In its initial inception, students generally started in one group based on standardized tests from the previous school year and stayed in that group until the following year when they were reassessed.
What if students took a pre-assessment prior to each new unit or each marking period, and were placed in the appropriate group for that unit or marking period only? With new programs and apps, students could be sorted out and placed in pre-existing groups. Scheduling would not be an issue because the groups would already exist.
In mixed ability classrooms, it is inevitable that some students will complete assignments before other students because they have a better grasp of the lesson objectives. Most teachers find ways to be creative in addressing this by supplementing materials for early finishers or coaching these students to assist other classmates in need of additional support.
While these strategies can provide more review and can require students to demonstrate a higher level of learning on Bloom’s Taxonomy, it is certainly slowing them down. If students are ready to move on and they become bored, that can lead to a loss of motivation or even behavior issues. This prompts us, as teachers, to rethink how we plan for intervention and enrichment. We question, do mixed-ability classroom environments hinder the advancement of some students?