ERIC_NO:
ED318752
TITLE:
An Evaluation of the Effects of "Bona Fide" Homogeneous Grouping on the Achievement of Elementary School Students.
AUTHOR:
Tesh, Anita S.; Jaeger, Richard M.
PUBLICATION_DATE:
1990
ABSTRACT:
The effects of "bona fide" homogeneous grouping of students in grades 4 through 8 in a southeastern school system on the students' subsequent
academic achievement were studied. These effects were studied for black
students as well as for all students regardless of race, across 2 years.
The student population was composed of over 4,800 fourth- through
eighth-grade students, assigned to language arts and mathematics classes
on the basis of their scores on the California Achievement Test Battery
taken in the spring prior to class assignment. This method of grouping
had been approved by the Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department
of Education with the stipulation that student achievement be evaluated
every year. When the effects of "bona fide" homogeneous grouping were
summarized for all children regardless of race, detrimental effects
predominated. Examination of the 2-year effects for black students revealed
mixed results for language arts and consistently detrimental effects for
mathematics. The use of "bona fide" homogeneous grouping appeared clearly
beneficial only to black students whose initial language arts achievement
scores were low. These findings suggest that the assignment of students
on the basis of homogeneous grouping should be questioned. Nine graphs
illustrate the performance of groups, and 14 tables summarize study data.
(SLD)
MAJOR_DESCRIPTORS:
Academic Achievement; Black Students; Elementary School Students; Homogeneous Grouping;
MINOR DESCRIPTORS:
Ability Grouping; Achievement Gains; Elementary Education; Grouping (Instructional Purposes); Language Arts; Mathematics Achievement; Student Placement; Test Results; White Students;
IDENTIFIERS:
California Achievement Tests
PUBLICATION_TYPE:
143; 150