Nongraded Education: Mixed-Age, Integrated, and Developmentally Appropriate Education for Primary Children.

Nongraded education is the practice of teaching children of different ages and ability levels together in the same classroom, without dividing them or the curriculum into steps labeled by "grade" designations. Children progress along the continuum from easier to more difficult material at their own, varying rates of speed. Interest in nongraded education is usually focused on the primary years because developmental differences make nongrading particularly appropriate for young children. Chapter 1 begins this bulletin by reviewing the history of graded and nongraded education in the United States and examining the development of the concept of nongrading over the course of time. Chapter 2 reviews the research base for nongraded education at the primary level. Chapter 3 examines various ways the concept of nongraded primary education can be put into practice. Appended is a 31-item bibliography and a list of four persons interviewed for the bulletin. (MLF)