Fiona O'Loughlin
Ceist:416. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on streaming in post-primary schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26594/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 20 June 2017
Ceisteanna (416)
Freagraí scríofa
Findings from research in this area suggest that there is no one system of organisational grouping or student placement that works equally well for all students. It suggests that the success or otherwise of ability groupings depends less on the actual grouping itself than on the philosophy and purpose underpinning the grouping, and how the composition of the class groups and the quality of teaching reflects the intended philosophy.
However, research published by the Economic and Social Research Institute in 2011 indicates that the streaming of students by ability in Ireland has an adverse affect on overall education standards. This research shows that students in lower streams tend to perform much worse when grouped together while students assigned to higher ability classes do not make corresponding gains, hence average student performance falls. Similar to research elsewhere, the ESRI review shows that teacher-student interaction is crucial to student outcomes and that the teaching methods employed by teachers make a difference in this regard.
In light of these findings, many post-primary schools have started to move from strict streaming of their students in first year and now group their students according to mixed ability for much of the junior cycle. However, it needs to be noted that mixed ability settings can take many forms.
Schools are advised to adopt flexible grouping strategies that reflect individual needs and strive to improve educational outcomes for all students. Schools are also advised to ensure that groupings are regularly monitored to enable changes to be made if necessary.