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Report
Evaluation of the Prekindergarten Head Start Program 1979-1980. Technical Summary
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Abstract/Notes: Oriented toward a direct instructional routine in preparation for regular school, the Philadelphia Prekindergarten Head Start Program (PKHS) provides experiences to counter-balance effects of social and economic disadvantagement; parent involvement; staff development; and special supportive services. It employs five instructional models: Bank Street, Behavioral Analysis, Montessori, open classroom, and responsive learning. Observations indicate that children's activities usually emphasized language and social developmental skill areas, while adults were primarily observed in group leader or direct teacher roles. When tested against the Developmental Behavior Checklist, PKHS children accomplished approximately the same number of items as the total prekindergarten population. During the course of the program the number of children identified as developmentally "delayed" or "suspicious" decreased by 50 percent. It also appears that the program has a positive lasting effect on children's scores on standardized tests through grade 5. Children enrolled in the program received extensive psychological, nutritional and social services during 1979-80. Parent involvement in the program was high in both classroom participation and policy or planning meetings. Staff development was also a major component of the program. Over 70 percent of staff attended more than five workshops during the year. (Author/AEF)
Language: English
Published: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Jan 1981
Report
Ungraded Primary Programs: Steps toward Developmentally Appropriate Instruction
Available from: ERIC
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Abstract/Notes: This volume presents case studies of 10 ungraded primary programs. Also discussed are the obstacles, accomplishments, advantages, and disadvantages of ungraded primary programs experienced by the faculties of these schools; their recommendations for future implementation; and the literature on multi-age grouping and ungraded primary programs. Case studies were used to: (1) illustrate concepts, procedures, and materials being used by schools that had initiated ungraded primary programs; (2) provide contact information for these schools so that other educators could call on them for assistance; and (3) assess commonalities in effective ungraded primary programs. Each case study of an ungraded primary program describes the philosophy and goals, and program background and implementation. Each program's practices regarding grouping and organization, curriculum and instruction, student assessment, and remediation and enrichment, are described. In addition, the teacher's role, the
Language: English
Published: Washington, D.C., Apr 1991
Book
The Nongraded Primary: Making Schools Fit Children
Available from: ERIC
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Abstract/Notes: This guidebook explains the concept of nongraded primary education and offers examples of successful programs. The first section describes the nongraded primary, which is characterized by developmentally appropriate curricula for primary age children, a heterogeneous community of learners as related to age and ability, support for continuous learning, a commitment to honoring the development of the whole child, and active student involvement. Proponents of the nongraded primary believe that it provides an opportunity for children to succeed rather than fail, enhances cooperation, and increases levels of community support. The second section outlines the changing roles of teachers, principals, central office staff, superintendents, local boards of education, parents, and school and community groups. Suggestions are offered for successful multiage classrooms, as well as teaching strategies for mixed-age grouping and steps for organizing the transition from a traditional to a nongraded
Language: English
Published: Arlington, Virginia: American Association of School Administrators, 1992
ISBN: 0-87652-184-7
Report
Primary School, School-Based Decision Making, Family Resource/Youth Services Centers: First Year Reports to the Prichard Committee
Available from: ERIC
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Abstract/Notes: These three reports by national consultants assess first year progress in implementing state mandated educational reforms in Kentucky. First, "The Status of Primary School Reform in Kentucky and Its Implications," by James Rath, Lilian Katz, and John Fanning, reports on site visits to 14 public schools to assess progress in implementing the Kentucky Educational Reform Act (KERA) in primary schools. Findings with respect to the introduction of cooperative learning, developmentally appropriate practice, authentic assessment, parent involvement, and multi-age grouping practices are presented, along with administrators', parents', and teachers' views about KERA mandates. Next, "School-Based Decision Making: Observations on Progress," by Jane L. David, presents results of interviews with Kentucky education officials, school visits, and a review of newspaper articles and other documents. The report indicates that as of June 1992, almost 500 of Kentucky's 1,366 schools had councils for
Language: English
Published: Lexington, Kentucky, Jul 1992
Conference Paper
Research in Progress: Development of Giftedness in the Multi-Age, Multi-Ability Primary School
Available from: ERIC
Esther Katz Rosen Annual Symposium on the Psychological Development of Gifted Children (2nd, Lawrence, Kansas, February 28-29, 1992)
Language acquisition, Language experience approach in education
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Abstract/Notes: This research examines how a developmentally appropriate educational program in the early years can affect the development of gifted children. The qualitative research specifically focused on a multi-age, multi-ability setting with partial implementation of a whole language program, a systematic writing process and with some flexibility in grouping of students. Eleven teachers and approximately 260 students in an ungraded primary school were involved, with 3 first year and 30 second year students identified as gifted. The study found that gifted children followed a somewhat accelerated curriculum. Teachers felt that there were definite social benefits to integrating the gifted and nongifted students. The multi-age, multi-ability setting seemed to allow young students not identified as gifted to progress more rapidly than they might have in a traditional graded classroom, as they were exposed to higher level instruction. There was little evidence of the development of creative
Language: English
Creating a Balanced Literate Environment for the Multi-Age, Multi-Ability, Primary Classroom through Staff Development.
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Abstract/Notes: A practicum was designed to increase the expertise of primary teachers in the creation of developmentally appropriate reading/writing curriculum for the multi-age, multi-ability, primary classroom through literacy training staff development sessions. The system of literacy training was constructed over a period of eight months with 34 primary teachers from three elementary schools. Staff development training sessions on early literacy and authentic assessment using the running record were developed. Pre/post questionnaires, change assessment scales for administrators, a literacy plan of action for local schools, running record scripts for assessment training, literacy lessons, and developmentally appropriate curricula were administered or developed. Analysis of the data revealed that after the staff development training on early literacy and authentic assessment, the primary teachers were able to create a developmentally appropriate curriculum for reading and writing in the
Language: English
Published: Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 1994
Conference Paper
Promoting Achievement in Child Centered Education: Evaluation of a Non-Graded, Multi-age, Continuous Progress Primary School (K-3)
Available from: ERIC
American Education Research Association Annual Meeting (New Orleans, Louisiana, April 4-8, 1994)
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Abstract/Notes: An evaluation was conducted of a comprehensive plan to restructure a primary school in Candler County, Georgia, into a non-graded, multi-age, continuous progress learning center. The project entailed restructuring the classroom, implementing a shared decision-making structure, developing a learning curriculum, and using portfolio assessment to monitor student progress. The project was evaluated on three objectives: academic success, positive self-esteem and socialization, and the project's shared decision-making structure. These objectives were evaluated according to a case-study design, with the inclusion of quantitative and qualitative techniques. Academic success was examined through the following instruments: the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, portfolio writing, an informal reading inventory, and teacher ranking. Parent questionnaires, teacher questionnaires, and teacher interviews were used to evaluate positive self-esteem and socialization. Teacher interviews, teacher workshops,
Language: English
Conference Paper
The Effects of Kentucky's Primary Program on Three Measures of Academic Achievement
Available from: ERIC
Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (Seattle, Washington, April 10-14, 2001)
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Abstract/Notes: In Kentucky, nongraded primary education became a reality under the mandate of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) in 1990. Research has produced some anecdotal information on the degree to which schools have implemented the ungraded primary program, but there has been no research to link the implementation of the primary program to student achievement or school improvement. Under the regulations growing from the KERA, schools devised different organizational arrangements for the ungraded classrooms, characterized by developmentally appropriate practices and multi-age, multi-ability classrooms. The variance in how students were configured in the multi-age classrooms continued to be a source of conflict and discussion regarding the nongraded primary school program. This study examined the relationship, if any, between the degree of implementation of the primary program and three measures of student achievement: (1) the Kentucky Instructional Results Information System (KIRIS)
Language: English
Book Section
Montessori Lectures on Special Education: Summary of Lectures by Maria Montessori on Special Education to Teachers Attending the State Orthophrenic School in 1900
Available from: Books to Borrow @ Internet Archive
Book Title: Montessori and the Special Child
Pages: 201-224
Children with disabilities, Europe, Inclusive education, Italy, Maria Montessori - Biographic sources, Maria Montessori - Speeches, addresses, etc., Reginald Calvert Orem - Writings, Southern Europe, Special education
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Language: English
Published: New York: Capricorn, 1970
Report
Nongraded Primary Programs: Possibilities for Improving Practice for Teachers. Practitioner Brief Number 4
Available from: ERIC
Classroom environments, Nongraded schools
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Abstract/Notes: In nongraded, multi-age classrooms, children have the opportunity to learn a great deal from their more proficient classmates. Children in multi-age, nongraded programs often learn that children differ, and they learn to assist each other in productive ways. The organizational scheme has the potential to remove much of the competition of traditionally graded classrooms and, for many children, the stigma of being "behind." Researchers in the Center for Research on Education, Diversity, and Excellence (CREDE) project "Appalachian Children's Academic and Social Development at Home and in Nongraded Primary Schools: Model Programs for Children of Poverty" have studied the implementation and effects of nongraded primary programs on rural and urban children of Appalachian descent in Kentucky, where a statewide, nongraded primary program has been implemented in various forms since 1990. In this practitioner brief, the authors share responses and recommendations from administrators and practitioners in the study.
Language: English
Published: Santa Cruz, California, Apr 2002