Cluster Grouping for High Ability Students

1. Cluster Grouping for
High Ability Students
by
Virginia Jones
EDIM 510
November 20, 2011

2. What is Cluster Grouping?
“The placement of several high
achieving, high ability, or gifted
students in a regular classroom with
other students and a teacher who has
received training or has a desire to
differentiate curriculum and
instruction for these target students”
(Gentry & Mann, 2008).

3. Cluster Grouping
• Small groups of like ability students placed
in the same classroom
• Reduces the number of achievement
groups in each classroom while still
maintaining diversity
• See next slide for a model
of a cluster grouping
scenario

4. Cluster Grouping Possible
Scenario
Teacher 1 Teacher 2 Teacher 3
Math/Langua
High Ability
ge Arts
Above Language
Math
Average Arts
More Math / More LA /
Average Few if any
few LA few Math
Low Average Most Few if any Few if any
More LA / More Math /
Low Few if any
few Math few LA
All/ or Split All/ or Split
Special
None with teacher with teacher
Education
3 2

5. Advantages?
• Full-time services for high ability
students at no additional cost
• Achievement increases at all ability
levels
• Allows for more effective curricular
differentiation
• Fewer ability levels to differentiate in
each classroom

6. Common Misconceptions
• “You are lucky to have the gifted
kids, they are really easy to
teach…”
• “You are taking the cream of the
crop, I need the gifted kids to bring
up the rest of the kids.”
• “It’s not fair...if she has the gifted
kids, she should have the low kids
too…”
• “I need the high kids to teach the
low kids…”

7. TRUTH!
 Removal of highest achievers allows other
students to emerge as achievers
 Most discipline problems occur from
inappropriate levels of challenge
 High Ability students “feed off” of one another
while bouncing ideas back and forth
 Cluster students work with accelerated
content and processes

8. Positive Outcomes
• Placing the high achievers in one classroom
can increase the chance that their needs will
be met while offering the opportunity for
talent to emerge in the other classroom
• Restricting the range of achievement levels
in elementary classrooms can help teachers
better address individual needs

9. Resources:
• Chambers, S. (Photographer). (n.d.). Working together. [Print Photo].
Retrieved
from:http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5147/5611664555_7e0f909720.jpg
• Connectedclass. (Photographer). (2007). Teacher and students. [Print
Photo]. Retrieved from
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23311439@N03/2229872148/
• Dame, R. (Photographer). (2007). Kids hard at work. [Print Photo].
Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhidame/354403987/
• Gentry, M., & Mann, R. (2008). Total school cluster grouping &
differentiation, a comprehensive, research-based plan for raising student
achievement & improving teacher practices. Mansfield Center, CT:
Creative Learning Press, Inc.
• Leśniańska, D. (Photographer). (2009). Crazy teacher. [Print Photo].
Retrieved from
http://www.flickr.com/photos/40455191@N04/3798092652/
• Roeder, P. (Photographer). (2011). Eager. [Print Photo]. Retrieved from
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tabor-roeder/6059055200/