Should middle and high schools use academic tracking?
tracking | aptitude | policy | component | involve
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Do the Math
Do the Math
Hughes Middle School follows a policy of academic tracking. The school has advanced math classes for students who have an aptitude for math. Choosing students for this program involves giving all students a math test with two components: calculating and critical thinking. Students must earn a total score of 80% to qualify for the advanced class.
Option 1:
Option 1:
Julie received 95 out of 120 points on her math aptitude test. Will she qualify for the advanced math class?
A. Yes
B. No
Option 2:
Option 2:
On the math aptitude test, the calculating component is worth 70% of the final grade, and the critical thinking component is worth 30%. If Bethany gets half of the calculating problems right and all of the critical thinking problems right, will she qualify for the advanced class? (You can assume that all problems within each of the two sections are worth the same number of points.)
Discussion Question:
Discussion Question:
Tracking involves measuring each student’s aptitude, and this usually means giving a test. A policy of tracking students using a test score means that some students will miss qualifying for a higher track by just a few points. Is it fair for a student to be put into a different track based on a few points? Is there a way to make tracking decisions more fair? What components should a fair tracking system have? Or is tracking just a bad idea?
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