| Takako Nomi
Pennsylvania State University
Educational stratification in early elementary school: The causal effect of ability grouping on reading achievement in early elementary school
FINAL REPORT
The purpose of this dissertation is to apply propensity-score methods to examine the causal effects of within-classroom reading ability grouping on student achievement in first grade. Limitations in previous ability grouping research are also critically examined. Four research questions are addressed: (1) Does reading achievement differ between students who are grouped by ability and those who are not? (2) Does the effect of reading ability grouping vary by students' initial abilities? If so, do differential effects contribute to increasing achievement gaps between high and low achievers? (3) Do the effects of ability grouping vary by schools or classrooms? (4) Do the effects of ability grouping vary by students' initial abilities and schools or classrooms? The ECLS-K dataset is used which consists of a nationally representative sample of kindergartners. Findings suggest that although first-grade reading ability grouping has no significant effects on the average reading achievement for the population as a whole, ability grouping effects are found to vary by student initial abilities and school characteristics, but not classroom characteristics. Ability grouping leads to higher achievement for all students in schools that are least likely to practice ability grouping. In these schools achievement inequalities may be reduced because stronger effects are found among low initial ability students. In contrast, ability grouping leads to lower achievement particularly for students with low and middle initial abilities in schools that are more likely to practice ability grouping. This suggests increasing achievement inequalities in these schools. The schools with positive ability grouping effects are likely to be non-public, smaller, and more homogenous in student cognitive and behavioral characteristics. They also have higher SES, fewer racial minorities, and students with better reading skills than schools with negative ability grouping effects. The author argues that school contexts, particularly ability distributions, are key factors both as the determinants and consequences of ability grouping practices. Implications for ability grouping policy to improve student achievement are also discussed.
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