Author Identifier (ORCID)
Abstract
Many schools choose to use ability grouping, despite longstanding evidence that it is inequitable and does not improve overall academic outcomes. One reason that the practice of grouping students by ‘ability’ continues is because of pressure to perform on standardised tests. Educators hold beliefs that grouping students for English classes, for example, will improve their literacy scores. This paper presents findings from a study about class ability grouping for English in Australia and how different class grouping practices relate with students’ achievement on Australia’s standardised literacy test. The findings draw on data from our Class Ability Grouping Survey, where participant principals or their delegates characterised the different English class grouping practices being used in their schools from flexible to rigid. Multivariate linear regression modelling was used to explore if any of the types of grouping for English for Year 7–9 were predictive of student scores on standardised literacy tests. The results demonstrate an absence of consistent evidence that class ability grouping in English, regardless of form, reliably predicts student performance on test scores. These findings are significant for challenging mistaken beliefs that class ability grouping improves student literacy scores in Australia, providing new knowledge about varying class grouping practices through the example of Australia.
Keywords
ability grouping, literacy, multivariate linear analysis, NAPLAN, secondary education, streaming
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
1-1-2026
ISSN
01195646
Publication Title
The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher
Publisher
Springer
School
School of Education
Funding Information
Edith Cowan University
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Johnston, O., Norris, C., & Palamara, P. (2026). Does class ability grouping in secondary schools improve students’ literacy scores on Australia’s NAPLAN tests? The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-026-01126-w