To decide if tracking might be a good option for your child, weigh the benefits and drawbacks.
There is a great deal of debate today about the continued use of tracking, which was once the norm in American public education. Many schools started using a tracking system, dividing students by academic ability into various groups for specific subjects or for all subjects, in order to meet the diverse needs of their students.
Everything you need to know about tracking in schools is provided below.
What is Tracking in Schools?
Educational tracking refers to the placement of students into different kinds of educational programs according to a defined criterion of similarity or dissimilarity, such as interest, ability, or achievement. In schools, there are many different kinds of tracking, including remedial and gifted and talented ability tracks, honors tracks, and tracks for college preparation and career exploration.
Students who choose vocational tracks are directed toward courses that help them gain the skills they need to start working as soon as they graduate from high school. Students on college preparatory tracks are directed toward courses that will get them ready to go to higher education institutions.
Advanced classes that offer the chance to earn college credit before graduation are frequently offered in college preparatory tracks in American high schools. Honors tracks place students in harder classes to help them prepare for college, but they also increase their chances of getting into the college of their choice by giving them the chance to graduate with honors and a higher class ranking.
The gifted and talented and remedial ability tracks direct students into academic programs that can accommodate aptitudes that are unusually low or high, respectively.
Pros of Student Tracking System
It is challenging to decide whether tracking is good or bad because it takes so many different forms. While tracking has been waning in popularity in the US, it remains a crucial component of contemporary education in places like the Netherlands.
When used properly, tracking enables the teacher to adjust his lessons to the specific ability level of the students in his class. This can ensure that students with low and average achievement levels learn the material at their own pace without falling behind.
Tracking hasn’t been found to make a significant difference in these people’s academic achievement. However, tracking has been shown to result in significant improvements for students who perform above average academically; these students are given the opportunity to learn more quickly and are given challenges that are appropriate for their level of ability.
It is possible for students to receive instruction that is catered to their level of ability for each subject when tracking is broken down by subject. If a student has advanced math skills, for instance, he can enroll in math classes with them, whereas if he has less advanced English skills, he can enroll in an English class that is appropriate for his level.
This not only helps to ensure that students continue to learn at their level of aptitude, but it may also help to address the self-esteem problems that occasionally arise when low achievers are placed in classrooms with high achievers.
Since self-esteem and academic success are linked, tracking should, in theory, be a system that encourages academic success. It is possible, though unlikely, that placing a student on a slower track will result in him having lower self-esteem.
Cons of Student Tracking System
There are some disadvantages to take into account, despite the fact that tracking systems may have many advantages. For instance, it is not unusual for tracking systems to promote a form of segregation within the educational system. Numerous minority and low-income students are found to make up the majority of students in low-track classes, while students from higher socioeconomic backgrounds tend to predominate in upper-track courses.
According to a theory developed by Jeannie Oaks in the 1980s, many low-income and minority students were assigned to lower tracks even when this wasn’t a reflection of their academic performance.
She addressed the issue of “industrial schooling”, suggesting that upper-class students received more educational opportunities while lower-income students were funneled into vocational programs and given limited educational opportunities.
Another possible drawback of the tracking system is that by grouping students according to their academic aptitude, the educational system may lead to those students self-labeling themselves as less intelligent than upper-track students.
As a result of this separation, the students experience lower self-esteem, which can then affect their academic performance. This creates a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy.
Additionally, many students who join ability groups or tracking systems stay there for the duration of their academic careers; their abilities are not always assessed again between grades to see if a change is necessary.
Some critics of the tracking system also assert that teachers of low-achieving students have lower expectations of their pupils and do not offer the challenge and motivation necessary to motivate those pupils to improve.
Conclusion
By eliminating pointless manual tasks and focusing solely on student learning outcomes, Student Tracking System helps teachers and students work more productively. The monitoring system tracks student performance as well as attendance, information, emergency contacts, and other data.
The labeling of students by track, which results in different performance expectations and subsequent differences in self-images and behaviors, is a profound effect of educational tracking.