Pre-policy, classroom average ability related positively to test scores but positively to failure, with effects strongest for high-ability students¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · causal r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2010 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Students with average incoming ability scored .43 points higher in high-ability versus low-ability classrooms, while students one SD above the mean benefited by .89 points; students one SD below the mean did not benefit. → Takako Nomi 2010 q3 i? All students were more likely to fail in classes with more high-ability peers. → Takako Nomi 2010 (2)

Evidence¶

Takako Nomi 2010¶

Takako Nomi, Elaine M. Allensworth. (2010). The Effects of Tracking with Supports on Instructional Climate and Student Outcomes in High School Algebra. Consortium on Chicago School Research, University of Chicago. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/effects-tracking-supports-instructional-climate-and-student-outcomes-high-school

q3 · i? · causal · r2

Pre-policy cohort analyses of classroom composition and outcomes, with interaction terms between own ability and classroom average ability. High-ability students were more affected by class ability levels than low-ability students.

"students with average incoming ability have average algebra scores that are.43 points higher if in a high-ability classroom, compared to a low-ability classroom, but students with entering achievement one standard deviation above the mean would benefit by .89 points."

Takako Nomi 2010 (2)¶

Takako Nomi, Elaine M. Allensworth. (2010). The Effects of Tracking with Supports on Instructional Climate and Student Outcomes in High School Algebra. Consortium on Chicago School Research, University of Chicago. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/effects-tracking-supports-instructional-climate-and-student-outcomes-high-school

q3 · i? · causal · r2

Pre-policy bottom panel of Table 3. The article links this pattern to a frog pond effect: teachers assign higher grades to students who look better relative to peers, and more demanding high-ability classes may reduce assignment completion.

"At the same time, all students were more likely to fail in classes with more high-ability peers."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• General Cognitive Ability — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes

Related Claims¶

• Between- or within-class homogeneous ability grouping has a small negative effect on low-ability primary students but no effect on other students — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it
• Academic composition of algebra classrooms affects math achievement among high-skill students — related
• Below-norm students' test scores improved post-policy (0.88 points total), and the relationship between classroom average ability and their scores was no longer statistically significant post-policy — related
• Algebra failure rates rose post-policy for above-norm students (~3 percentage points) but fell for below-norm students (~4 points); classroom environment and peer ability explained most of the above-norm rise but not the below-norm fall — related
• Classroom peer skill levels explain about 20% of post-policy test score improvements among above-norm algebra students in Chicago — related
• Average test scores are higher when classes are sorted by skill, driven by large learning gains for high-skilled students and slightly lower scores for low-skilled students — related
• Sorting by ability affects grades and pass rates differently from test scores: high-skilled students' grades and pass rates decline while low-skilled students' grades improve — related
• Quality of explanations is higher in groups containing above-average students than in groups without them — related
• Alternate Average Adult tests are misplaced: 50% of AI 1 failures and 46% of AI 2 failures came from students with IQ above 110 — related