Advocates a quantitative sociological approach to measuring curriculum differentiation and its effects. Research should combine survey with observational methods to examine measures of track organization and instructional activities that are sensitive to organizational and instructional conditions that differ across schools. (Author/BJV)

An introductory editorial essay on responding differently to student differences, the theme of this issue of "Educational Leadership." Addresses problems arising from discrimination and tracking, and cites articles that show how dissimilar students can work together. (TE)

Investigates student teachers' and beginning teachers' perceptions of the low reading group. Finds that student and beginning teachers perceive low reading groups significantly more negatively than they regard high reading groups. Notes that student teachers' perceptions at the start of their assignment were retained upon completion of their…

Reports on a study of student characteristics and the school organization to confirm the findings of previous studies on the importance of individual characteristics to track placement. Concludes that systematic differences among schools suggest that track placement is more complex than previous research has shown. (CFR)

The perceptions of 175 gifted education teachers and 147 middle-school teachers concerning gifted education needs were compared. Gifted educators disagreed with proponents of cooperative learning concerning student needs and disagreed with middle-school educators on the value of ability grouping and the social consequences of being labeled gifted.…

Examines the origins of small-group learning and distinguishes cooperative learning from other methods. Highlights include assessing the effects of cooperative learning, including cognitive effects; designing effective software for cooperative groups, including accountability, interdependence, interaction, ability grouping, age, collaborative…

Researches teachers' views on the value of officially recommended methods of "differentiation" for able pupils in primary and secondary classrooms. Concludes that teachers are more subtle in their use of the methods than official recommendations allow for, and that no single method can be applied without an understanding of context. (DSK)

Describes a survey of students from the Open University of Hong Kong that compared high achievers and low achievers as defined by performances on scores over four consecutive semesters. Discusses locus of control; metacognition; locus of control and achievement motivation; and implications for instructional design, materials development, and…

Students enrolled in regular, special, or gifted education have much to offer society and should not be consigned to the quarantines of separate schooling, as in the case of "Plessy." Older tracking and assessment models have outlived their usefulness within the current context of a multicultural society. (Contains 20 references.) (MLH)

The regression-discontinuity design was used to study the cumulative effect of ability grouping in mathematics in Israeli junior high schools. Results from a final sample of 1,169 seventh graders show that placement in ability groups increases the gap between students at different grade levels. (SLD)

Describes the development of a computer-based learning courseware that presented associative learning between abstract and concrete domains and discusses results of a study of college students that determined whether various audio-visual combinations and differences in IQ levels influenced learning and long-term retention using the courseware.…

This reprint of a previously published article describes a study that examined the relationship of six commonly held myths regarding ability grouping to educators' efforts to provide the best instructional programs for all students. The article is preceded by a commentary stressing the need for appropriate services. (Contains references.) (CR)

This study examines tracking--the practice of grouping students into separate classes or courses based on their prior academic achievement--at the middle-school level, and the percentage of high-achieving students in tracked and untracked schools. It focuses on Massachusetts, a leader in "reforming" tracking, and the changes that have…

The educational tracking system raises highly controversial issues. This book offers both the viewpoints of researchers who have grappled with the issue of tracking and the personal experiences of school staff who have wrestled with the issue of whether or not to track instruction. It presents summaries of interviews that were conducted with three…

The findings of a review of research into setting and streaming (ways of grouping pupils according to ability) in primary and secondary schools in Scotland are presented. The review was conducted according to the best evidence synthesis model, as set out by Slavin (1986). The review relied on findings of Slavin's meta-analyses, as well as adding…