Do tracks serve a “remedial function” in helping students catch up with students in order tracks?
Explain. • Ideally they would serve such a function, but in reality, lower tracks do just the opposite. Rather than help students catch up with higher tracks, the lower tracks have been shown to challenge students less and expect less. This has led to an increased disparity between lower and higher track learning. • No, students in high track classes cover much more involved and complicated material. Meanwhile, low track classes tend to spend more time on less demanding topics and skills. In the long run, research suggests the gap widens between the skills of high and low track classes. Q 9: What role do “ability tests”(nature) and/or ” competency tests”(nurture) have in tracking and especially in minority students being disproportionately represented in low-track classes and underrepresented in programs for the gifted and talented? • The results of both types of tests have shown a disparity between minority and white students, with white students scoring consistently higher. When thes
