By the time I got to 6th grade I probably knew every single person in my grade. That's not how things work anymore. Now, they start "tracking" kids around Kindergarten and basically decide their fate from that point on. These kids are grouped into either higher ability groups or lower ability groups and normally stay with these same groups throughout their entire educational career up until either high school or college.

In theory, this sounds like a good idea. After all, no two kids are the same. This allows for different kids to start at different places and learn at different speeds. The idea of this is to make sure that no kids are bored in class or falling behind. Sounds like the perfect solution, right?

Although "tracking" looks good on paper, it has actually been proven ineffective by Educational Psychologists. The only kids that this really has a positive effect on are the ones who are considered to be really smart, who are placed in high ability groups. These are the only kids who still get a good education out of this. Anyone considered below that level of cognitive ability does not get to learn the same things that the smarter kids get to learn. This is because teachers are more afraid of making their classes too hard for their student's abilities so they do not challenge kids as much.

Recent studies have found that kids who have been placed in "tracking" classrooms who are considered to be of lower ability, scored significantly lower on standardized tests than the ones who were placed in mixed-ability classrooms (according to educationnext.org). Kids should all be getting the same education no matter what, even if it takes a bit longer for some kids to understand certain things. It might make it more difficult for teachers to figure out the best way to teach mixed-ability classes so that everyone gets a good education...but in the end, this will result in a better educational experience for kids. Plus, in mixed-ability classrooms, kids are able to help each other more. Studies have shown that kids learn best from their peers. If someone is struggling with a certain lesson but their friend understands it more, their friend might be able to explain it in a way that he or she understands.

Aside from the learning disadvantages, there are also social disadvantages. As I said before, kids are being grouped together from kindergarten on. This means that they are given very few chances to make friends with anyone outside of the same people that they have been stuck with in class. When I was in elementary school, I was with different kids every year. If I didn't have a lot of friends in my classes, I still had friends that I had met in previous years during lunch, recess, and to hang out with after school. But now, if a child is having issues with making friends with the people in his or her class, it could be really discouraging because they don't have many friends outside of the classroom. They were never really given the chance to make other friends. Kids should have the opportunities to make friends with whoever they want to make friends with, not just the kids who are at the same cognitive ability level as them.

Schools need to realize that "tracking" is not the most effective way to give kids a good education. Putting kids in mixed-ability classrooms allows them to get to know more people and make more friends, as well as learn more because all of the kids are getting to learn the same things. Just because it is easier to teach kids when they are grouped into higher or lower ability classes, doesn't mean it is the right way to educate them.