State mandates in Kentucky, Oregon, Mississippi, and Tennessee have raised questions concerning multiage grouping's viability. Some educators are implementing multiage classrooms and schools with insufficient forethought, planning, and stakeholder participation. A recent study underlines the importance of teacher readiness, parental involvement,…

The purpose of this study was to examine how total duration of social play of preschool children with disabilities varied as a function of both chronological and developmental age of their social partners. Fifty-five 33- to 60-month-old children with mild to moderate developmental delays were observed in dyadic play situations with four different…

Through recent doctoral research, the author examined the powerful force of school culture, as well as other factors, and the role it plays in schools with multiage classrooms. Combined with his personal experiences, he is certain of one thing: School-based innovations face an uphill battle. This article briefly discusses the author's examination…

The students from first, second and third grade in a high-poverty school system learn from one another and flourish in a caring classroom. Multi-age grouping builds strong relationships among teachers, students, and families.

This article describes the teaching practices at Upper Rill School, a 1-teacher school in rural Nebraska. With its 8 students, grades 1 through 8, the teacher considers the school?s size and continuity of student enrollment flexible and generative. Subject matter and grade levels are regularly integrated though common curricula. Instruction is…

This study examined teacher perceptions during the implementation of a nongraded, multiage primary school program. Issues surrounding teacher beliefs about the definition, challenges, and benefits of nongradedness were examined. Individual case studies and a cross-case analysis were completed through content analysis. Six classroom teachers…

The sex-typed and sex-neutral activities of 54 preschoolers and their peers' negative and positive responses were recorded during free-play periods in three mixed-age day care classrooms. Each child was observed for a total of 100 minutes of peer interaction. (Author/RH)

The intention of mixed-age grouping in early childhood settings is to increase the heterogeneity of the group so as to capitalize on the differences in the experience, knowledge, and abilities of the children. One of the benefits of mixed-age groups is that they provide a context in which older children's dispositions to nurture can be…

This study examined the effect of different modes of presentation on the amount of information elementary students (N=38) in mixed-age classrooms can recall about historical figures. Assessment of information recall followed a pretest/posttest format. Analysis showed no significant difference in recall due to the varied modes of presentation. (DR)

The age range of students in British further education colleges has always been wide, but there is little research evidence on the effects of age mixing on educational outcomes. Although potential benefits and disadvantages can be identified, data on the different learning styles, needs, and expectations of recent high school completers and…

As the proportion of older students grows, it will become crucial to develop methods of instruction acknowledging and creatively unifying the varieties of experience to be found in such diverse groups. (JOW)

Summarizes eight recent ERIC documents and seven journal articles on mixed-age grouping. Includes discussions of teaching in the multiage classroom, Kentucky's Primary Program, developmentally appropriate practices in the primary grades, thematic instruction, attitudes toward mixed-age grouping, and questions and answers about mixed-age grouping.…

British observation study of 8 year olds (n=43) and 11 year olds (n=43) participating in playground activities found that older children spent more time in rule games and less time alone; girls spent more time in sociable activities; many activities were single sex and/or single age; and older boys were largely responsible for lack of mixed-age…

Examined the class formation procedures used in 22 elementary schools from two districts and the influence these procedures had on the composition of 200 classes, 56 of which were combination classes of students from two grade levels. Principals tended to assign higher ability and more independent students to combination classes to ease teacher…

A study of a multiage intermediate program (combined grades 3 through 5) revealed that, despite teachers' strong beliefs about developmentally appropriate practices and student-centered methods, they had difficulty putting them into practice. Decision making and classroom planning were teacher centered and often based on national and state…