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 Tracking - approve or disapprove? 
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I was wondering what our class members think about tracking? It seems to occur at such a young age. I am particularly concerned when I hear that a child in the 6th grade is already being "written off" - that they don't expect he will ever be able to complete high school! Why won't the school "move heaven and earth" to teach the child to read?

When my son was a freshman in high school, he had to state what career path he would choose. So, for one year he said he wanted to be an "engineer". However, at the end of that year, he decided he really didn't want to become an engineer. The guidance counselor "gave him grief" about this! I was annoyed and amused, and told my son that I expected that he would change his mind several more times, and that was perfectly fine with me! I told Sean to take all the classes he would need to become "a rocket scientist", so that he could become anything that he wanted. I also thought he would change his college major several times, but, luckily, he has stuck with his Mathematics Major and Japanese Minor. This is his last semester.

My husband was told by a high school guidance counselor that he wasn't "college material". I am glad that my husband took that as a challenge to prove that counselor wrong, he did indeed graduate. (His GPA improved every semester after he started dating me, too.) :)

I know that some "tracking" is needed in high school, to funnel the students into the appropriate courses. However, can't this system be used to help the students, not limit them?

I am not trying to bash guidance counselors - I know they are overworked, underpaid, and under appreciated. Maybe they are better trained now than my high school counselors were!

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Joyce Jarrard


Thu Sep 18, 2003 10:02 pm
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I allso hope that counselors are better trained nowadfays, especially in this ever-evolving, trend chasing educational structure. I think tracking is not bad inherently. JOyce you bascially got to the jist of it when you stated that it was wrong to use it to limits persons.
I have seen both sides of it. ONe, my brother was pushed to attend college simply because of his intellect. He didn't want to go and chose a career in the army instead. I have also seen the "not so bright" be pushed to college just because they could afford to go and get in somewhere. I think it should be the students choice, but for a student who has not been able to pass, pre-college courses, then I would reccomend the other track. Is it logical to push them into something they can or will not be able to handle?
FInally, there are other options available for those who track. I had a teammate who went to a post-graduate year at a prpep school so he could attend college. Those oppurtunities are becoming more popular and available.

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Fri Sep 19, 2003 11:10 am
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I only taught for one year, but I never heard any of the teachers with whom I worked "write off" any students. They always tried to do whatever they could to help a student learn to read. The students that I saw having difficulties learning to read had home experiences that impacted their learning. I remember a sweet, fourth grade boy who was staying up at night to protect his mother from being beaten up by her boyfriend. He'd come to school and barely be able to keep his eyes open (when he wasn't having a panic attack), much less be able to work on reading. The guidance counselor and teacher did try to "move heaven and earth" to help him, but it was a complicated situation that unfortunately wasn't resolved.

All my experience (although I don't have much!) is in elementary school, so I'm not very familiar with tracking. It is my understanding that having students decide on a major is to help them take the appropriate classes. For example, if you want to go to many universities you must take a certain level of math, so you would need to take a specific math your freshman year to complete all those needed to be accepted to a college. I know that in my high school we had a wonderful childcare program, so students who wanted to go into that area could take classes in childcare, work at the high school child care center (for teacher's children), and do other things that would help him/her prepare to enter this field.
'
I agree that the counselors should not have treated Joyce's husband or son the way they were treated. Most of my friends changed their career choice many times! People change and grow, so their goals and career choices will also change.


Sun Sep 21, 2003 7:53 pm
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The specific youth I thought was "written off" was an African-American boy that a (church) friend of mine was mentoring through a youth organization. His mother had died, no father, and the child lived with his grandmother. He couldn't read anywhere near grade level. At one point, my friend took him into her own home, and tried to help him learn. After about a year, she married, and the youth decided he wanted to live with his grandmother again. From what I heard about the situation, when this child started high school, the administration had already pushed him aside into some low expectation track, they assumed that he wouldn't graduate. I don't know what the school did for this child over the years, but (since this child had attended my church, so I knew him personally,) I found the situation to be especially heartbreaking. This occured in a school district with a good reputation!

I am mentoring another child right now, and I certainly don't want this same scenario to repeat. Maybe the school will look on this child differently since he is white. This child lives with his grandmother, too, and has experienced some setbacks in his life.

What a sad situation about the sleepy child trying to protect his mother. I know of a similar situation in my own town.

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Joyce Jarrard


Sun Sep 21, 2003 8:04 pm
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I don't believe in tracking because I believe that everybody learns at their own pace which varies by subject matter and isn't really comparable. I also don't believe in attempting to categorize students. As you start to do this many problems occur. How do you divide them, what tool do you use to make the comparison and how accurate is it in measuring what you are trying to compare, what are you attempting to do by dividing them. Also we need to consider how labeling and dividing someone affects their lifelong learning process - a self-fulfilling prophesy situation.

Anyone who is sympathetic to tracking or a proponent of it - I would be extremely interested in your thoughts concerning the above questions and statements.

The most extreme situations seem to have nothing to do with school-related issues. What more can you do for someone than take them out of a bad living environment and give them a live-in tutor.

I do believe in self-directed and self-paced learning. I think it might surprise us how similarly we all learn when it involves learning what we want and need to learn.


Sun Sep 21, 2003 11:32 pm
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Joyce, It's so sad that the African-American boy you know was "written off". That's great you are mentoring this other boy and trying to make a difference in his life. As DJ mentioned, I'm also enjoying all your forum questions!


Mon Sep 22, 2003 7:12 pm
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While I am not a proponent of tracking (placing limits or boundaries on the growth of individuals) I do think that keeping a portfolio of a students growth is important. Like DJ said, some students do not grow as rapidly as others. Sometimes, it speaks volumes to show a child's starting and stopping point in a particular grade, particularly when it is below his/her peers or the state standards. In order to show this growth however, we have to "choose or decide" based on past data and professional knowledge, who those children are that may need an alternative assessment. While I do not support tracking, I do support teachers using all knowledge/data/info available to "know" a child.


Tue Sep 23, 2003 9:19 am
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Location: Newton-Conover Middle School- Newton, NC
As a former exceptional childrens teacher (special education) I have seen a trend in the educational community to shy away from using the term tracking, even though it is still being done. In North Carolina, options in high school are very limited for identified exceptional students and non-identified low achievers. The current choices available are drop-out, graduate with a diploma(have the basics for the lower end of the workforce or community college), graduate with college prep classes under your belt, receive a certificate of attendance (not a diploma-usually for students whose ability level is tested and found to be under 70), or receive an occupational course of study diploma (again this is based on low range ability levels). The vocational and technical programs are fading away or diminished to a few courses here and there in some high schools. This leaves no options for those students, who for whatever reason, have reached high school without the skills present to pass the EOC tests and receive a high school diploma(even the basic one with no frills). The are to high functioning to gain anything from the occupational course of study. Often times, the frustration leads these students to drop out. I experienced this problem time and time again as a high school EC teacher.

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Amy E. Wilson


Tue Sep 23, 2003 11:40 am
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Hi:

Since a significant discussion is going on here regarding tracking, I've added some interesting supplemental reading on tracking to your syllabus that will, I hope, add to the discussion. Most links will take you to an online article.

http://gayleturner.net/5840_syllabus.html

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Gayle Turner


Tue Sep 23, 2003 11:50 am
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