ok, so this is decades ago, but when I was in primary school I was often in the mixed grades and got the impression that they mixed the cleverer younger ones with not-so-clever older ones. Is it still like that? Does it probably just depend on the school? Does it matter to the kids?
I thought the same thing when DD was put in a composite last year. She was in the older half. She is very bright ( all mum bias aside) and so were a few of the other kids I knew in there. I rang and asked both the teacher and principal, and spoke to my aunt who is a recently retired PS principal. They all assured me it was no longer the case that the less smart older kids get chosen to go in the composite.
I think it must depend on the schools and how they mix the grades.
DS1 was in a mixed grade and it was all the kids from 1&2 together so I don't think they could do it like that.
Since there will be quite a divergence in where children are at in a grade teachers should be making sure that individuals are doing the right work so I think it's more about making sure that each table/pod can work together.
The good thing about mixed grades is that they get a chance to make a new group of friends. DS1 was friends with the kids from his mixed class a year after they stopped being mixed.
I think in this case it's probably mostly an administrative thing in that they have too many kids for 2 classes, but not enough for 3 At my primary school, they had enough for 1.5 classes at each year level
He had testing today with his teacher, his teacher told him that the Grade 3's last year (DS's year) were ahead of the Grade 3's the year before.
They didn't really do the pairing off with cleverer and not so cleverer in his years, it depended on the friendships. In DS1's report it said he actively seeked out high achievers to work with..I see that as positive. They don't discourage it.
My niece had a problem in her grade prep last year. There were a group of high achievers and group of extremely naughty and disruptive kids. It got to the point that the teacher was spending all his time with the naughty group the high achiever group was left to their own devices...in prep Once the teacher finally got help, they tried the pairing the good high achiever kids with the naughty kids, it didn't work. The high achiever kids spent their time trying to help the other kids, that their learning took a stand still.
It was a learning curve for the school.
In the higher grades, the composite is working well.
I think this year DS1's grade is going to be one year 3 class and one year 3/4 class. I'm kind of hoping he'll be in the composite because he's ahead in some areas and last year he could have been extended more.
I think this year we have
2x kindy
2x year 1
2x year 2
1x year 3,
1x year 3/4
1x year 4/5
1x year 5/6.
Our school is really bottom heavy because until a few years ago it was on the brink of being closed.
I'm really hoping there are a few kids in there that DS knows. I haven't seen the school list, but his bestie's mum checked for me and said there were no familiar names. There might be some from the other thur/fri kindy group, but must be others from the mon-tue group who he wouldn't have met, plus year 1s he's unlikely to know at all.
DS' is a pretty big school so, in theory, they should have room to put kids where they're best suited.
Liebling is in year 1, mixed ability classes atm and he is sat on ability grade tables, so his class has four streamed tables. I suspected it, and when I said to his teacher "Liebling's been moved up an ability table recently, from what he said, is that right?" then she confirmed it. Liebling isn't aware of the streaming, but some of the children must be.
When I was in primary, we had composite classes Y1/2, Y3/4, Y4/5, Y5/6. I was in composite classes twice: Y4 when I was in Y4/5 and Y6 when I was in Y5/6. I was pushed more in Y3, 5 and 6 in one week than I was in the Y4/5 class, so I think it really is up to the teacher rather than the class make-up.
I am a teacher. At our school you may get some kids put into composite classes based on that thinking. There are also many other things such as friendships, splitting or grouping good/bad influences, how many years a student/teacher have already been together and purely just numbers.
I was wondering the same thing as my boy is in a 1/2 class (he's year 1). He struggled a bit last year so I was surprised he would in a mixed class with older kids. Will see how he goes, I guess
The only straight grade at our school is prep, like heather. We have 1/2, 3/4 and 5/6 for all classes. The class then does subjects in groups according to ability. They will also sometimes mix classes for these subjects.
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Mixed grades
At my primary school, they had enough for 1.5 classes at each year level
Once the teacher finally got help, they tried the pairing the good high achiever kids with the naughty kids, it didn't work. The high achiever kids spent their time trying to help the other kids, that their learning took a stand still.
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