• Children learn from each other regardless of age.

• Intellectual abilities grow at different rates depending on the subject area and are not necessarily linked to age. For example, a ten-year-old child might be reading very advanced literature and doing mathematics with younger students.

• Multi-age classes allow more chances to find natural learning groups.

• Our society exists without recognition of age except in broad ranges. It makes little sense to isolate children by age.

 

For all these reasons we do not refer to children as graded.

We seek to place a child enrolled in our school in the classroom in which they will thrive. This decision is made based on the child’s social, emotional and academic development by the teachers and parents together, and can change during a school year. In cases of acceleration, a team which may include administrators, teachers, parents, student, and other professional personnel are used to evaluate a student’s academic, social, and emotional needs. The Iowa Acceleration Scale may also be consulted in order to bring less subjectivity to the matter. But in the end, the final decision for acceleration will always rest with the professional judgment of the teachers.