Heterogeneously grouping students

Grouping students according to academic ability is perceived as having a negative rather than positive effect on the students academic development (Detracking America=s Schools). How true this statement is. When

you think of the word segregation, you think of racism and discrimination. In this case however, segregation is the best possible thing that can happen to our schools in this era of controversy over issues in schools. Heterogeneously grouping students, or ability grouping, is a process in which students are placed into classes in which they can learn at the pace that fits them (Grouping). For example, if an honors student is in a general class, they will easily get bored or frustrated and lose focus. With ability grouping, students are in the classes that they are meant to be in and learn at or close to the rate of their classmates, keeping students focused and willing to work. It is seen as a way to narrow the range of performance and motivation in a group of students, thereby making teaching easier and preventing less able students from Aholding back@ those with greater academic talent (Detracking…).
The level of learning in high schools is at different levels (Is ability..). Some students learn faster than others and vise versa. Not only do some people learn faster than others, some people are just naturally smarter than others. The level of learning in schools is the key reason as to why students should be grouped according to ability.

Students in honors classes are able to go ahead of others that do not learn as fast as they do. Other classes, such as resource and special education, allow those students to take their time and the students aren=t missing out because the learn slower than their peers. Even classes such as general help because the students that need more time to do their work receive that time, making it fair for everyone in the school.
A prime example of how homogeneously grouping, or mixing, affects students is apparent in the freshmen class at my highschool. Last year as an honors student, I was in classes with average and below average students. All of the people in class learned at a different pace making it hard as a student and even harder as a teacher. Some students were always ready to move ahead while others wanted to slow down because they didn=t understand the material and the pace of the learning in the class was moving too quickly for them. When students are heterogeneously grouped and placed in different programs such as honors, college, general, and special education, they are in a better situation to learn at their own pace.
Also, certain students excel in certain areas. Just because someone is in general English doesn=t mean they don=t belong in honors math or Spanish. Mixing can be especially frustrating for someone who excels in an art or music who is in a class with people who aren=t as dedicated or are not as talented in that subject. Students expect to be able to work as hard and to move on as they feel fit and would not want to impose on someone in the same situation in another class.
When students are homogeneously grouped, problems are bound to occur (Diverse Knowledge..). When honors students are mixed with general students, general students are going to fall behind and honors students will become bored or aggravated because they cannot move ahead. Students in mixed situations will either be held back or left behind. In either scenario, both parties are at a disadvantage, which results in helping no one.

In any case, heterogeneously grouping students is the only logical solution to the problem. Some say that segregation is prejudice and that it demoralizes students of lower levels. I think that when a student finds themself in a comfortable position to learn, it is more convenient for both parties. No student should ever be deprived of receiving the education they deserve. When students are heterogeneously grouped, it is certain that students will receive the educational opportunities the deserve.