MR / Schenectady, NY / .Yates Arts in Education Magnet School / urban public elementary school / Grade 5.Teacher waits while class reads story in reading book during independent work time (Girl foreground: 10, Puerto-Rican American). The reading program takes a mixed approach to a basic education debate: ability grouping versus whole-class grouping. Some of the students' reading time is spent in whole-class lessons and the rest is spent working independently or else in small groups. These flexible arrangements allow higher-achieving students to extend their knowledge and be challenged while lower-achieving students can reinforce basic skills. .MR: AD-g5a Mel12 Alt1..© Ellen B. Senisi