A Think Twice Review of:

Does Sorting Students Improve Scores? An Analysis of Class Composition

Think Twice - Apr 02, 2013

Publisher/Think Tank - National Bureau of Economic Research, Courtney A. Collins and Li Gan

Author(s) -

Despite the vast majority of research into tracking or ability grouping of students, a recently released report from the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) purports that sorting students by ability improves outcomes for low-achieving and high-achieving students alike.

Reviewer(s) - Dr. Carol Corbett Burris, South Side High School Katherine Allison, University of Colorado Boulder

The report suffers from several research defects and reviewers find that this working paper should not be used to inform policy regarding tracking or grouping practices. The reviewers further find “The authors go beyond their data and analyses when they conclude that schools should sort students as a cost-free method to improve student achievement.”