We understand that many parents/guardians may have questions about combined grade classrooms. At the Calgary Board of Education, we understand that you want the best for your child. The last several decades have seen dramatic changes in the Alberta Curriculum/Programs of Study, instructional methods used by teachers, and in our understanding of learners and learning. Today, teachers recognize and understand that educational development is unique to each individual and not tied to chronological age or grade placement. Teachers develop programs according to the needs of their individual students who achieve prescribed curricular outcomes at different times and in different ways.

What is a combined or multi-grade classroom?

A combined or multi-grade class includes students from two or more consecutive grades who work in one classroom. A combined grade class, like most classrooms, includes a variety of instructional groupings and combinations depending on the students, the learning objectives, and the resources available. Many CBE schools, as well as school boards across Canada and around the world employ combined grade class configurations.

Why do we have combined classes at my child’s school?

Combined classes may be employed as a choice for the associated pedagogical benefits and/or to meet a school’s demographic needs, such as an imbalance in the number of students enrolled in each grade. Combined grades are a way for schools to utilize their resources efficiently and effectively to meet student needs.

How are teachers supported in this work?

CBE is committed to supporting teachers and administrators with combined grades. Teachers and leaders are provided with professional learning that highlights instructional practices for use with combined grades. CBE offers professional supports for planning that provides research-based strategies and processes for task design and targeted assessment of learning outcomes in combined grade classrooms. Additionally, as new curriculum is rolled out, specific and careful attention is paid to ensuring supports for those teaching in combined grades.

How are students assessed?

In combined grades classes, students learn curricular content appropriate for their grade level in all subject areas. They are assessed based on the Alberta Curriculum/ Programs of Study for their specific grade. Teachers may use similar tasks to teach concepts across different grades, but they tailor their approach and assessments to suit each grade's expectations. Assessment information communicated with students and families through the report card reflects progress and achievement related to grade-level curricular outcomes.

How can the teacher teach more than one grade at a time?

Many parts of the Alberta Curriculum/Programs of Study do not change from one grade to the next; rather, skills are developed to a more complex level. Teachers assess and evaluate the work differently to reflect the slight variation in curriculum expectations from one grade to the next.  For example, a teacher may have the whole class participate in a common activity, and then begin working individually or in a small group on grade-specific curriculum expectations.

Just as in a single-grade class, teachers in a combined grade class use a wide variety of teaching and planning strategies to personalize and differentiate their lessons to meet the key curriculum outcomes.

My child is in the later grade...will they be challenged?

Your child will be challenged the same way they would be in a single grade class. While some of the topics your child studies may vary from other children in the school at one time or another, all students will receive the full and complete grade program. Along with the academic studies, your child will also learn to work with younger children, reinforcing their confidence, their independence and their leadership skills. In fact, researchers have found these are the most important advantages.

My child is in the earlier grade...will they be confused/overwhelmed/overlooked?

There are a wide variety of emotional, physical, and academic traits in any group of children. The younger children in a combined grade class are supported by their teacher, support staff and their peers in the same way they would be in a straight grade configuration. Additionally, younger students in combined grades have ready access to older students who may be models of emotional maturity, leadership and academic skills.

What are the potential benefits?

Studies have been done over the past two decades and findings indicate students in combined grade classrooms perform as well as students in single grade classes academically. These same studies have identified benefits to students in combined grade classes.

·      Creates opportunities for students to show leadership and reinforce their own understanding by collaborating with classmates from outside their grade cohort.

·      Promotes inclusivity by encouraging positive interactions among peers from different grades.

·      Provides students with a diverse range of peers leading to opportunities to collaborate with others who share similar interests, aptitudes and abilities.

·      The diverse range of social relationships that students build in a combined grade class more closely reflects the reality they will encounter in communities, families, and in the workplace.

·      Class sizes are more consistent across the school and there is increased flexibility in class placements as new students register throughout the school year.

Conclusion

Education is changing and evolving, which presents new opportunities for students, parents, teachers, and schools. These changes to education highlight that it is important for students to learn how to access, evaluate, transfer and apply knowledge. Combine-grade classrooms are supportive of this evolution because of the emphasis on students’ individual needs through teaching practices like flexible groupings, interdisciplinary instruction, project or concept-based learning, strategic whole-class, small-group, and independent instruction.  These practices within combined-grade classrooms provide a chance to learn through concepts and themes that develop the skills, processes, attitudes needed to be an engaged citizen.