Ungraded school
Encyclopedia
An ungraded school is a school that does not formally organize students according to age-based grade level
s. Students' achievements are assessed by teachers, and each student is individually assigned to one of several fluid groups, according to what the student needs to learn next.
Typically, skills and knowledge are divided up into smaller pieces, rather than a year's worth of material. Students continue studying a given skill until they have learned it. For example, when a child has mastered the given level of subtraction
skills, then he may be sent to a group that is learning beginning multiplication
skills. Major skill areas are assessed separately, so prowess or weakness in one area does not force the student into an inappropriate level in other areas.
Because of the flexibility, learning at faster or slower pace than average does not leave overachievers bored and neglected, or force slower students or students whose home life has been disrupted through trauma, divorce, or serious illness to repeat whole years to pick up individual skills.
By eliminating grade levels, pressure for grade retention
, social promotion
, and grade skipping
is eliminated.
, although they are rare enough now that they are usually classified as alternative education
. Ungraded schools still persist in poor, ethnically disadvantaged, small, rural schools, where the limited number of students and poor attendance make organizing classrooms according to age-based grade levels more complicated.
on a small scale, assigning students to the correct group for every subject can be logistically challenging. Group sizes may vary significantly from week to week as students are promoted or need to repeat material at different rates.
Grade level
Often, people are educated through a series of educational stages, such as primary school and university. They vary around the world, and not every person will attend the same stages...
s. Students' achievements are assessed by teachers, and each student is individually assigned to one of several fluid groups, according to what the student needs to learn next.
Typically, skills and knowledge are divided up into smaller pieces, rather than a year's worth of material. Students continue studying a given skill until they have learned it. For example, when a child has mastered the given level of subtraction
Subtraction
In arithmetic, subtraction is one of the four basic binary operations; it is the inverse of addition, meaning that if we start with any number and add any number and then subtract the same number we added, we return to the number we started with...
skills, then he may be sent to a group that is learning beginning multiplication
Multiplication
Multiplication is the mathematical operation of scaling one number by another. It is one of the four basic operations in elementary arithmetic ....
skills. Major skill areas are assessed separately, so prowess or weakness in one area does not force the student into an inappropriate level in other areas.
Because of the flexibility, learning at faster or slower pace than average does not leave overachievers bored and neglected, or force slower students or students whose home life has been disrupted through trauma, divorce, or serious illness to repeat whole years to pick up individual skills.
By eliminating grade levels, pressure for grade retention
Grade retention
Grade retention or grade repetition is the process of having a student repeat an educational course, usually one previously failed. Students who repeat a course are referred as "repeaters"...
, social promotion
Social promotion
Social promotion is the practice of promoting a student to the next grade despite their low achievement in order to keep them with social peers...
, and grade skipping
Grade skipping
Grade skipping is a form of academic acceleration, often used for academically talented students, that involves the student entirely skipping the curriculum of one year of school...
is eliminated.
History
Graded schools being largely an invention of the 19th century, the small, ungraded school could be properly considered traditional educationTraditional education
Traditional education or back-to-basics refers to long-established customs found in schools that society has traditionally deemed appropriate. Some forms of education reform promote the adoption of progressive education practices, a more holistic approach which focuses on individual students'...
, although they are rare enough now that they are usually classified as alternative education
Alternative education
Alternative education, also known as non-traditional education or educational alternative, includes a number of approaches to teaching and learning other than mainstream or traditional education. Educational alternatives are often rooted in various philosophies that are fundamentally different...
. Ungraded schools still persist in poor, ethnically disadvantaged, small, rural schools, where the limited number of students and poor attendance make organizing classrooms according to age-based grade levels more complicated.
Logistics
Although most teachers use ability groupingAbility grouping
Ability grouping is the educational practice of grouping students by academic potential or past achievement.Ability groups are usually small, informal groups formed within a single classroom. Assignment to an ability group is often short-term , and varies by subject...
on a small scale, assigning students to the correct group for every subject can be logistically challenging. Group sizes may vary significantly from week to week as students are promoted or need to repeat material at different rates.
External links
- "Ungraded Primary", a 1963 magazine article from Time Magazine