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http://www.thenewsdispatch.com/articles/20.../19/news/n2.txt

QUOTE
Teacher seeks homework assignment
By Deborah Sederberg, The News-Dispatch


Krueger Middle School educator hopes to survey others teachers on their thoughts about grouping students by achievement level.

To hunters and detectives, tracking means to follow clues to find prey or criminals.

For other occupations, it means to keep track of, or to follow up or to look for.

But to educators, tracking often refers to the practice of grouping students by abilities.

David Q. Johnson, a social studies teacher at Krueger Middle School, wants to know what other middle school teachers and administrators have observed about student tracking.

At Tuesday's meeting of the Michigan City Area Schools Board, Johnson explained how he has been working with Assistant Superintendent Carla Iacona on the possibility of conducting a survey of MCAS middle school teachers and principals.

A graduate student at Indiana University-South Bend, Johnson said he also wants permission to do the study at LaPorte Community Schools, New Prairie United School Corp. and the Metropolitan School District of New Durham Township (Westville schools).

His goal, he said, is to gauge “the effect of ability grouping on both instruction and student achievement.”

“I've done a review of the literature,” he said, adding that the literature is far-ranging. Some suggests that high achievers reap the highest benefits from tracking while some say low-achievers profit from instruction designed specifically for their needs.

For the most part, he said it should be noted that the “low achiever” category is separate from students with disabilities or special needs.

Other literature says the great middle group, the so-called “average achievers” could achieve much more, given half a chance.

A September commentary by Washington Post education columnist Jay Mathews suggests just that possibility, using as an example an Arlington County, Va., high school where average students of all races were encouraged to take advanced placement classes with some success.

Other writers say average students might grasp AP English or social studies, but they'll never make it through AP math or science.

At the Barker Middle School career fair last week, guidance counselor Jeanne Ann Cannon, Principal Peggy Scope and Michigan City High School Principal Mark Francesconi urged students to choose the difficult courses, to take the challenging math and science courses. “You don't want to close any doors to your future,” Francesconi said.

Johnson isn't suggesting that anyone close any doors. His project is designed to study observations of teachers and administrators.

Superintendent Michael Harding said Johnson must comply with board policy and administrative guidelines related to surveys and he must work with the Michigan City Education Association as well.

Johnson said he is confident Iacona will guide him through the process and he promised to share his findings with the board.

Contact reporter Deborah Sederberg at dsederberg@thenewsdispatch.com

Ang
Kudos to David Johnson! He appears to be genuinely concerned as to why/how students learn or don't learn. I think this study is a great idea and I'm anxious to see how it turns out.
I don't think "encouraging a student to take harder courses" is the answer though. A lot of kids don't think they can succeed and with that mind set, they won't if they take a harder class. I think the encouragement has to begin at a more basal level, like with the students' self-esteem. Once they've accomplished that, then they will be successful in the harder classes.
I also think grouping students by achievement level is a good idea. Students are often intimidated by kids who do better and won't excel themselves because they think they can't. When they are grouped with kids at the same level as them from the beginning, it's easier to become better because the competition isn't so "tough."
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