Grouping students by ability makes students unprepared for the world. The practice of grouping students makes it so students with learning differences appear different than their peers without learning differences, does not give students an accurate look at how the world operates, and makes classes and students very similar in their behavior, actions, and knowledge. If students are not prepared for the real world when they finish their education, they will not thrive and succeed in their jobs, friends, and family because they have only been exposed to people who the same caliber intellectually as them.
Students with learning differences have numerous challenges in school to begin with and the addition of being separated by their differences makes their education much harder. People who are considered to be academically perfect oftentimes look down upon those who get special services because of their learning differences. This can make students feel unvalidated and that they are not as qualified for opportunities as their peers. By students who have learning differences being grouped together, schools make it appear that these students are special or are too different from their peers to learn in a traditional way. Additionally, if students are only exposed to students like themselves, many will struggle with understanding that not everyone is like them. This paired with those who have learning differences see their peers receive generous accommodations and themselves receiving accommodations might make students believe they should get accomodations on everything. This is impractical as they will not be getting accomodations in the real world. Lastly, if students are placed in groups with people exclusively like them, students will not be exposed how the real world operates. Students will not be able to thrive in a group of people who have accommodations and those who do not receive accommodations. In our ever changing world, it's imperative that we do separate the students with learning differences from those who do not have learning differences.
Students must be exposed to an accurate portrayal of the world in order to grow as individuals. When working on a project with coworkers, many coworkers will be much smarter than you and many will not be as brilliant as you. If students are only placed in groups with the same academic caliber as themselves, they will not learn how to work effectively with others, learn their own strengths and weaknesses, and be prepared to work hard. Students who are placed in sections with people very similar to themselves will not feel pressure or motivation to improve due to the lack of range in the group. If students are not motivated, they will not discover their strengths and weaknesses that allow them to progress themselves. Additionally, when students are with people alike them, they will not want to continue to better themselves as they know everyone in the group is currently like them. The skills that people lack can be summarized with a lack of cooperation as a result of being surrounded by clones of oneself.
If students are placed in classes with others similar to themselves, their learning will be stagnant. Students when placed in groups of people like themselves, often times experience no variety which can lead to no change in a student’s behaviors, actions, or knowledge. Without variety students cannot learn from each other because the students operate the same way, and cannot use each others’ advantages to combat their disadvantages as all students will be carbon copies of one another. Research has shown that students retain information well when their peers teach it and it is impossible to learn from one another if everyone is at the same level. When students are exposed to others’ who have a greater knowledge, they sometimes experience a lack of understanding a topic or struggling to keep up. By missing out on this, students will not have the opportunity to learn from themselves. In order for students to grow as individuals, they must be placed in groups of people who are unlike them and allow them to be challenged.
Students are not adequately prepared for life when they are around people exclusively like themselves. In order for the world to continue to prosper, it's imperative that students are placed in groups of all abilities. Students must learn to excel when they are the weakling and when they are the strongest asset. Throughout their life, people will be placed in groups of all varieties who challenge and allow themselves to grow. It is essential that students have been in groups of people not like them to ensure they can succeed in their jobs, friends, and family when they will be exposed to various kinds of people. We must prepare students for a world in which they are not defined by their abilities but what they can accomplish.