Extensive academic grouping at the secondary school placement and reproduction of inequalities

Many researchers investigating the relationship between socio-economic background and achievement suggest that tracking does not improve academic success for most students, particularly low achievers. In fact, they often criticize tracking for reproducing socio-economic inequality by placing disadvantaged students with low socio-economic backgrounds into the lower streams. According to TEOG secondary school placement system (2013-2017), all incoming high school students in Turkey were placed in a high school based on their TEOG exam scores. This placement system became an example of extensive academic grouping. Whether this system that stratifies all the secondary schools based on the TEOG scores of the incoming students creates further inequalities for lower achieving students by labeling them as low achievers and placing them in schools labeled as low stream is an important question to be explored further. This qualitative study explores the implications of TEOG-based placement of students and stratification of schools on the educational processes. The findings of this study suggest that overall school climate, perceptions towards the school, motivations of students and teachers, learning opportunities presented in the school, and therefore, the overall quality of the education differs largely based on the achievement levels of schools that are identified by TEOG scores of the incoming students. Additionally, there are strong evidences that TEOG-based placements group students not only based on their academic success but also on their socio-economic backgrounds. Accordingly, students with low socio-economic backgrounds are overrepresented in schools labeled as low and mid-achieving. These findings suggest that extensive academic grouping of all incoming high school students tends to increase the effects of socio-economic background on academic achievement. Keywords: Educational inequality, reproduction of inequality, labeling, transition to secondary school, social policy, TEOG