MULTI-AGE

*The realization
DESIGN
that children's
uneven
developmental
CLASSROOM
patterns Archdiocese of Hartford
and differing rates
of progress
are ill-matched to
the rigid
grade-level
system has left
teachers
searching for a
better way to meet
the needs
of all students
More and more
schools are
2014 IOWA ASSESSMENT
RESULTS
GRADE EQUIVALENCIES
2014 MIDDLE SCHOOL WRITING
WHAT IS MULTIAGE EDUCATION?

Teaching children of different ages

and ability levels together in the
same classroom, without dividing
them or the curriculum into steps
labeled by grade designations
(Gaustad, 1992).

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WHAT MULTIAGE IS NOT.
Students tracked by their ability
Teachers spending half their time teaching one
grade level and the other half teaching the other
grade level, so students get half the teaching
Students separated by their grade throughout the
entire day depending on the activity
A model where there is always a bigger range of
abilities than in a single grade classroom
Older students are responsible for doing all the
teaching of the younger students

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HOW IS MULTIAGE POSSIBLE?
We teach very differently than we did even
10-20 years ago

We no longer teach the same thing in the

same way, regardless of what students really
need one size fits all

We know irrefutably:
students do not all learn in the same
students do not all learn in the same time
there are many ways to show intelligence

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 RESEARCH SAYS
Students generally perform better
academically and are healthier
mentally in multiage classrooms
Students perform better and feel more
positive about themselves and school
The longer students stay in multiage
programs, the greater the improvement in
their achievement and test scores
Better attendance and fewer discipline
problems

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RESEARCH
The enhanced social and natural settings in
multiage classrooms can help raise students
social and emotional skills.
Research on early childhood multi-age
grouping found that student disobedience
was considerably less prevalent in multiage
groupings than in single-age classrooms
(Logue, 2006);
Due to higher rates of language exchange
among mixed-age children, those in multiage
groupings had higher language development
as well (Logue, 2006).

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BENEFITS OF LEARNING IN A
MULTIAGE CLASSROOM
Research shows gains in academic
achievement & cognitive development
Students/families spend more time with one
teacher so build strong relationships and
teacher gains better knowledge of the
student
Significantly greater flexibility in classroom
placement, thereby increasing the ability to
create numerous personalized learning
opportunities and flexible groups

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BENEFITS OF A MULTIAGE
CLASSROOM
Social benefits for both older and younger
students

Teachers truly work to assess and address the

needs of individual students
Integration of technology enhances personalized
learning experiences
55 iPads provides a 1:1 environment in
intermediate and junior high level

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 CRITERIA FOR MULTIAGE
CLASSROOMS
Low student enrollment
Belief in the philosophy
Focus on whole-child development
Increase leadership skills, academic
achievement, emphasis on literacy

Multiage classrooms make sensethey dont

link learning to the stop-and-go of a clock or
school calendar, but focus on children as they
grow on a continuum, independent of rigid
grade-level divisions.
Jim Grant, Director of National Alliance of Multi-age Educators

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CHARACTERISTICS OF A MULTIAGE CLASSROOM

ADH standards & curriculum still provide basis

for teaching
Learning centers
Project-based activities as well as traditional
Hand-on learning emphasized
Technology and primary sources coupled with
textbooks
Flexible grouping
Collaborative group work
Traditional & performance/project- based
methods of summative assessments used
Classroom rules & high expectations
still provide the foundation 12

Catholic social teachings infused in

 MORE BENEFITS FROM
TEACHERS PERSPECTIVE
More student rapport
Better parent relations
Wider comfort range for kids
Stronger social skills
Adjust more easily to intermediate and/or
middle school
Allow students more
latitude in terms of
social development
Mixed grades more realistically represents
our real world experiences

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GRADING MULTIAGE STUDENTS
Students are graded quarterly, traditionally

Graded primarily in 2 weighted categories:

CONDUCT/EFFORT/PARTICIPATION

ACCOMPLISHMENT OF SKILLLS

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STUDENT-LED CONFERENCE
Parent(s) & student meets with teacher
Student explains to parent why they received
the grades they did (reflecting effort and
skills)
I got this grade because
Student starts with the areas that are their
very best and work toward areas that are in
need of improvement
Share student portfolio
with parent

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CONSTANT PARENT
COMMUNICATION & STUDENTLED
CONFERENCES
Positively affects:
Tenor of the school
Spirit of the community
Theme of a multiage design

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FINAL RESEARCH
Evidence does suggest that children in multiage
classrooms achieved a higher cognitive
developmental level at a faster rate than those
in classrooms of same-age peers (Frosco et al.,
2004).

Furthermore, including students of different

ages in one classroom creates a caring
environment, as it encourages older students to
serve as role models or mentors to help their
younger peers.

VOLUME 7 , NUMBER 1, WINTER 2009

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 RESOURCES

*Miller, 1996; Cohen, 1990 18

MAKING THE TRANSITION
TEACHERS TESTIMONIALS
I was scared to death of teaching a multiage
class. I thought I bit off more than I could
chewI found that teaching a multiage class
wasnt much different from teaching a single-
grade class.

In single-graded classes I taught, I had gifted,

special-education, and ESL studentsI had as
wide a spectrum of abilities as I have now.

Parents of struggling children are happy

because they're engaged. Parents of
accelerated children are happy because
theyre forced to stretch themselves. 19
 MULTIAGE
EDUCATION
CELEBRATES OUR
CATHOLIC IDENTITY
Meeting the
needs of ALL
learners while
nurturing the
WHOLE CHILD.

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