The Pros and Cons of Tracking in Schools

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Many young children in school do not realize they are being tracked in until they get older into high school. High school is the time where students are categorized into who is smart enough for advanced courses and who still needs help learning. Through this process there are many positives, including helping high tracking students but also negatives to tracking that effect low tracking students such as minorities and ethnic groups as well. Many educators today are still deciding if tracking should be improved within the program or if schools should detrack altogether.
Tracking has been a part of an American tradition within the education system for years and its purpose is to separate students into groups according to their academic ability (Datnow 687). Students can be placed into different tracks based on curriculum standards, career goals, and academic ability levels. Students get placed in the same groups based on their past scores, motivation and work ethic (Akos). The point of grouping students together is so students with the same academic ability can work together and be at the same level academically, this is supposed to help the students and the teacher. Academic tracking will be more effective and influence a better learning environment for students to succeed in their education. Tracking can especially help high school students as they are figuring out their paths to college and career goals (Akos). The terms ability grouping, homogeneous grouping, and curriculum grouping all have the same concept of placing students into classrooms based off of their academic ability (Datnow 687). Nearly ninety five percent of schools in America use tracking some way in their school (Akos).
Since tracking is such a popular theme i...

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... Search Complete. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.
Datnow, Amanda. Cooper, Robert. Education and Sociology: An Encyclopedia. New York: RoutledgeFalmer, 2002. Print.
Lipps, Garth E., et al. "The Association Of Academic Tracking To Depressive Symptoms Among Adolescents In Three Caribbean Countries." Child & Adolescent Psychiatry & Mental Health 4.(2010): 16-25. Academic Search Complete. Web. 6 Mar. 2014.
Mereand-Sinha, Rahul. ""Tracking" is unpopular, but is it good for our children? - Greater Greater Education." "Tracking" is unpopular, but is it good for our children? - Greater Greater Education. N.p., 27 Mar. 2013. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.
Preckel, Franzis, Thomas Götz, and Anne Frenzel. "Ability Grouping Of Gifted Students: Effects On Academic Self-Concept And Boredom." British Journal Of Educational Psychology 80.3 (2010): 451-472. Academic Search Complete. Web. 6 Mar. 2014.

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