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It argues that costs and benefits differ by students’ starting skill levels and by which outcomes are evaluated. The brief contrasts traditional tracking—often criticized for unequal instructional environments and reinforcing achievement gaps—with detracking, which can burden teachers and reduce challenge for high performers. It then evaluates skill-based sorting under a uniform college-preparatory curriculum, noting potential risks to instruction quality through classroom placement and peer influences.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-brief-march-2014-skill-based-sorting-in-the-era-of-college-prep-for-all-costs-and-benefits/587412/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/research-brief-march-2014-skill-based-sorting-in-the-era-of-college-prep-for-all-costs-and-benefits/587412.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"วิน","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-30","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":24},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What does the brief compare regarding student placement?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"It compares tracking (sorting by skills while differentiating curriculum), detracking (mixed-skill classrooms with the same curriculum), and skill-based sorting with a uniform curriculum.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"Why is tracking considered controversial in the brief?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"Tracking is criticized because students with weaker skills may receive poor instructional environments with limited challenge and weak alignment to college expectations, with overrepresentation of minority and low-income students in low-track classes.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What challenges does detracking introduce for teachers and students?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"Teachers may find mixed-skill instruction difficult and often target average students, which can bore high-performing students. Implementation may also be especially difficult in urban settings, while low-skill students may struggle with challenging material and face higher failure risk.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},587412,1792767561,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":24,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145,"preview_page_count":4},2336475104736,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/22000c4c5e0e5b17e70?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1786591360781797222","RESEARCH BRIEF MARCH 2014  \nSkill-Based Sorting in the Era of College Prep for All  \nCosts and Benefits  \nTakako Nomi and Elaine Allensworth  \nAcknowledgements  \nThe authors would like to acknowledge the many people who helped make this work possible. Our colleagues at the University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research were invaluable thought partners and provided critical feedback. Steve Raudenbush from the University of Chicago, Valerie Lee from the University of Michigan, Joshua Goodman from Harvard University, Kalena Cortes from Texas A&M University, and Nick Montgomery who collaborated on the various strands of this research. We also thank Martin Gartzman from University of Chicago for helping us understand the design and critical details about the two algebra policies under study. We are very grateful to the Chicago Public Schools for the opportunity to do this work, and for their assistance in obtaining the necessary data.  \nWe also thank our Steering Committee members who provided insightful and thoughtful feedback on this brief, particularly: Aarti Dhupelia, Veronica Anderson, Brian Spittle, and Raquel Farmer-Hinton. Thanks, also, to our communications team — Emily Krone and Bronwyn McDaniel who were instrumental in helping edit and produce the brief.  \nThe studies described in this brief were supported in part under U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences (IES) award number R305A120466, as well as by grant \\#0634071 from the National Science Foundation. We are very appreciative of the Spencer Foundation for providing funding to CCSR that allows us to work that synthesizes findings across projects.  \nThis report was produced by UChicago CCSR’s publications and communications staff: Emily Krone, Director for Outreach and Communication; Bronwyn McDaniel, Communications and Research Manager; and Jessica Puller, Communications Specialist.  \nGraphic Design: Jeff Hall Design  \nPhotography: Cynthia Howe  \nEditing: Ann Lindner  \n[03.2014/pdf/jh.design@rcn.com](03.2014/pdf/jh.design@rcn.com)  \nBeyond Tracking  \nWhether or not to sort students by incoming skills has been a contentious issue. This brief shows that there are potential costs and benefits to both approaches. Even with the same curriculum, the consequences of sorting depend on students’ incoming skills and the outcomes being considered.  \nTracking has been a contentious [issue in U.S. edu](issue in U.S. edu)cation. On the one hand, tracking can be seen as an efficient strategy to address the academic diversity of the student body in large, comprehensive high schools. It allows schools to differentiate curriculum and instruction according to students’ skills, interests, and occupational paths. On the other hand, tracking has been widely criticized because students with weak skills often end up in classes with poor instructional environments, with little academic challenge, and with little alignment with college expectations.1 This is problematic ata time when the vast majority of students aspire to attain a four-year college degree.2 Moreover, minority and low-income students tend to be overrepresented in these low-track classes, leading to concerns that tracking reinforces economic and racial disparities in educational achievement.  \nCriticisms of tracking have led many districts to detrack their high schools, placing students in mixed-skill classrooms and exposing all students to the same curriculum. In theory, detracking offers rigorous content to all students in mixed-skill classrooms.3 Detracking has its own challenges, however. Teachers often find it difficult to instruct  \nmixed-skill classes, and tend to aim instruction at  \nthe average students in their classroom. It is difficult for teachers to differentiate instruction based on students’ skills, despite a general consensus that it is important to do so. This can lead to high-performing students becoming bored because teachers change instruction to accommodate students with","cbCait3zUMICXQsw","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCait3zUMICXQsw","pdf",823185,18,"English","# Beyond Tracking\n## Tracking: rationale and critiques\n## Detracking: opportunities and implementation challenges\n## Skill-based sorting with uniform curriculum\n## Policy context: Common Core and organization of students","[{\"question\":\"What does the brief compare regarding student placement?\",\"answer\":\"It compares tracking (sorting by skills while differentiating curriculum), detracking (mixed-skill classrooms with the same curriculum), and skill-based sorting with a uniform curriculum.\"},{\"question\":\"Why is tracking considered controversial in the brief?\",\"answer\":\"Tracking is criticized because students with weaker skills may receive poor instructional environments with limited challenge and weak alignment to college expectations, with overrepresentation of minority and low-income students in low-track classes.\"},{\"question\":\"What challenges does detracking introduce for teachers and students?\",\"answer\":\"Teachers may find mixed-skill instruction difficult and often target average students, which can bore high-performing students. Implementation may also be especially difficult in urban settings, while low-skill students may struggle with challenging material and face higher failure risk.\"}]","RESEARCH BRIEF MARCH 2014 - Skill-Based Sorting in the Era of College Prep for All - Costs and Benefits | PDF",1792061818,45]