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By JENNIFER LEARN; Times Leader Hazleton Bureau
Sunday, February 13, 1994 Page: 3A QUICK WORDS: GROUP KIDS BY ABILITY
HAZLE TWP. — Most Hazleton Area School District teachers want to return to
the days when student class groupings were determined by ability, according to
a controversial survey by school board member William McCann.
McCann, head of the district pupil/teacher committee, recently surveyed
district teachers to help decide whether the school district should continue
to group pupils of mixed abilities in classes.
Almost 400 of the district’s 500 elementary and secondary teachers
voluntarily rated the two grouping tactics in the survey during secret
ballots, McCann said.
But a few board members are questioning the validity of the survey because
it was not authorized by the whole board.
Some board members also complained about the way teachers were questioned
about “homogenous” (grouping by ability) and “heterogenous” (mixing students
of varying abilities) classes.
“Homogeneous and heterogeneous grouping were not even defined in the
survey. I question the method of data collection and the information given to
the people who were replying as to the purpose of this survey,” said board
member Deidre Jago, who did not endorse the survey.
Most teachers said mixed grouping is not effective or not very effective in
meeting the physical, social, intellectual and emotional needs of all
students.
Most teachers said grouping by ability is very effective or fairly
effective in meeting those needs.
During a Tuesday meeting of the Pupil-Teacher Committee, board President
Thomas Marnell asked district administrators to outline a new plan for
grouping students. The board will consider the plan during a work session at 7
p.m. Tuesday cq 2/15 at Hazle Elementary School, Marnell said.
McCann hopes to resolve the grouping dilemma at the regular board meeting
Thursday night because high school pupils will choose courses for next year in
two or three weeks.
Nationally, the trend is toward putting students of varying abilities into
groups as school districts attempt to find ways to teach students of all
levels.
All Hazleton Area intermediate schools were converted to heterogeneous
grouping when the district consolidated its schools last year. District
elementary schools always have had pupils of varied abilities in the same
class.
McCann, Marnell and board member Bob Schnee criticized the district’s
current grouping methods during their campaigns last fall.
They argue putting students of varied abilities in the same class holds
back high achievers and makes low achievers feel inferior as they struggle to
keep up with other pupils.
Meanwhile, school board member Ed Pane and other proponents of
heterogeneous grouping say putting students of mixed aptitudes in the same
class gives all students an equal setting to learn and eliminates tracking, or
labeling students as smart or dumb.
Pane also think the format helps students learn to get along with people of
mixed talent and ability they will encounter in the business world.