Flexible Grouping: How It Works
Temporary Grouping Without Tracking
The creation of a two-hour skill block dedicated to math and humanities skills instruction allows students to be temporarily grouped for math but avoid tracking in all other disciplines. Tracking is when children get labeled as a high, medium, or low performer and then assigned all their classes based on that label. Too often students who are strong or students who struggle in a class don't receive the appropriate challenge or support they need in other classes. Children not only often take these labels with them from class to class, but from year to year.
Differentiated, Flexible Instruction
At McAuliffe Regional CPS grade level teachers meet weekly to discuss individual students and specific learning objectives in math. Basic concepts taught remain the same across the math levels but in each class instruction is differentiated. For example, all seventh graders must learn to solve linear equations using tables, graphs, models, and algebraic methods. Support classes challenge students to measure stackable objects (such a books) on the floor and on a desk, complete a data table, and write equations. This allows them to conceptualize constant rates of change and y-intercepts and see the equation in real objects. Students at the enrichment level create their own linear relationship investigation in which they find a place in the world where a linear relationship already exists, then author a paper with a data table, graph, visual representation of the equation, an equation, and an explanation of how this equation is relevant to the world. By covering the strands, students who change levels have not missed entire sections of content. By differentiating instruction per class, all students receive instruction for each strand of math and each student feels challenged and supported appropriately.
Strong Academic Rigor with Individual Responsiveness
Students have expressed support for the program. One seventh grade student who transferred to McAuliffe Regional CPS last year said teachers really teach to you here, rather than students having to meet the teacher lessons. Students in the support class feel comfortable to learn at their pace and gain confidence in themselves as mathematicians. A student in the enrichment class wrote eloquently in her personal year-end reflection about the joy of being in a math class surrounded by high-performing mathematicians, and how her love of mathematics grew. At a school dedicated to both academic rigor and social/emotional development, children feel safe to be themselves; they are given the space by peers and adults to succeed. Creating different levels for math instruction could have resulted in giving students labels, creating a stigma around math performance, over-burdening some students or under-burdening others, but has instead turned into a math program that is responsive to the individual needs of students, and a motivational enterprise that helps each student to experience and strive for rigorous challenge.