Track Mobility in Secondary School

Abstract

Tracking, a pervasive organizational practice in American secondary schools, creates instructional groups that are homogeneous with respect to student ability. It is a highly controversial practice frequently criticized because it locks students into a particular track level for an entire school year or longer. This study examines several theoretical ideas about the basis of track selection and about track mobility patterns. Relying on longitudinal data from over 2,000 students, the research examines the frequency of track mobility and the direction of change in track assignments over students' four year high school careers. The data show evidence of considerably more mobility than is typically assumed. The findings relate mobility to student and school characteristics and to the curriculum. The results demonstrate how track mobility can provide differential learning opportunities to pupils, particularly females and low-income students.