Nation IN BRIEF : MISSOURI : Teachers’ Union Opposes ‘Tracking’

The nation’s largest teachers’ union issued a report calling for a gradual end to the controversial practice of grouping students according to past performance. Robert Chase, vice president of the National Education Assn., said it would be “foolhardy and unrealistic to expect that tracking can be eliminated overnight,” but said the union will offer strategies to better arrange class groupings. Academic tracking has become a hot educational issue as the nation’s students continue to test poorly in basic subjects. Opponents complain that minorities are too often placed into low ability and special education classes. Proponents argue tracking is needed so high achievers can move rapidly.