It is sad but true there are so many Ollie Taylor's in this world. I wish something could be done about the way "Ability Grouping" makes some students feel. However, I'm at a loss because I don't know what could be done. Personally, I feel that we have to have some ability grouping. We all know that all children do not learn on the same level. We have to have different level reading groups in our classsrooms. Children do not read on the same levels. It wouldn't be fair to put a low reader in a reading group beyond his/her ability. Our responsibilty as Teachers is for students to learn. We don't want them to have to struggle. I also feel that we need the Academically Gifted Programs in our schools for the Higher Achievers. Some students that have a higher IQ can get easily bored in the regular classroom all day long. So, we need these programs to challenge them. But, like I said I wish there was some way to keep the students from having feels of shame and worthlessness. The thing is that this all begins in Elementary School and usually follows them all through their school years. Does anyone have any suggestions?

I work with a high school EC program where we do group students. I agree totally with this article. I see the proof everyday. 90% of our students are from very low economics class. We also seem to have our share of trouble makers. Everything in this article, I could see in my classroom. Our students go to a regular elective class one period a day. The teachers modify test for our students but the class is the same for all students. I feel this is very beneficial for our students. They gain knowledge at their own pace, but most keep up and enjoy these classes. I feel they gain more out of these regular classrooms than out of their grouped classes.