Which term describes the practice of grouping students by ability for all subjects?

Which term describes the practice of grouping students by ability for all subjects?

• A. Cultural deprivation
• B. Streaming
• C. Home factors
• D. Elaborate code

Answer: (B)

Streaming is the term for grouping students by ability for all subjects. In streaming, pupils are placed into fixed groups that move through the whole curriculum, so the same set of subjects is taught at a level matched to that group. This differs from setting, where groups are formed within individual subjects and can vary from one subject to another. Streaming aims to tailor pace and content to students’ abilities, which can help some learners stay engaged and progress more quickly. But it can also reinforce divisions and unequal expectations, since lower streams may receive fewer opportunities and higher streams more resources. The other terms refer to different ways of explaining how students perform in school—cultural deprivation, home factors, and elaborated code—but none describe the practice of grouping students by ability across all subjects.

Streaming is the term for grouping students by ability for all subjects. In streaming, pupils are placed into fixed groups that move through the whole curriculum, so the same set of subjects is taught at a level matched to that group. This differs from setting, where groups are formed within individual subjects and can vary from one subject to another. Streaming aims to tailor pace and content to students’ abilities, which can help some learners stay engaged and progress more quickly. But it can also reinforce divisions and unequal expectations, since lower streams may receive fewer opportunities and higher streams more resources. The other terms refer to different ways of explaining how students perform in school—cultural deprivation, home factors, and elaborated code—but none describe the practice of grouping students by ability across all subjects.