The achievement gap: The impact of between‐class attainment grouping on pupil attainment and educational equity over time

Despite extensive research on attainment grouping, the impact of attainment grouping on pupil attainment remains poorly understood and contested. This paper presents evidence from a study conducted with 2944 12–13 year olds, from 76 schools in England, who were allocated to between‐class attainment...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:British educational research journal 2023-04, Vol.49 (2), p.209-230
Main Authors: Hodgen, Jeremy, Taylor, Becky, Francis, Becky, Craig, Nicole, Bretscher, Nicola, Tereshchenko, Antonina, Connolly, Paul, Mazenod, Anna
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic achievement gaps
Achievement Gap
attainment grouping
Educational Attainment
Educational inequality
Fairness
Foreign Countries
Grade 7
Grade 8
Mathematics
Secondary School Mathematics
Secondary School Students
tracking
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Summary:Despite extensive research on attainment grouping, the impact of attainment grouping on pupil attainment remains poorly understood and contested. This paper presents evidence from a study conducted with 2944 12–13 year olds, from 76 schools in England, who were allocated to between‐class attainment groups (‘setting’) in English and mathematics over the first 2 years of secondary schooling. After controlling for prior attainment, pupils in the top set performed significantly better than pupils in the middle and bottom sets in both English and mathematics. The findings indicate a widening gap in attainment, especially in the case of English. Findings, especially in the case of mathematics, provide more evidence of a relative benefit for pupils placed in top sets than a relative detriment for those in bottom sets.
ISSN:0141-1926
1469-3518
DOI:10.1002/berj.3838