STUDY REVEALS PRESCHOOLERS’ LANGUAGE SKILLS IMPROVE MORE WHEN THEY ARE PLACED WITH HIGHER-SKILLED PEERS

Preschool children with relatively poor language skills demonstrate greater improvement over the course of the school year if they are placed in classrooms with high-achieving students, according to a new study published in the journal “Child Development.” The research indicates that children with low initial language skills who were placed in the lowest-ability classes tended to lose ground, while low-skilled students in average-ability classes improved their language skills between fall and spring. The results could influence the way students are grouped in preschool classrooms based on ability levels. Learn more