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The End of Grade Levels
Parade Magazine ^ | March 29, 2009 | Susan Fine

Posted on 03/29/2009 5:59:20 AM PDT by aberaussie

Starting this August, elementary and middle-school students in one school district in Westminster, Colo., won't be assigned to grade levels based on age. Instead, they'll fall into multi-age levels based on what they already know and will move up only as they master new material.

The concept makes sense to many education experts because it matches how kids actually learn: One student needs three hours to figure out fractions while another takes a full day.

(Excerpt) Read more at parade.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: Alaska; US: Colorado
KEYWORDS: education; homeschooling; liberallies; publikskoolz; westminster
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Hmmm...homeschoolers have been doing this for a long time. If my children had been allowed to move along at their own pace in elementary school, we might never have pulled them out to homeschool!
1 posted on 03/29/2009 5:59:20 AM PDT by aberaussie
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To: aberaussie

I think the intent here is more like “and then they shall all be equally stupid.” Removing achievement, by grades and class levels, subtly removes incentive.


2 posted on 03/29/2009 6:03:42 AM PDT by Tarpon (It's a common fact, one can't be liberal and rational at the same time.)
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To: aberaussie

If done right ( a huge qualifier) this is actually a far better way to teach then the one-size-fits-all way that they are doing it now.


3 posted on 03/29/2009 6:06:01 AM PDT by Harmless Teddy Bear (When you're spinning round, things come undone. Welcome to Earth 3rd rock from the Sun!)
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To: Tarpon
I think the intent here is more like “and then they shall all be equally stupid.” Removing achievement, by grades and class levels, subtly removes incentive.

You're definitely on to something here. There's an ulterior motive in there somewhere. What you suggest is part of it for sure.

4 posted on 03/29/2009 6:07:47 AM PDT by uncitizen
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To: Tarpon

That, and they can isolate the trouble makers from the motivated. In this way, they can reinvent some claim of success as waves of academic achievement improve with each graduating class. The problem, of course, is the pool of aging problems that need ‘special education’ and who don’t seem to be able to progress. This, in turn, will call for massive new spending programs while not impinging on the better prepared student’s progress. Eventually, the ‘challenged’ students will drop out since memebership in the elementary class at age 16 will become something of a social liability - problem solved.


5 posted on 03/29/2009 6:09:23 AM PDT by WorkingClassFilth (Actually, it all started back in Mayberry. Helen Crump was a traveler and Floyd, well, you know...)
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To: aberaussie

The kids will still know. You can’t trick kids. They’ll know who is left back and who is advanced.

This is as dumb as not keeping score at kids’ soccer games. The kids always keep score.


6 posted on 03/29/2009 6:13:58 AM PDT by TaxRelief (Walmart: Keeping my family on-budget since 1993.)
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To: uncitizen
The leftards approach it like it makes sense for the children, but if you have actually ran something, you understand the subtly of incentives for people. And this is directed at creating the maximum number of ignorant graduates that can easily be made into "idiot-Obama" style voters with the promise of free stuff.

Communists have done this exact thing throughout the 20th century.

Achievement is positive feedback to learning, either by actual grades, or by recognizing advancement to the next grade.

7 posted on 03/29/2009 6:14:16 AM PDT by Tarpon (It's a common fact, one can't be liberal and rational at the same time.)
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To: aberaussie

When we homeschooled that’s how we did it, too.

We used Saxon math and did math year round. The first 30 or so lessons in Saxon are review, so when we’d start a new Saxon book, we’d take the tests, not do the lessons, up to the point where questions were missed on a test. That’s how we determined where/when to start the lessons in that particular level.


8 posted on 03/29/2009 6:14:20 AM PDT by dawn53
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To: aberaussie

...anything to make it harder to measure whether the kids are actually learning anything.


9 posted on 03/29/2009 6:15:12 AM PDT by BobL (Drop a comment: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2180357/posts)
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To: WorkingClassFilth

The older slow-learners will be explaining sex, cursing and violence to the first graders at grade level. Peachy. Just what we need.


10 posted on 03/29/2009 6:15:52 AM PDT by TaxRelief (Walmart: Keeping my family on-budget since 1993.)
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To: aberaussie

Socialists don’t do anything without a reason.

While we do homeschool, and our children do learn at their own pace, the goal is different in their case.

In France, for instance, they know which children are moving ahead at an early age, and which ones are falling behind. It helps them categorize people into those that will eventually go to college, and those that won’t.

They know which ones “get” things immediately, which ones take 2x to burn something in, and those that take 5x to get something to burn in.

The tests merely prove their point.

Because the STATE takes care of education through college, you can forget about being a late bloomer — if you don’t show what they are looking for you will be classified for menial labor.

Pity the folks that were late bloomers.

Welcome to Obamaland.


11 posted on 03/29/2009 6:16:21 AM PDT by ImaGraftedBranch (...And we, poor fools, demand truth's noon, who scarce can bear its crescent moon.)
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To: Tarpon

Yup. It removes incentive. Dumb ‘em all down.

Good point.


12 posted on 03/29/2009 6:18:15 AM PDT by TaxRelief (Walmart: Keeping my family on-budget since 1993.)
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To: aberaussie

It wasn’t that long ago the States were taking Great Pride in eliminating “One Room Schools” and putting all children in true Grade Schools.

Just how are these Multi-age class rooms, In multi-room structures, better? Being bused to a distant structure doesn’t strike me as necessary to Childhood.


13 posted on 03/29/2009 6:19:16 AM PDT by PizzaDriver (an heinleinian/libertarian)
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To: WorkingClassFilth
IMHO --- No, I think you are on the wrong track. The motive here is to take down the achievers and fast learners, ending up with an overall low level of learning. We now have 50% of adults that don't know the earth revolves around the sun in a year. Their goal -- We can go lower.

Does anyone else smell a Bill Ayers in this pot of education crap? It sure stinks like it has one of these turds floating in the soup.

14 posted on 03/29/2009 6:19:28 AM PDT by Tarpon (It's a common fact, one can't be liberal and rational at the same time.)
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To: aberaussie
If my children had been allowed to move along at their own pace in elementary school, we might never have pulled them out to homeschool!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

This is our exact reason for homeschooling. When I told the teacher and principal that my first grade son was doing long division and reading fifth grade books I was IGNORED!

I simply could not stand to see my child's life wasted. As the ad says, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste!”

15 posted on 03/29/2009 6:19:38 AM PDT by wintertime
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To: aberaussie

damn sounds like 5th grade forever.....
the dumb have just got dumber....


16 posted on 03/29/2009 6:20:34 AM PDT by Gone_Postal ("Men who say it cannot be done, should not interupt those doing it.")
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To: Tarpon

Dumbing down the masses. What number is that on the Communist check list?


17 posted on 03/29/2009 6:20:44 AM PDT by TaxRelief (Walmart: Keeping my family on-budget since 1993.)
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To: TaxRelief
You steal the children's education, remove their fact base, you have easily controlled sheeple. They will then believe any thing they see on TV.

Same with rights and responsibilities, rights and responsibilities interchange, you remove a person's responsibilities, they will then be left with no rights. This is the leftards master plan in one sentence.

18 posted on 03/29/2009 6:23:22 AM PDT by Tarpon (It's a common fact, one can't be liberal and rational at the same time.)
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To: Tarpon

I do understand what you say and agree.


19 posted on 03/29/2009 6:25:23 AM PDT by uncitizen
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To: dawn53

What is Saxon Math?


20 posted on 03/29/2009 6:26:53 AM PDT by Maine Mariner
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