Last week Dr. Tom Loveless issued a report about the effects of tracking – grouping students into separate classes based on achievement – and detracking on middle school students in Massachusetts for the Thomas B. Fordham Institute.

When I was a student in West Virginia, tracked classes were common, but that has changed over the years.  The same trend has occurred in Massachusetts.  Why?  A concern that teachers effectively use tracking to stereotype and discriminate against students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

What does the study find?  Controlling for socio-economic status, more tracked students perform at advanced and proficient levels, and more detracked students perform at failing or needs improvement levels.  Indeed the more tracks your school has, the better students are likely to perform.

What schools are least likely to track?  Urban schools serving mostly poor children.

Could our efforts to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds with detracking actually be hurting them?  That is the real question.