The Organization of Students for Instruction in the Middle School

This article examines two aspects of the practice of tracking students for instruction in the middle school: the structure of a tracking system and the process of assigning students to track levels. Relying on existing conceptualizations of track formation and assignment, it argues that certain aspects of tracking are primarily a response to organizational constraints within a school and are not governed solely by students' learning needs. Analyses of longitudinal data on 1,669 students in several middle schools reveal that the number; stability; and, to some extent, the size of tracks are determined independently of characteristics of the student population distribution. Students' assignments to tracks are strongly influenced by their track history, as well as by prior achievement, and there is a modest independent influence of select background characteristics. Inequities associated with these features of tracking are discussed and policy changes are suggested.