ED384998 EA026899
Title: Are Multiage/Nongraded Programs Providing Students with a Quality
Education? Some Answers from the School Success Study.
Author(s): Nye, B. A.; And Others
Author Affiliation: Tennessee State Univ., Nashville. Center of Excellence
for Research in Basic Skills.(BBB30437)
Pages: 21
Publication Date: April 1995
Notes: Paper presented at the Annual Conference on Creating Quality
Schools (4th, Oklahoma City, OK, April 1995).
Available from: EDRS Price MF01/PC01 Plus Postage.
Language: English
Document Type: Reports--Research (143); Speeches/meeting papers (150)
Geographic Source: U.S.; Tennessee
Journal Announcement: RIEDEC1995
This paper
presents findings of the longitudinal School Success Study (SSS),
which is being conducted to determine the academic and social effects
of nongraded (multiage, continuous progress) programs on Tennessee
elementary school students. Covering the years 1993-99, the research
seeks to identify successful school practices in both nongraded
and graded programs. The study includes elementary-age students
(K-4) from seven Tennessee schools that are implementing nongraded
programs (n=1,500), three of which also have students in traditional
classes (n=750), and five comparison schools in which all students
are enrolled in single-grade classes. Academic achievement is measured
by the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) and the
Tennessee Holistic Writing Assessment. Social development (academic
self-concept) is measured using the Self-Concept and Motivation
Inventory (SCAMIN). A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicates
that students from nongraded classes during the first year of the
study significantly outscored those from traditional classes on:
(1) the grade 2 and 3 TCAP in vocabulary, total reading, total language,
and total math; and (2) the third- and fourth-grade Holistic Writing
Assessment. The SCAMIN analysis showed significant differences among
students between various schools; however, the SCAMIN at this point
is being used only to provide a baseline for the first student cohort.
Four tables are included. Contains 33 references. (LMI)
Descriptors: *Academic Achievement; Continuous Progress Plan; Elementary
Education; Grouping (Instructional Purposes); Longitudinal Studies;
*Mixed Age Grouping; Multigraded Classes; *Nongraded Instructional
Grouping; *Nontraditional Education; Student Development
Identifiers: *Tennessee
