Does ability sorting improve efficiency of low-performing students Evidence from PISA 2022 Survey

Various measures have been put in place to address the needs of below-average students, including the implementation of the ability sorting teaching strategy. This study examines the data collected from 13,036 students in Peru and Vietnam who participated in the PISA 2022 Survey, with the aim of exploring the impact of ability sorting on enhancing the efficiency of education. The results derived from the two-stage analysis indicate that the ability sorting strategy has the potential to increase students' efficiency by 2%. The analysis reveals that factors such as grade repetition, number of siblings, time devoted to homework, school ownership, location, class size, and peer tutoring play a significant role in determining student efficiency. In light of these findings, the study recommends the implementation of ability sorting as a means of promoting positive educational outcomes, especially for students with lower cognitive abilities, thus helping to narrow the performance gap among students.