6.7 million students in America have a learning disability. That means 13.5% of the student population will require some form of special education class during their studies.
All students, regardless of disability, function at different levels. One of the major choices teachers have to make is how to group their students, while being able to give the most effective education possible to students at all levels.
There are a lot of conflicting opinions out there about whether to group students by ability or disability. Or not to isolate them at all in inclusion-style classrooms. Keep reading as I try to break down this sensitive subject.
History of Ability Grouping
Grouping students by ability was popular for a while in the ’80s before it faced a massive public backlash by parents and educators.
Some thought it was effective to place high-achieving kids in one group and low-achieving kids in another. Other groups felt it only propagated inequality. And that it led to a negative impact on the mental health of the low-functioning children.
Due to the majority of people against it in the ’80s and ’90s, ability grouping fell from popularity. A more middle-ground approach started to take form.
The problem with the middle-ground approach is that teaching at a centralized level can leave out up to two-thirds of the students in the class.
If the lessons are too advanced for some and too far behind for others, no one is getting the education they need. Because of this, ability grouping is starting to regain popularity.
What is Ability Grouping?
Ability grouping is placing students in small groups based on their academic skill level instead of their age. It allows for students to excel in areas they are good at, and get more focused help in areas that need work.
Students are assessed based on their grades, standardized testing, and in-class performance, and then placed in groups that reflect their current skill level in any given subject.
The beauty of ability grouping is that it allows for a more customized approach to education. For example, students who excel in math but struggle at reading could be grouped into a higher-level math group and a lower-level reading group.
Or a student with dyslexia who would struggle with a reading comprehension assignment might excel above their peers on a critical thinking/problem-solving problem.
As long as teachers challenge their students, success can be achieved at any performance level. The famous “Pygmalion in the Classroom” experiments have proven that students perform better when their teachers expect more from them.
Regardless of grouping, this same principle applies. Maybe even more so to students with learning disabilities. Every student has strengths and weaknesses, whether they have a learning disability or not.
Students with disabilities are more likely to perform at a higher level when they are surrounded by higher-functioning peers and teachers who set high but not unrealistic goals for them.
Advantages
When grouping is focused on the students’ strengths instead of their weaknesses, they are motivated to push each other and help each other excel.
When placed in smaller groups, all students can receive more focused attention and get an individualized education that is hard to achieve in larger classrooms.
Students are also more inclined to participate when learning in small groups. They tend to feel less intimated to speak up and get involved when the pressure of a big classroom is taken off.
Dividing students into small groups based on their ability, for certain tasks, can be a great way to give everyone the education they need. When planned properly, it can maximize instruction time and have a positive impact on students overall.
Disadvantages
When lower-ability students are grouped with other low-ability students, it may decrease the overall learning expectation and reduce the results of the group as a whole.
Some educators also believe that placing children in lower-functioning groups sets them on a path they can’t later change.
A good way to avoid this is by providing incentives that allow students to move up when they’ve demonstrated that they have learned and applied the skills.
It’s tough to find a scenario that will please everyone. Ability grouping is one of the best ways to tackle the problem. When executed properly, it provides each student with the education they need without excluding anyone.
Inclusion Classrooms
Depending on the severity of the disability, students with special needs can benefit a lot from spending the majority of their time in mainstream classrooms.
Grades have actually been shown to increase for students with disabilities who spend at least 80% of their time in general, inclusive class environments.
While this provides a bit of an extra challenge for the teacher, the benefits can outweigh the drawbacks in terms of the development of children with disabilities.
But what about the high-functioning students? Some people believe that by sharing a classroom with students with special needs, the smarter kids will suffer academically.
Studies have shown that inclusion classrooms can have a positive impact on all of the children, including the higher-functioning ones. These classes add diversity and teach important non-academic life lessons to do with compassion and patience.
By including children of all levels together in some classes, it allows for new learning opportunities that might never arise otherwise.
The Special Education Class
While inclusion classrooms can be successful in some cases, for some subjects, children with more severe learning disabilities usually benefit from a more individualized approach.
It doesn’t have to be completely one way or another. Students should be encouraged and allowed to participate in general classes they can excel in, and sit out the ones that will only be detrimental to their progress.
The Risks of Further Isolation
The challenge of teaching special education classes is students will still have different abilities and disabilities. Even within these parameters.
In this case, the students have already been grouped. They’re in a separate classroom from their more high-functioning peers, and while they’re (hopefully) getting the individualized attention they need, it’s still not a perfect scenario.
Most schools do not employ one-on-one special needs teachers. This is due to various things like budget and resource limitations. So teachers with special ed certification are expected to be able to handle any disability that comes their way.
Further separating the students into even smaller groups can have its benefits and drawbacks. Placing students in a small, ability-aligned group can help each student complete the task with peer support and will be less likely to get frustrated.
On the other hand, further isolating already marginalized students can run the risk of harming their mental health and cause feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem.
Special Education Class Strategies
Whether you’re teaching a general class that has a few students with disabilities or a fully dedicated special education class, certain surefire special education strategies can help with the challenges.
Be consistent. The thing these students need most is consistency. If they come into class knowing more or less what to expect, they’re less likely to get confused and discouraged.
Be prepared. Because of the different skill levels likely to be in the class, be prepared with lessons and assignments based on low, medium, and high skill levels.
Even students with severe disabilities could surprise you and excel over their peers in a certain subject, and you don’t want to be in this situation without a plan.
Go with the momentum. Have the flexibility to move breaks around based on the momentum of the students. If the kids are engaged and productive in a task, stopping them for break time could lose that momentum for the rest of the day.
Adapt. This goes back to ability grouping. Teachers who can evaluate where their students are at and adapt their teaching to meet their students’ levels will find the most success.
Teaching Compassion
Keep in mind, it’s not all about academics. Of course, education is about learning and digesting the curriculum at hand, but it’s also about social and emotional intelligence.
Some might say teaching compassion is just as important as teaching the curriculum, and what better way to teach kids compassion than by having them learn with students of different abilities?
Individualized support is also important for students with more severe disabilities. Although there are numerous proven benefits to inclusion classrooms, educators should know when it’s necessary to provide a dedicated special education class.
The Answer
Unfortunately, the answer to whether or not you should use the ability grouping tactic is not clear cut. Most experts agree that inclusion classrooms are the best-case scenario, and in this case, ability grouping is necessary.
I think the best approach is to divide students into small, task-based groups based on their ability. Give the students with disabilities individualized attention when necessary.
You don’t have to dumb it down for the smart kids to provide effective education. Task-based ability grouping can offer you the flexibility you need. This will ensure every single one of your students is getting the education they need.
Again, it doesn’t have to be black and white. If a student benefits from being part of a generalized math class, put them in the math class. When the same student struggles to keep up in English, give them specialized attention for English!
You are free to take a customized approach. You will have to anyway so you might as well be flexible. Every student is different, regardless of their disability. Check out my blog for more information and resources for special ed teachers and beyond.
