%0 Generic %1 dcsf2009a %A for Children, Schools Department %A Families, %D 1900 %K abilitygrouping classsize education prj-education %T The Standards Site: Pupil grouping and organisation of classes %U http://www.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/research/themes/pupil_grouping/ %X Reviews evidence of pupil grouping and organisation of classes, including by ability, gender and SEN. Effective classroom organisation in primary schools concludes that there is no evidence that lower Key Stage 2 pupils learn more effectively in sets for maths at any level. In fact, the study tentatively suggests that children of all levels of attainment do better when taught in mixed ability classes. In secondary schools, Students' experiences of ability grouping similarly suggests that setting in mathematics has a negative effect on both attainment and motivation, with the exception of slightly improved attainment for top set pupils. The effects of ability setting on teaching practices and the curriculum in the secondary school example included: the best teachers being allocated to the top sets, despite evidence that high quality teaching is more beneficial to lower attaining pupils; curriculum polarisation, which meant that moving between sets was very difficult because they followed different syllabi; unreasonable expectations of the top sets, reflected in a fast, procedural teaching style; and a lack of differentiation within sets, leading to many pupils finding the pace either too fast or too slow.

@misc{dcsf2009a, abstract = {Reviews evidence of pupil grouping and organisation of classes, including by ability, gender and SEN. Effective classroom organisation in primary schools concludes that there is no evidence that lower Key Stage 2 pupils learn more effectively in sets for maths at any level. In fact, the study tentatively suggests that children of all levels of attainment do better when taught in mixed ability classes. In secondary schools, Students' experiences of ability grouping similarly suggests that setting in mathematics has a negative effect on both attainment and motivation, with the exception of slightly improved attainment for top set pupils. The effects of ability setting on teaching practices and the curriculum in the secondary school example included: the best teachers being allocated to the top sets, despite evidence that high quality teaching is more beneficial to lower attaining pupils; curriculum polarisation, which meant that moving between sets was very difficult because they followed different syllabi; unreasonable expectations of the top sets, reflected in a fast, procedural teaching style; and a lack of differentiation within sets, leading to many pupils finding the pace either too fast or too slow.}, added-at = {2010-08-10T21:11:30.000+0200}, author = {for Children, Schools Department and Families}, biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/28e85836197dcbcc736b312338b228711/nicoj}, file = {2009 DCSF -- Securing our future - resources -- DCSF2009a.pdf:2009 DCSF -- Securing our future - resources -- DCSF2009a.pdf:PDF}, howpublished = {Online}, interhash = {ed8d1609ab11772bdcc62b446a5dc69f}, intrahash = {8e85836197dcbcc736b312338b228711}, keywords = {abilitygrouping classsize education prj-education}, shorttitle = {The Standards Site}, timestamp = {2012-08-06T22:06:35.000+0200}, title = {The Standards Site: Pupil grouping and organisation of classes}, url = {http://www.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/research/themes/pupil_grouping/}, year = 1900 }