Multiage grouping and related instructional practices are being implemented with increasing frequency in classrooms across the nation. If implementation is carefully and knowledgeably planned, these innovations offer promising alternatives to traditional graded educational practices. This digest briefly describes issues to be considered before…

Addressing the needs of a diverse student population is a critical issue in school improvement efforts. Without appropriate support, ESL (English as a Second Language) students risk becoming low achievers. This pragmatic literature review endeavors to capture formative theories and practitioner ideas on ESL learning and multiage education.…

Assessment of student progress is a challenge for educators who use developmentally appropriate practices such as multiage grouping. Interest in alternative types of assessment has become widespread. These performance-based, or authentic, assessments are explored in this document, which presents assessment strategies that work effectively with…

This article describes the types of nongraded elementary schools that were prevalent from the 1950s through the 1970s, reviews research on the academic achievement effects of nongraded schools, and draws inferences from this research for application of nongraded systems in today's schools. Research in which an objective measure of achievement was…

Addresses the benefits of multiage grouping of primary students in small, rural schools. Reports on a survey indicating that 20 of 49 school districts in a rural state employed multiage grouping. Stresses the importance of considering child development when implementing multiage grouping, and concludes that multiage grouping may be the future of…

High-quality family child care and school-age programs have characteristics to promote positive relationships among families and children that enhance children's development and family functioning, much like the thriving neighborhoods of previous generations. These characteristics include choice and variety, environments emphasizing safety and…

This article reviews the best evidence concerning the cognitive and noncognitive effects of multigrade (students of more than one grade taught by one teacher) and multiage (students grouped for expected benefits) classrooms. Studies of noncognitive, cognitive, and achievement effects reveal no adverse effects of learning in such classrooms. (SLD)

Reviews recent studies on the effects of mixed-age grouping (MAG) in Swedish nursery and elementary schools. Although studies conducted in the 1970s and 1980s suggested that MAG was beneficial to children's learning and socioemotional development and to teachers' work satisfaction, studies conducted in the 1990s suggest that MAG does not promote…

Contends that science education researchers should devote more time to creating and studying models of intergenerational and community-based science education. Argues that such inquiries have the potential to provoke new thinking that could expand basic conceptions of what it means to learn and practice science. (WRM)

This issue of the OSSC Bulletin explores problems encountered in implementing a closely associated group of educational innovations whose adoption has become increasingly common in recent years. This "family" of organizational and instructional practices includes non-age-graded organization, mixed-age grouping, developmentally appropriate…

This position paper focuses on issues related to equal education in small, rural schools in Sweden. Specifically, the report analyzes national statistics, reports from the National Agency for Education, and other research regarding the status of education in Sweden. Data indicate that for the 1994-95 school year, two-thirds of the schools in…

Comments on the articles presented in this issue with respect to their implications for classroom practices. Stresses that in this issue, the researchers describe how social context factors (such as adult viewpoints and adult-child interaction patterns) and physical context factors (such as variations in classroom space-time organization and…

This literature review on the effects of multiage groupings (MAGs) in the primary grades supports their use and argues that children in MAGs perform as well academically as children in single-age groupings (SAGs) and develop better self-concept and school attitudes than children in SAGs. Expresses concerns over lack of training and support for…

Research on classes that are mixed age by choice, not merely multigraded, has found positive effects on student achievement, mental health, social development, and liking for school. Multiage classes generally have more parent support, but teacher continuity is also necessary for success. Implications and challenges for Australia's rural schools…

Multiage grouping is one way schools can organize around students and their learning. In multiage grouping, students of different chronological ages are intentionally assigned to the same classroom. Multiage grouping may also be called "mixed age." Other terms, such as "nongraded,""ungraded,""multigrade," or "split-grade," are often used…