[Oz-gifted] RE: Ability grouping

[Michelle Gabriel]

Hi all,
I think this discussion is interesting.  Some schools will use streaming
within their age groupings, but find it difficult to then take it the
step further and do ability grouping across ages.  Then you have the
schools that do have multi-age classes, but only some that will truly
use the concept to it's fullest extent ie/ if the child is working at
the next level up let them work at it.

The other problem is when I child is slow on the up take in the
beginning of school for various reasons, will they be able to jump up
once they have shown their ability later on, or will they be "classed"
as one ability for the rest of their school life?  

You also have the problem of kids that are accelerated, then not being
the shining lights anymore and being upset because they are not at the
top of the class anymore, or if they are, not being celebrated because
they jumped grades and still were near the top. (I know of one boy who
has jumped 3 grades who was devastated as another boy who only jumped
one was the top of the class and got the prize above him - I wonder how
the other kids in the grade felt who were the top of the class before
these kids came along felt?)

If it was ability grouped, then these types of problems couldn't exist
because it would actually be more equal for all rather than equal by
age.  

I think swimming was used as a example, but it isn't really ability
grouped, it is in the training, but not in the competitions. In racing
you are still grouped by age, and then it seems unfair if you are the
youngest because of the cut off in the competition.  At school the age
group is usually January to December, where as in a state comp I think
it is your age on the date of the competition.  So at school a child who
turns 13 in November 06 would still be under 13 in the January 06 State
comps, but would be in under 14's in the February School Comps as she is
13 that year.  So she may win her State comps due to age, but not the
School comp as she may be against kids who are 11 months older than her.
(But this is getting off the subject - sorry).

You would also have the problem of starting age.  Would schools or
guidance officers "test" all children for school readiness and would the
pre-test all kids each year for what ability group they should be in? 

What happens when a child was at the bottom ability group and then
worked their way up through the year but as they were in the bottom
ability group at the beginning of the year, they may have missed some of
the work that the top ability group was doing, so then they were put
down again because the failed the exam at the end of the year (Sorry
this happened to me 3 years in high school in maths, was very
frustrating). 

Would ability grouping be still grade based?  What happens at the other
end of the spectrum when you have kids that never really can get past
basic maths and English?  Do they stay in grade 2 even though they are
now 10?

I like the idea of ability grouping, I just wonder how to get it across
the board without affecting/ offending people.  May be it could be
accelerated classes and normal classes.  Different learning style
classes?  I don't know.  I'm probably rambling, just letting my thoughts
be written down.  

Cheers

Michelle G