What educational practice involves dividing students based on their abilities?

The practice of dividing students based on their abilities is known as tracking. This method categorizes students into different classes or groups based on their perceived academic capabilities and achievements. Tracking allows educators to tailor the curriculum and instruction to meet the specific needs of each group, with the intention of optimizing learning outcomes.

In tracking systems, students might be placed into different academic tracks, such as advanced, regular, or remedial classes, which can significantly impact their educational experiences and future opportunities. By grouping students according to ability levels, tracking aims to provide a learning environment that is well-suited to varying levels of understanding and readiness.

While the other options, such as standardized testing, grouping, and streaming, relate to educational practices, they do not specifically focus on the systematic division of students into distinct categories based on their abilities in the same structured manner as tracking does. For example, while grouping can involve creating small clusters for various instructional strategies, it doesn't necessarily follow a long-term, ability-based division like tracking.