The Effects of a Mixed-Ability Classroom
THE EFFECTS OF A CLASSROOM WITH PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT LEVELS 1
What Happens to STAR Math Scores in a Mixed-Ability Classroom?
West Alabama University
Tech of Educational Research ED5049621FA1
THE EFFECTS OF A CLASSROOM WITH PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT LEVELS 2
Abstract
Even before students start school, many schools, including Sand Rock High School, keep track of their skills.
when natural tracking happens in high school. When this happens, students with lower skills lose the
they need to make progress, and people of all abilities lose the chance to work together.
diverse peers. Mixing abilities is an alternative to tracking people with the same skills.
classrooms. The goal of this study is to find out what happens in classes with students of different skill levels.
students of all levels of skill. The goal of this proposal is to find out if a change from
Changing from classrooms with students of the same ability to classrooms with students of different abilities will help students do better on the
STAR test for 7th grade math
-grade Sand Rock High School students. This project says that
that this change from classrooms where all the students have the same level of skill will
improve student confidence and give them unique ways to learn, like being able to
to work with people from different backgrounds, which will make them better at STAR.
These 7th graders at Sand Rock High School got these math scores. Data will be
Information was collected at the start of the experiment and then every 9 weeks for a whole school year.
when teachers changed in the middle of the year.
THE EFFECTS OF A CLASSROOM WITH STUDENTS OF DIFFERENT LEVELS 3
How a classroom for students with different abilities affects math scores
Chapter 1: Problem with Research
Introduction
Students at many U.S. schools are tracked or put into groups based on how well they do in school.
before junior high. Tracking means putting students into groups based on their abilities. Depending on
a 2017-18 National Teacher and Principal Survey, almost half of all middle schools in the U.S.
Students are put into groups based on how smart they are (Standing et al., 2021). Some schools let students do
In some classrooms, teachers do this to help students learn at their own pace, while other schools group
classrooms by skill level. When students are put into groups based on their abilities, they are called
their level of perceived ability as above average, average, or below average.
based on how well they did on these assignments.
Most of the time, the classes that are above average at Sand Rock High School are also the smallest.
number, while the students who need the most one-on-one time with a teacher are in the other classes.
teacher have classes with more students. This is just one bad thing about putting things together this way. Too far
Students who need special education, but are not gifted, are often put in the average or below group.
average groups. Also, students who are learning English (ELL), students from other minority groups, and
low-socioeconomic-status students are often put in the average or below-average group more than they should be.
groups that don’t stand out (Childhood Education, 2014). Putting people together in this way is bad for everyone.
levels of ability, so that each group of students tends to stay with the same group once it has been identified.
There was very little movement between groups until graduation (Harklau, 1994). This hurts everyone.
students of how to work with people from different backgrounds. It also puts students who aren’t as smart in a
Due to lower expectations, teachers tend to water down the lessons in a classroom.
whoever taught that class (Losen, 1999).
THE EFFECTS OF A CLASSROOM WITH STUDENTS OF DIFFERENT LEVELS 4
It has also been shown that putting students into groups based on their abilities too early hurts them.
psychologically. In a study of 100 students with low skills from three schools, the students were
asked how they felt about how well they could learn. Almost all of those students answered.
with words that make you feel something, like “shame,” “upset,” and “inferiority” (McGillicuddy & Devine, 2020).
Also, many high-performing countries use minimal ability grouping, which is different from how the U.S. does it.
US.
Problem Statement for the Study
Even though a lot of research shows that it hurts students in lower tracks,
and shows no big benefits for higher-tracked students or students in classrooms with similar levels of ability.
continue to be a common thing to do in U.S. schools (Childhood Education, 2014). One
The fact that it is still used is because many teachers think that not grouping by ability is a mistake.
difficult to do (Ambreen & Conteh, 2021). It has also been shown that parents who talk a lot about politics have a negative effect on their children.
Some would-be higher-tracked students, who are more likely to be white and well-educated, don’t want to change the status quo of students having the same level of ability.
classrooms into groups (Childhood Education, 2014). Sand Rock High School is just like any other school.
terms of parents wanting to keep things the same and keep their students in the higher ability
grouped, nor in the fact that many teachers are afraid of the work that needs to be done to keep a
The students are not put into groups based on their abilities.
Even though the above problems make change hard, data from STAR scores at
The problems at Sand Rock High School show that things need to change. Scores on the STAR test of
tests show that the ways Sand Rock High School does things now don’t work. As another
I am a teacher at Sand Rock High School, and I have seen how tracking hurts students.
THE EFFECTS OF A CLASSROOM WITH STUDENTS OF DIFFERENT LEVELS 5
before junior high. Students who aren’t as smart lose the confidence they need to move forward, and
all abilities lose the chance to work with peers with different skills.
Changes have been made to how teachers group students by their skills all over the country.
to be able to meet the needs of all students without putting them into groups based on their skills (Spear, 1994). The
The goal of this study is to find out what happens to all students in mixed-ability classes and to
find out if there is a link between classrooms with students of different skill levels and higher student achievement.
It is thought that students who are in classes with students of different skill levels will do better than students who are in classes with only students of the same skill level.
are split up by skill.
A chart of data and a talk about it
In the next table, you can see how many people are proficient and how many are not.
at Sand Rock High School for the
The school year 2020-2021. The STAR reports are the source of this information. The numbers show that
is a drop in the percentage of students in grades who can read and write well.
method of putting students in groups based on their skills, i.e., 4
nd the 7th grade. Also, it’s worth noting that
Starting in the fourth grade, more students are not proficient than are proficient. Before that, the
The pattern is backwards. This shows that proficiency rates go down after tracking starts.
THE EFFECTS OF A CLASSROOM WITH STUDENTS OF DIFFERENT LEVELS 6
FY21 STAR Data (End of Year)
Students in GRADE who are good at
STAR
Student NOT Capable of
STAR
1
st 78 22
2
nd 69 31
3
rd 63 37
4
th 43 57
5
th 48 52
6
th 55 45
7
th 32 68
8
th 35 65
Impact on Student Achievement
Research and personal experience show that there are a lot of reasons why a
All students would do better in a mixed-ability classroom than in a single-ability classroom.
involved. The main point of disagreement with the last statement is about high-ability
students with different levels of ability. Many teachers say they don’t want mixed-ability classrooms because high-ability students won’t learn as much as they could.
would if they were in a class with only other smart students. But research shows that even
Even though high-ability students do a little better at first in classes with the same level of ability,
The effects are short-term and get less severe over time (Abadzi, 1985).
Many researchers don’t like homogeneous-ability grouping because it puts a lot of restrictions on
opportunities for students of all abilities to “enjoy the cognitive and social benefits of
THE EFFECTS OF A CLASSROOM WITH STUDENTS OF DIFFERENT LEVELS 7
group work, even though they spent most of their lessons sitting in groups” (Ambreen &
Conteh, 2021). When students aren’t put in groups based on their differences, they miss out on the chance to have
conversations with peers who likely come from differing backgrounds and may have different
opinions. In a Learner’s Perspective Study in which students from 14 countries were asked to
identify the main event in a lesson from which they learned the most. The most common
response from 13 out of the 14 countries was “something another student said” (Clarke, 2021).
This is an important statement coming from students themselves. This means that without this
interaction between abilities, lower ability students miss having the quality of explanations that
come from their peers. Also, as said in many mathematics classrooms, “If you don’t know it well
enough to explain it, then you don’t really understand it”. This is a skill that the high-ability
students miss as it is unnecessary to try to teach another person how to do a skill or how to
understand a concept if everyone around them is learning as fast as they are.
Research Methodology
The experimental research plan involves creating three classes of 7
th
-grade students at
Sand Rock High School. One class will be selected by random sampling to create the mixedability class. The sample chosen was because the 7th
-grade year was shown to have a large
decrease in proficiency levels on the STAR test from the previous year. It was also chosen as the
sample since my position as the math department chair for Sand Rock High School will enable
me to monitor the validity of the experiment without directly affecting it as I do not teach 7th
–
grade. The sampling technique is stratified random to ensure the correct proportions of different
ability ranges be included in the mixed-ability class. The mixed-ability class is pulled first from
each ability grouping randomly. Then remaining students will be divided equally down the
middle of performance level on the previous year’s STAR test to ensure two homogeneously
THE EFFECTS OF A MIXED-ABILITY CLASSROOM 8
grouped classes by ability. Each student in 7th
-grade will be taught by the same teacher for the
first semester and then transition to a different teacher the second semester. This will help to
ensure that any differences in proficiency from class to class will not be related to a difference in
teacher. The two homogenous classes will be taught as normal while the mixed-ability class will
have the ability to incorporate collaboration activities that are otherwise impossible in a
homogenous-ability classroom. Students in all three classes will be randomly assigned numbers
to protect their identities. Informed consent will be obtained from parents and guardians since the
experiment involves minors.
Summary (of Chapter 1)
The data reflects a problem with proficiency levels on the STAR mathematics test at
Sand Rock High School. This study will focus on the current 7th
-grade class at this school. By
creating a mixed-ability instead of a homogenous-ability class, it is expected that students in the
mixed-ability classroom will outperform students in the homogenous-ability classroom. This will
be achieved by incorporating mixed-ability grouping best practices, which will, in turn, increase
the confidence level of lower-ability students. It will also provide valuable collaboration
activities among for ability levels.
Chapter 2: Literature Review
Introduction
The majority consensus in educational literature suggests that ability grouping is harmful
to students. This is especially true for groups such as ELL students and minorities, that get
disproportionally placed into the low-ability classes. Unfortunately, socioeconomic status is also
a predictor of track assignment in public schools (Epple et al., 2002). In addition, the literature
suggests that regardless of how students are grouped by ability, achievement gaps are evident
THE EFFECTS OF A MIXED-ABILITY CLASSROOM 9
between the tracks (Chmielewski, 2014). This indicates that no matter how homogeneous ability
grouping was attempted, results were the same. Even for high-ability students, it has been shown
to only contribute temporarily to the success of those students. Educational literature about
ability grouping agrees on the wide range of benefits of mixed-ability grouping to include both
psychological, social, and academic advantages.
Best Practices for Increasing Proficiency
The use of best practices in a mixed-ability classroom is vital to maximize the learning
opportunities for all students. It is important for the teacher to transition from teacher-centered to
student-centered instruction (Spear, 1994). Within the student-centered classroom, there are tools
that the teacher can use to provide the proper support to struggling students while challenging the
students who are moving through the task at hand at a quicker pace.
In an article by Doug Clark (2021), he offers several ways to accomplish this. The first is
to have a quick class discussion throughout the task at hand to help provide encouragement and
clarification for students who might be struggling. He also suggests the use of enabling prompts
which are only intended to get students initially on track and are only used for students who
might need them. Additionally, Clark encourages the use of extending prompts for students who
have finished the initial task quickly and need a challenging continuation of the task.
In addition to the above-mentioned tools for differentiation, it will be helpful for teachers
to incorporate peer tutoring and peer explanation into the lessons. Many students learn better
from other students, so this is a very good benefit of having mixed-ability classes. Because of
this, it will also be helpful to provide as much opportunity as possible for students to work
together on a task so that they can talk through their problem-solving ideas with one another. The
diversity of students in a mixed-ability classroom allows for a more enriching group project
THE EFFECTS OF A MIXED-ABILITY CLASSROOM 10
experience. In the end, the most important tools a teacher can incorporate to making a mixedability classroom successful are patience, flexibility, and maintaining high expectations for all
students.
Chapter 3: Methodology
Introduction
With the population at Sand Rock High School trending towards more nonproficient students on the STAR mathematics test than proficient, it will be important to examine
the link between how students are ability-grouped and these proficiency scores. The plan for this
study is to compare the STAR mathematics scores of 7th graders homogeneously grouped by ability
with those heterogeneously grouped by ability. Sand Rock has three groups of 7th graders who are
typically divided up into three groups of ability: above average, average, and below average. This
study will instead create a class of mixed-ability grouped 7th graders, with two other classes who
remain grouped by ability. All students will then be assessed at regular intervals to determine the
link, if any, between grouping practices and proficiency levels on the STAR mathematics test. It
is proposed that the students who are not grouped by ability will outperform the students who are
grouped by ability on the STAR mathematics test. It is also proposed that there will be positive
changes in the students’ social and emotional health. The impact of the results from this study
could affect grouping practices at Sand Rock High School, which will, in turn, benefits student
proficiency levels for all grades at the school.
Population
Sand Rock School is a Pre-Kindergarten through 12th
-grade school, however, only 7th
graders at Sand Rock will be participating in this study. This group was chosen as it is the first
grade considered high school at Sand Rock, therefore, they are already in a year of transition
THE EFFECTS OF A MIXED-ABILITY CLASSROOM 11
from middle to high school. This transition year will be taken advantage of since doing the study
in other grades would risk interfering with the education of the students as they are already in a
set routine in the other buildings. This grade was also chosen because the two mathematics
teachers of students at Sand Rock High School are willing participants in the study.
Sample
All seventy-five 7
th
-grade students will be subdivided into groups of fifteen, separated by
their scores on the previous year’s STAR test. Five students will be randomly selected from each
of the five groups to form the mixed-ability class. The remaining students will be separated into
two equally homogeneous grouped ability classes.
Sample Technique
The sampling technique is stratified random. It is stratified to ensure the correct
proportions of different ability ranges be included in the sample, mixed-ability class. The mixed
ability class is pulled first from each ability grouping randomly. The remaining students will be
divided equally down the middle of performance on the previous year’s STAR test to ensure two
homogeneously grouped classes by ability.
Role of Participants and Impact on Participants
Each student in 7th
-grade will be taught by the same teacher for the first semester and
then transition to a different teacher the second semester. The two homogeneous classes will be
taught as normal while in the mixed-ability classes, the teacher will have the ability to
incorporate collaboration activities and best practices that are otherwise impossible in a
homogeneous-ability classroom.
There is expected to be an immediate and positive impact on students who are in the
mixed-ability grouped class. Those students are expected to gain confidence in their math
THE EFFECTS OF A MIXED-ABILITY CLASSROOM 12
abilities and be able to collaborate more effectively with diverse populations, which in turn will
show an increase in proficiency scores on the STAR mathematics test. Positive results from this
study will have the ability to impact practices at Sand Rock to be able to help all other grade
levels of students.
Plan for Protection of Human Subjects
Students in all three classes will be randomly assigned numbers to protect their identities.
The project director will be the only person who will have access to the list of students and these
assigned numbers. In addition, although no harm is expected to come from participation in this
study, informed consent will be obtained from parents and guardians as this study does involve
minors.
Variables
The dependent variable in this study is the proficiency percentages of the STAR math
scores of the 7
th
-grade students at Sand Rock High School participating in this study as this is
what is expected to be affected by the independent variable. The independent variable in this
study is the instruction techniques of mixed-ability grouping that are unavailable in
homogeneously grouped classrooms. More specifically, this would include collaboration
techniques that maximize the learning of all students.
Timeline
Students will be selected for each class prior to the beginning of the school year based on
the previous year’s STAR mathematics scores. They will then be reassessed in the first two
weeks of school to ensure there are no outliers in the grouping of students. Students will not be
moved at that point; any outliers will just be noted in the data. Additionally, all students will be
given the STAR assessment two additional times per semester, at the first nine-week mark and
THE EFFECTS OF A MIXED-ABILITY CLASSROOM 13
then at the end of the semester. The students will be assessed on the same day, except for absent
students. Those students will be assessed on the first day of their return, when possible. Potential
links between class ability grouping and STAR proficiency scores will be determined at the end
of the school year.
Constitutive and Operation Definitions
The STAR mathematics test is an online assessment program that assesses 49 sets of
math skills in 1st through 7th grade and 44 sets of skills in 9
th through 12 grades to determine a
student’s overall math achievement. The three classes of students will be assigned the letters A,
B, and C. Class A will consist of the mixed-ability students. Class B will consist of the
homogeneously grouped high-ability students, and Class C will consist of the homogeneously
grouped lower ability students. The teachers will be assigned the numbers 1 and 2. Teacher 1
will be the first-semester teacher, and Teacher 2 will be the second-semester teacher.
Description of Data
The data will come from the STAR mathematics test given to all 7th
-grade students. The
test will be given once at the beginning of the school year and then once at the end of each nine
weeks for a total of five assessments. Confirmation or rejection of the hypothesis that the class of
mixed-ability students will outperform either class of homogeneous ability grouped students will
occur only at the end of the year when all data has been obtained. The arrival of the confirmation
or rejection of the hypothesis will be obtained from analyzing the progress of students
individually and by class as a whole.
THE EFFECTS OF A MIXED-ABILITY CLASSROOM 14
Reliability and Validity of Instrument
The STAR test is widely used in all fifty states in the United States to gauge the
proficiency levels of students in grades 1-12. It is also one of the main instruments in Response
to Intervention (RTI) placement at Sand Rock School. The STAR assessment will be given to
students on the same day, except for student absences, to limit different extraneous factors from
student to student. Even though the teacher will change at the semester mark, all 7th
-grade
students will have the same teacher at the same time to ensure that any differences in proficiency
from class to class are not related to a difference in teacher.
Limitations
Currently, there is a high rate of absenteeism especially due to COVID quarantines. This
could affect individual student achievement. In addition, any potential lack of ability of the
teacher to be able to incorporate sound techniques of mixed-ability classes could also affect
student achievement of the classes. The current teachers of 7
th graders at Sand Rock High School
are willing participants, but if there were any changes to this scenario, it would be important to
ensure that any teacher participating in this study does not have potential biases about mixed
ability grouping that could affect the outcome of the study.
THE EFFECTS OF A MIXED-ABILITY CLASSROOM 15
References
Abadzi, H. (1985). Ability grouping effects on academic achievement and self-esteem: Who
performs in the long run as expected? The Journal of Educational Research, 79(1), 36–
40.
Ambreen, S., & Conteh, J. (2021). Children’s interactions in ability-based groups in a primary
classroom. The European Educational Researcher, 4(1), 85–107.
Bui, S., Imberman, S., & Craig, S. (2012). Poor results for high achievers. Education Next, 12(1),
70–76.
Childhood Education. (2014). Reiterates harm from “ability grouping” in school. Childhood
Education, 90(2), 169.
Chmielewski, A. K. (2014). An international comparison of achievement inequality in withinand between-school tracking systems. American Journal of Education, 120(3), 293–324.
Clarke, D. (2021). Calling a spade a spade: The impact of within class ability grouping on
opportunity to learn mathematics in the primary school. Australian Primary Mathematics
Classroom, 26(1), 3–8.
Epple, D., Newlon, E., & Romano, R. (2002). Ability tracking, school competition, and the
distribution of educational benefits. Journal of Public Economics, 83(1), 1–48.
Harklau, L. (1994). Tracking and linguistic minority students: Consequences of ability grouping
for second language learners. Linguistics and Education, 6(3), 217–244.
Holmes, C. T., & Ahr, T. J. (1994). Effects of ability grouping on academic achievement and
self-concept of African American and White students. The Clearing House: A Journal of
Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 67(5), 294–297.
THE EFFECTS OF A MIXED-ABILITY CLASSROOM 16
Losen, D. (1999). Silent segregation in our nation’s schools. Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties
Law Review, 34(2), 517–546.
McGillicuddy, D., & Devine, D. (2020). ‘You feel ashamed that you are not in the higher
group’— Children’s psychosocial response to ability grouping in primary school. British
Educational Research Journal, 46(3), 553–573.
Spear, R. C. (1994). Teacher perceptions of ability grouping practices in middle level schools.
Research in Middle Level Education, 18(1), 117–130.
Standing, K., Lewis, L., & National Center for Education Statistics. (2021). Pre-COVID ability
grouping in U.S. public school classrooms. Data Point. National Center for Education
Statistics. Published.
Sullivan, J. F. (1998). Meeting the individual needs of all learners in the inclusion classroom.
The Justice Professional, 11(1–2), 175–187.
Webel, C., & Dwiggins, A. (2019). Prospective elementary teachers’ experiences with and
perspectives on grouping by ability in mathematics. Mathematics Teacher Education and
Development, 21(2), 4–23.
THE EFFECTS OF A MIXED-ABILITY CLASSROOM 17
Appendix A
Consent Form
Consent Form
Felisha Cleland
The University of West Alabama
Research Proposal Title: The Effects of a Mixed-Ability Classroom on STAR Mathematics Scores
1. What is the purpose of the study? The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of mixed-ability classes on all
students.
2. How was I chosen? You were chosen because you are a 7th grader at Sand Rock High School. The 7th grade class was chosen
to participate due to their being a noted drop in proficiency levels in this grade in the past.
3. What will be involved in participating? You will be placed in either a like or mixed ability class of students. Selection for
these groups is random, and you will not be informed as to which group you are in. You will also be given 5 STAR math
assessments throughout the year. These assessments are not due, but this is the data that will be used in this study.
4. Who will know what I say? You will be assigned a random number at the beginning of research. Only Felisha Cleland, the
research director, will be aware of your specific number. That way, anything you say will be associated with your number instead
of your name. Also, any of your STAR scores will only be associated with your number, not your name.
5. What risks and benefits are associated with participation? There will be very little risk to you as you as every effort will
be made to ensure that your education is not hindered by this study. However, it may be found that by your participation in this
study, changes will be made at Sand Rock School to ensure that learning is maximized for all students at Sand Rock.
6. What are my rights as a respondent? You may ask any questions regarding the research, and they will be answered
fully. Your participation in the study is voluntary; you may withdraw at any time.
7. What will be published? Following the completion of this research proposal, I plan to maintain my records for use in future
publications and scholarly presentations. I plan to publish my findings as articles in professional journals, with the ultimate goal
of publishing a book or a chapter in a book.
8. If I want more information, whom can I contact about the study? This study has been approved by the University of West
Alabama’s Internal Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects. This board can be contacted through the office of Mrs.
Patricia Pratt. In addition, my research advisor, Mrs. Annah Rogers, can be contacted at arogers@uwa.edu.
__________________________ ___________________________________
Felisha Cleland, Project Director Respondent’s signature, Date
This consent form has all the required information from Federal law.
THE EFFECTS OF A MIXED-ABILITY CLASSROOM 18
Appendix B
Authorization for a Minor to Serve as a Subject in Research
Authorization for a Minor to Serve as a Subject in Research
I authorize the service of _____________________ as a subject in the research investigation entitled: The Effects of
(name of minor)
a Mixed-Ability Classroom on STAR Mathematics Scores.
The nature and general purpose of the research procedure and the known risks have
been explained to me. I understand that _____________________ will be given a preservice
(name of minor)
explanation of the research and that he/she may decline to serve. Further, I understand that he/she may terminate
his/her service in this research at any time he/she so desires.
I understand the known risks are the possibility of reading scores not increasing or being given behavior
modification when it is not needed.
I understand also that it is not possible to identify all potential risks in an experimental procedure, and I
believe that reasonable safeguards have been taken to minimize both the known and the potential but unknown risks.
I agree further to indemnify and hold harmless the University of West Alabama and its agents and
employees from any and all liability, actions, or causes of actions that may accrue to the subject minor as a result of
his/her activities for which this consent is granted.
Witness_____________________________ Signed_____________________________
(parent or guardian)
Date_______________________________
To be retained by researcher
THE EFFECTS OF A MIXED-ABILITY CLASSROOM 19
Appendix C
Permission to Conduct Research
Permission to Conduct Research
Felisha Cleland, Teacher
40 Quail Drive
Centre, AL 35960
October 4, 2021
Mr. Ben East, Principal
Sand Rock High School
1950 Sand Rock Ave
Sand Rock, AL 35983
Dear Mr. East,
I would like to conduct a study using the 7
th Grade classes of Sand Rock High School. The study
proposes to research the effects of a mixed-ability classroom on STAR mathematics scores. The results
of this study will improve the educational practices of teachers and the school. It will also impact the
mathematical proficiency of the students at Sand Rock School. The study will take place from August 1,
2022 to May 31, 2023. It will be conducted by me, Mrs. Felisha Cleland, a current mathematics teacher.
I feel that this research study is a very worthwhile endeavor for our students and school. Please
review the enclosed information in order to make a decision concerning our school’s ability to conduct
this research. A consent form has been included.
