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Teachers and administrators in many elementary schools have assumed that dividing the pupils in any grade into groups on the basis of test scores solves the problem of meeting the needs of individuals.

What they should recognize is that children who have been placed in one of these groups on a narrow academic basis still differ widely in attributes that influence success, and that they still must be treated as individuals.

Although the teacher must be concerned with maintaining standards, he must also be concerned about understanding differences in ability, background, and experience.

Factors that inhibit learning and lead to maladjustment

Studies conducted in various sections of the United States indicate that many children in elementary schools are maladjusted emotionally, and that many of them are failing to make satisfactory progress in school subjects.

One study, which involved 1,524 pupils in grades one to six, found that 12 percent of the pupils were seriously maladjusted and that 23 percent were reading a year below capacity.

It is apparent, therefore, that the teacher needs to know what factors have a vital bearing on the learning and adjustment of children.

When a child fails to meet the standards of the school in his rate of learning, insecurity, unhappiness, and other forms of maladjustment frequently follow.

These maladjustments in turn inhibit learning, and a vicious cycle is completed.