A teacher describes the use of cluster grouping to meet the needs of six gifted students in her heterogeneous classroom. Considered are the definition and rationale for cluster grouping, classroom structure, cluster identification and profile, facilitation of cluster curriculum differentiation, teacher perceptions, and student/parent perceptions.…

Describes five gifted elementary students and their programs: an Alaskan classroom delivery model centered on cluster grouping and differentiated thematic curricula; an Oregon pullout program focused on leadership and social skills; an Idaho hybrid program utilizing curriculum compacting; a Montana classroom model personalized at the building…

A commentary precedes this previously published article that presents different perspectives on the inclusion of gifted students in the heterogeneously grouped classroom. A professor advocates homogeneous ability grouping, a teacher explains how inclusion can be impractical, and a parent describes the benefits of appropriate placement. (Contains 3…

The good news is that the achievement gaps between racial and ethnic groups in the U.S. are smaller than they were several decades ago. The bad news is that progress stopped around 1990. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) continues to show large differences between the average scores of blacks and Hispanics on the one hand and…

This article relates the experience of Mrs. Vernon, who teaches two sections of an English course at her high school, and has evaluated her high- and low-track students based on cultural and social groups. She uses these evaluations to shape her expectations for the students' academic performance, their future life goals, and her daily method of…

Transforming schools into truly egalitarian institutions requires a holistic and integrated approach. Using a robust conception of "equality of condition", we examine key dimensions of equality that are central to both the purposes and processes of education: equality in educational and related resources; equality of respect and recognition;…

A random sample of primary-grade teachers from across the United States was surveyed about within-class ability grouping in reading. Sixty-three percent of participants reported using within-class ability groups. Groups are smaller and more flexible than those formed in the past, with teachers emphasizing teaching comprehension, reading…

Rockville Centre is a diverse, suburban school district serving approximately 3,500 students. Since 1981, the school has offered the International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma. The IB diploma, which began in Rockville Centre as a gifted and talented program, is a comprehensive and challenging course of study in all subject areas. In this article,…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of verbal interaction cues and ability grouping within a cooperative learning computer-based program. Two hundred thirty-one eighth graders in a required science class were grouped by ability and randomly assigned to homogeneous lower-ability, homogeneous higher-ability, or heterogeneous…

Grouping students by ability into courses with distinct curricula, or "tracking" as it is called in middle and high schools, has provoked a furious debate among educational scholars and practitioners. Research on tracking invariably characterizes the practice as a school-level, unitary phenomenon; schools are depicted as either tracked…

This paper examines the implementation of California's 1987 policy promoting the untracking of middle schools, a reform endorsed by the state in both "Caught in the Middle" (1987) and the "English-Language Arts Framework (1987)." Specifically, the paper looks at changes in eighth-grade English tracking policies for a sample of…

The controversy about ability grouping in education boils down to a conflict between the educational goals of excellence and of equity. There is considerable evidence that ability grouping is effective in producing learning, but not for all students. This study addresses substantive issues raised in previous research, exploring whether ability…

Critics of academic tracking argue that it perpetuates society's existing social structure, which is unfairly organized and limited by race and class. This paper presents findings of a study that compared teaching practices in tracked and detracked high school classes in a small city in upstate New York. Four social-studies and four science…

This paper examines implications of the movement toward inclusive schools for gifted and talented students, focusing on specific issues involved in considering whether or not gifted students should be served in a regular classroom setting. Key questions discussed include the ability of the regular classroom to meet the gifted student's needs, the…

This paper describes a longitudinal study of 10 racially mixed secondary schools across the country where the leadership decided to move toward reducing ability grouping or tracking in their school. Examples of the schools under study included an Appalachian school in a moderately-sized city and a wealthy suburban school of a large metropolitan…