This book is an outgrowth of a conference funded by the National Institute of Education and held at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research in May 1982. A major theme of this volume of collected papers is how and in what ways grouping of students can be used effectively. Papers included are: (1) "Instructional Groups in the Classroom:…

Summarizes current research on ability grouping of academically gifted students. Findings show that advanced students benefit more academically than low-ability students from homogeneous grouping; homogeneous groups are more academically and socially beneficial for all abilities than heterogeneous grouping; continuous progress makes an academic…

A STUDY WAS MADE TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF HETEROGENEOUS AND HOMOGENEOUS GROUPING IN NINTH-GRADE ENGLISH CLASSES. ON THE BASES OF IQ AND READING LANGUAGE SKILLS, STUDENTS WERE GROUPED AT THREE ABILITY LEVELS AND PLACE IN HETEROGENEOUS, HOMOGENEOUS SUPERIOR, HOMOGENEOUS SLOW, AND HOMOGENEOUS AVERAGE CLASSES. TEACHER VARIABLES WERE REDUCED BY…

This study investigated the effects of group ability composition (homogeneous versus heterogeneous) on group processes and outcomes for high ability students completing science performance assessments. Participants were 99 seventh and eighth graders from 9 classes in 2 schools. The results show that group ability composition does not have…

This paper discusses grouping for instruction in teaching science. Suggestions include grouping students in science experiments and demonstrations, grouping by using videotapes and other audiovisual aids, flexible grouping, committee work, flexible discussion groups, minilessons, activity-centered teaching, modeling, individualized reading, and…

This report describes a program for implementing specific cooperative grouping patterns in order to increase students' academic performance. The targeted population consisted of junior high and high school students located in the northwest and southwest suburbs of a large metropolitan area. An instructional strategy in which both like-gender and…

This book examines the effects of tracking on public education, makes a case for "untracking" as a key education reform, and describes successful untracking efforts. Tracking is an educational practice that groups children of similar abilities and achievement levels together into homogeneous groups. "Untracking" is the process…