited as discrete, bounded and independent entities, and researchers positioned as external actors. An alternative is to understand the complexity of these relationships as entanglements by applying Baradian concepts. The value of this…

Educational opportunity is unequally distributed in the United States, most notably by race and economic status. Commonly practiced in K-12 schools across the country, tracking and ability grouping serve to exacerbate those existing inequities. Recent renewed activism for racial and economic justice, coupled with concerns over learning loss due to…

This article focuses on the unintended consequences of within-class ability grouping on primary students of mathematics. I review relevant research, including promising approaches to teaching in mixed ability settings. I then outline four ways in which these groupings are typically structured, discussing some of the issues that arise with each of…

This paper illustrates that focusing on processes of interaction is crucial to a closer understanding of mathematical learning processes in mixed-ability groups. In doing so, the paper's focus is on expounding a theoretical-methodological framework of an interactionist perspective in mathematics education. This framework interlinks sociological…

We propose a new approach to classroom learning based on sequential numeral-division. It builds on the concept of trichotomy -- division of students based on creamy-level, middle-level and weaker-level students -- proposed by the present authors. A sequenced series of formative assessments can map student progress and achievement, particularly in…

Facilitating a more responsive style of teaching in primary mathematics has implications for not only teaching practice, but also for how we plan for our learners. Grouping decisions, task selection and teacher confidence in mathematical content are important considerations when developing inquiring mathematical communities. This article…

With the rise of accountability policies since the early nineties, the daily operation of English schools has profoundly changed. Through the in-depth analysis of ability grouping practices in one English secondary school, this paper aims to explore how the accountability shift and datafication impacted the practice of student grouping and…

There is substantial evidence on the effectiveness of many forms of advanced education, especially various approaches to acceleration, ability grouping, and curricular innovations such as structured curriculum and enrichment. Nonetheless, additional research on the ways in which advanced education impacts the learning and lives of students across…

This article is about Pete's story. It is a story about introducing all-attainment teaching in a secondary school mathematics department and about espousing and enacting a pedagogy and set of practices to enable learning mathematics without limits.

The author, a reception/year 1 teacher at Maesycwmmer Primary School in South Wales, considers the holistic learning experience and his reflections on grouping and its impact. He says if primary science practitioners want science to be open and available to all, they need to think about how they make the subject accessible and subsequently…

This Data Point examines whether public schools in the United States used ability grouping (also referred to as tracking) as a method to organize classes or students. It uses data from the public school data file of the 2017-18 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), which is a national sample survey of public and private K-12 schools,…

This paper describes the development of the BE COOL! learning environment that gives all children, gifted and non-gifted, the opportunity to learn at a level matching their specific needs and abilities within the social context of regular education. BE COOL! uses the ability-adjusted jigsaw method, in which children of varying ability levels work…