Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Do away with grade levels for K-8?

There's an interesting education story in the news this morning. In Westminster, Colorado, an urban school district of 10,000 students will experience a major educational shift next fall. When they return to their elementary and middle schools, they will find no grade levels. Or grades. Instead, students will be grouped into 10 multiage levels, based on their proficiency in different subject areas. The groupings are flexible; when students demonstrate mastery of a subject, they will move to another group. Superintendent Roberta Selleck said that the rapid decline of test scores and the soaring dropout rate prompted the drastic move. Selleck said, "...we realized we are disconnecting [from] our kids."

Read the article, "A Colorado school district does away with grade levels," posted this morning and weigh in here with your own thoughts! This will be a fascinating story to watch.

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