There is a little evidence that this could improve pupils' progress, but what may happen, giventhecurrentproblems in recruiting teachers, is that a large class with an experienced and capable teacher is split into two, with half of the pupils being taken by a less experienced and perhaps less capable teacher.
Likewise, the standards-based reform movement of the 1990s has highlighted and given new urgency to theproblems of students who are not being well served by thecurrent education system and are thus at risk of failing to meet new, higher standards in the future.