Talking Points #6: "Tracking: Why Schools Need to Take Another Route

Jeannie Oakes

Argument:

In this article Jeanie Oakes argues that tracking creates greater achievement gaps between the higher and lower groups of students but simply making heterogeneous groupings is not enough, we need to change the way we teach our students so that all of them can be successful no matter what level they are on.

Quotes:

1. "Since so much of importance was omitted fro their curriculum, students in these low-ability classes were likely to have little contact with the knowledge and skills that would allow them to move into higher classes or to be successful if they got there."

This quote reminds me of Delpit's argument about the rules and codes of the culture of power. It is clear that by tracking these students we are not giving students that are outside the culture of power the rules and codes to participate in the culture of power. So they will always be outsiders. They will never succeed while the students that are in the culture of power, the high-ability students, will have access to these rules and codes, thus they will continue to succeed.

2. "It's ironic that when other, less able students are offered similar advantages, they also seem to benefit. No wonder we find a 'rich get richer and poor get poorer' pattern of outcomes from tracking."

This quote is in regards to giving identical instruction to high and low level groups which the higher groups performed the same and the low groups benefit as well. By keeping these groups separated we continue to provide quality instruction to the high groups while the low groups are denied access. How can we expect the students at these low groups to succeed when we do not challenge them as we do the students in the high groups. If you continue to teach a student on a seventh grade level the student is never going to progress from that level.


3. "When evaluations are more formalized, they probably need to be 'student-referenced' or criterion referenced; that is, they should compare what a student knows after instruction with what he or she new before."

I think this is an important quote because so many times it seems teachers and schools fall into the trap of pitting students against each other. School becomes more of a competition rather than a place to grow and learn. In the tracking setting it is clear that the students in the low-ability groups know that they are not as good as the high-ability groups so they will not strive to succeed. Why try when you are always going to be compared to the higher-groups. If we put students against themselves they will always succeed. As a student grows and learns to better him or her self they will always strive to be better.

Questions/Comments/Points to Share:

I found this article very easy to read. I completely agree with Oakes argument on tracking. I can remember being in a tracking system in Jr. high school and I was in the lower group when I was in seventh grade. Being in the lower group is a terrible feeling, you know that you are not as good as the students in the higher groupings and why try to be better when you will never be a part of that group. Just like Delpit's argument about the culture of power this tracking system creates a culture of power in the high-ability groups. As Oakes shows in her article the students in this high-ability group get the best quality instruction, materials, and teachers. While the students in the lower group who are not in the culture of power do not have access to these "rules and codes" of power. As a result they do not try in school because they feel that they are doomed to fail.

Oakes also argues that simply putting the high and low groups together is not enough. Teachers need to change the way they teacher. Make instruction relate to the students, rather than teaching in a school context teach about the world and things that are going on in the world today so that students can relate. This will increase students interest in learning. Also Oakes argues that we need to engage in more student-referenced or criterion referenced assessment. Rather than comparing a student with other students compare the student with him or her self so that the student will have every opportunity to grow and succeed. Individualized instruction is important for all students to succeed. These are just some things to think about when we think about alternatives to tracking. However, as Oakes states teachers have to be willing to reorganize and be enthusiastic to fundamentally change schools.