In education, the classifying or categorizing of students based on their ability or aptitude for the purpose of placement.
labeling Tagging a child as good or bad, bright or dull, pretty or plain, and the like; a destructive habit, because such labels can damage a child’s self-esteem and (because children often live up to adults’ expectations for them) may become self-fulfilling prophecies. Child-development experts recommend that parents and teachers avoid labels such as a “problem child” or “slow learner” (sometimes on the basis of a single unreliable test) and focus instead on what children can and cannot do, helping them to grow in areas where their skills are weak.