Oakes

Quotes:

Tracking: Why Schools Need to Take Another Route by Jeannie Oakes explains what tracking is and how it is affecting the youth of today's schools.

"One fact about tracking is unequivocal: tracking leads to substantial differences in the day-to-day learning experiences students have at school." Students that are separated by achievement level differ greatly. Minority students tend to achieve lower and are given less resources because they are expected to do worse in general. On the other hand, high achieving students, usually white, are given better resources and teachers. They are basically bred to succeed.

"In low-ability classes, for example, teachers seem to be less encouraging and more punitive, placing more emphasis on discipline and 'behavior and less on academic learning." These kids in low- ability classes are at an unfair disadvantage. They are almost forced to achieve less based on the environment that they learn in. I believe that if they were given the same resources as the higher-level students that they would achieve closely too them or at least better than where they are at now.

"Some rules of thumb can help teachers judge whether the lessons they plan are likely to help students of all ability levels succeed. First, lessons will probably be most successful if they require active learning tasks rather than passive ones, and if they have students working together rather than alone. Second, learning tasks are probably most helpful when they are full of complications and when they require multiple abilities - thinking, discussing, writing, and visualizing - to accomplish. Third, learning tasks will suit most students if they are modeled on complex and challenging "real world" problem-solving. These guidelines keep the curriculum from drifting too far into the highly technical and abstract world of "school" knowledge and too far away from "the real thing."" These few techniques can help teachers to give students a good education regardless of ability level. It is important that all students are given the opportunity to succeed. Many students learn at different levels and in different ways and it is important to be accommodating to all of them.

An interesting article on tracking:
http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/108013/chapters/What-Tracking-Is-and-How-to-Start-Dismantling-It.aspx