The Outdoor Classroom

This paper discusses research findings applicable to the nongraded plan of school organization (also referred to as ungraded. continuous progress. multigraded, multiaged. and ungraded primary unit). The introduction notes a rapidly.increasing movement toward nongrading and defines. the concept. Part 1. presents the case for and against nongrading and includes a list of the researchers ' concluding observations and questions suggested for group discussion. Part 2. the research review. reports three types of studies: (1) survey-questionnaire studies which report the perceptions of educators in communities which have adopted the nongraded plan.(2) studies related to grouping practice which have a bearing on nongraded organizations. and (3) studies which compare nongraded organization with the traditional self-contained classroom. This section concludes with a critique of the research. noting conflicting findings and problems which make it difficult to generalize results to other situations. Part 3. An Approach: contains a position statement and a list of steps for implementing an organizational plan with suggestions regarding organization. grouping of pupils. curriculum revision. equipment and materials. scheduling. evaluation, the library (laboratory for learning) and reporting to parents