Achievement effects of the nongraded elementary school: A best evidence synthesis

A nongraded elementary program is one in which children are flexibly grouped according to performance level, not age, and proceed through the elementary school at their own rates. Popular in the 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s, the nongraded plan is returning today. This article reviews research on the achievement effects of nongraded organization. Results indicated consistent positive achievement effects of simple forms of nongrading generally developed early: cross-grade grouping for one subject (me-dian ES = +.46) and cross-grade grouping for many subjects (median ES = +.34). Forms of nongrading making extensive use of individualization were less consistently successful (median ES = +.02). Studies of Individually Guided Education (IGE), which used nongrading and individualization, also produced inconsistent effects (median ES = +.11). The article concludes that nongraded organization can have a positive impact on student achievement if cross-age grouping is used to allow teachers to provide more direct instruction to students but not if it is used as a framework for individualized instruction. Greek mythology tells us of the cruel robber, Procrustes (the stretcher). When travelers sought his house for shelter, they were tied to an iron bedstead. If the traveler was shorter than the bed, Procrustes stretched him until he was the same length as the bed. If he was longer, his limbs were chopped off to make him fit. Procrustes shaped both short and tall until they were equally long and equally dead. [Graded systems of school organization] trap school-age travelers in much the same fashion as Procrustes ' bed trapped the unwary. (Goodlad & Anderson, 1959, p. 1) So begins the book that launched one of the most interesting innovations in th