The school's recent decision to divide science classes into advanced and remedial groups is aimed at assisting the remedial students, but it may actually hinder their progress. The administration believes that if the less proficient students are placed in a separate group, they will be able to learn at a more comfortable pace, which will help them grasp the material better. However, these students might start to see themselves as less capable and behave accordingly, which could lead to a decline in their own academic standards as their instructors lower their expectations. Students who previously worked hard to avoid being labeled 'remedial' may cease to put in that effort, resulting in even slower learning. The author of the passage above assumes that