Archived: The Educational System in the United States: Case Study Findings

Individual Differences and
the United States Education
System
By: Douglas Trelfa
If I aim the expectation at the better students, the other ones are so left be-
hind that they don’t have the vaguest idea of what’s going on. If I make it
too easy, it bores the brighter ones, so the idea is to try to hit a middle. At
least that is my idea. And sometimes it’s pretty good and sometimes the middle
bores the ones at the top and it’s too hard for the ones at the bottom. (Physics
teacher, Springdale High School)
Introduction
Although all educators acknowledge the existence of large individual differences
in ability among students, in this study we found a diversity of beliefs regarding
the question of how to deal effectively and fairly with these differences. For in-
stance, while some parents and teachers reported believing that children learn
best in classrooms with other children of similar ability, there were others who
felt that students learn best when taught in classrooms with peers who have a
wide range of ability. Some teachers and administrators stated that even early
tracking of low-ability students into vocational programs would be beneficial,
while several argued for eliminating tracking and vocational courses at the high
school level.
We found that the variety of beliefs about how to deal with individual differences
in ability was mirrored in the variety of actual practices at the schools. Some
schools had two or three levels of courses in math and science; others had four
or five levels in these subjects. Some schools were working to eliminate or reduce
ability grouping; others were increasing the levels of courses offered. Some
schools emphasized portfolio grading; others emphasized standardized test scores
in computing students’ grades.

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The variety of practices regarding individual differences is in part a consequence
of a system of local control of schools. Local school districts in the localities we
visited had a great deal of autonomy. They used this autonomy to create a diverse
mix of educational programs designed to meet the needs of diverse student popu-
lations. Even principals and teachers were given a great deal of autonomy in man-
aging individual differences at the school and classroom levels.
In this chapter, we use the phrase ‘‘individual differences’’ with some reservation.
When we speak of individual differences, we refer to individual differences in aca-
demic performance among students that are based on variations in aptitude, inter-
est, life history, personality, and the characteristics of the evaluator. This inclusive
conception recognizes that individual differences have multiple sources and occur
within a social context. It takes into account the many domains in which children
vary. Our focus is on individual differences as they are related to achievement in
math and science.