Regularly updating small groups not only enables teachers to address the unique needs of each learner more effectively, but also fosters a more inclusive and collaborative learning environment, promoting broader social interaction and sense of community among students and providing students with opportunities to experience diverse group dynamics and challenges (Wilkinson & Fung, 2002). When small groups are updated regularly, there is less risk that ability labels will become entrenched (McGillicuddy & Devine, 2020) and that students will perceive their ability as something fixed, such that it is not possible to grow and improve. This is important, because when students have negative perceptions of their abilities, they are likely to experience academic difficulties, including with the development of reading skills (Best et al., 2011; Morgan & Fuchs, 2007). At the same time, some evidence suggests that the quality of teachers’ instruction may be more influential on students’ perceptions of their own ability than teachers’ grouping practices (Yu et al., 2022).
How Often Should Groups Be Changed?
Unfortunately, there is not a precise answer to how often groups should be changed. Striking a balance between stability and flexibility is key. Teachers should be responsive to student performance data, updating small groups when students show insufficient progress or when there are other potential benefits to making a change (e.g., students in the existing group do not work well together, Lewis & Batts, 2005). The exact time frame may vary based on a teacher’s progress-monitoring schedule or other organizational considerations (e.g., breaks in the school schedule). Too-frequent changes, however, should be avoided. They may create disruptions in students’ learning. The optimal frequency may vary depending on factors such as the grade of the students (e.g., younger students may need to be regrouped more frequently as they are learning new skills for the first time), the nature of the content being addressed (e.g., discrete skills, such as letter-sound correspondences, may take less time to learn for some students), and the overall goals of instruction (e.g., mastery of one skill versus mastery of a set of skills).
ALIGNING PRACTICE WITH RESEARCH TOPIC PAPER 15
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