tracking
Division of students based on academic skill level. Students are “tracked” into a particular course of study intended to match cognitive abilities and to prepare students for an appropriate post-graduate future (college or university, trade school, or employment).
See also ability grouping, heterogeneous grouping, homogeneous grouping.
Additional information
Track placement may be based on a combination of student achievement, IQ, and teacher evaluation. High school graduation in North Carolina is based on student selection of one of four content area courses of study, or pathways: career prep, college tech prep, college/university prep, or occupational prep.
Critics argue that tracking limits a student’s opportunities to pursue a chosen course of study and thus narrows future opportunities, particularly for minority students. Tracking is an extremely divisive issue.
Examples and resources
See Education Week’s issue page on “tracking” for more information.
