If we do track and group, we have to be open to changes in children's skills and abilities. But many parents would fight their child being "demoted" tooth and claw.
In addition to the cajoling, there will be preparation. The Russian School of Math, a chain which is growing in the Boston suburbs and around the country, says its students are more likely to be in "top track" math (Advanced Algebra I) in 7th grade. Their math contest preparation programs make it more likely that your child will qualify for inter-school math competitions in middle school. We are hoping that our younger two children, who are bright but not at the level of the eldest child, will be so boosted. I am impressed by how our 3rd-grader daughter is learning algebra at RSM. Chinese-American parents organize weekend schools that include advanced math classes, taught by the many Chinese fathers that are scientists and engineers.
My point is that when you group or track or have academic competitions, afterschools will crop up, catering heavily but not exclusively to the children of immigrant parents. I'll admit that if 1st grade math were tracked based on a test, my wife and I would be preparing our children well in advance for it. Are Americans ready for this level of sorting and attendant competition and after-schooling from an early age? The amount of afterschooling would decline if better curricula were used (our schools use Everyday Math, and I don't expect my children to learn much from it), but it would not go to zero.
