Ability grouping and student achievement in elementary schools¶
Slavin, R. E. (1987). Ability grouping and student achievement in elementary schools: A best-evidence synthesis. Review of Educational Research, 57(3), 293-336.
Cited by¶
2 citations across 2 artifacts.
Each citation links to the sentence it supports in the citing article.
Primes¶
- Differentiated Instruction
- The distinguishing structural commitment is that differentiation is responsive (driven by formative-assessment data about actual students) and systematic (planned and designed, not ad-hoc), while remaining curricularly coherent (all students working toward the same essential understandings, not tracked onto permanently separated curricula) — a deliberate contrast with the rigid ability-grouping arrangements that Slavin (1987) reviewed and partially critiqued in his synthesis of the achievement evidence.
This sourceBest-evidence synthesis finding that assignment to self-contained ability-grouped classes yields essentially no achievement benefit (median effect size .00), motivating the within-classroom differentiation alternative.
- The distinguishing structural commitment is that differentiation is responsive (driven by formative-assessment data about actual students) and systematic (planned and designed, not ad-hoc), while remaining curricularly coherent (all students working toward the same essential understandings, not tracked onto permanently separated curricula) — a deliberate contrast with the rigid ability-grouping arrangements that Slavin (1987) reviewed and partially critiqued in his synthesis of the achievement evidence.
- Mastery Learning
- Slavin's (1987) review specifically called out the cumulative motivational and equity costs of visible remediation cycles, arguing they could undercut the very gains mastery learning was designed to deliver.
This sourceFoundational review of ability-grouping evidence; finds that rigid between-class tracking provides little or no achievement benefit, motivating the within-classroom differentiation alternative that retains heterogeneity while varying instruction.
- Slavin's (1987) review specifically called out the cumulative motivational and equity costs of visible remediation cycles, arguing they could undercut the very gains mastery learning was designed to deliver.
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