Make Butler The Best

We need "scientifically based research teaching", not "performance based ability grouping" in our school. Since the mid 70's, there has been much research on the negative effects of "whole class" ability grouping in schools.

According to research, those children placed in the low group at schools who do "whole class" ability grouping do worse on achievement tests than children at schools who do not ability group. Those students placed in the high group do no better on achievement tests than high students at schools who do not do ability grouping. There are no positive effects for high grouped students and many negative effects for low grouped students. Research shows that children grouped in low classes are exposed to less curriculum and a lower quality of instruction than students in an average to high grouped class or students at schools that do not do ability grouping.

For many years, the administration at Butler Elementary in Arlington has encouraged the grouping of students in low, medium, and high classes. At the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year, the administration at Butler told parents that they no longer do ability grouping. Administration even said that research does not support it and that the Arlington School District did not want ability grouping to continue.

When some parents questioned why the school still changed classes for reading and math, the administration called it "performance based grouping" and said it was not ability grouping.