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It is unfortunate that this is not a core principle of education. The best school system I ever attended rigorously divided classes between social and academic
by WillAdams 2y ago
It is unfortunate that this is not a core principle of education.
The best school system I ever attended rigorously divided classes between social and academic --- for social classes (gym, health, social studies, homeroom) one attended at one's grade level, while for academic classes, (English, other languages, science, math) one worked at one's grade level (but with a cap of 4 grade levels through 8th grade, so a 4th grader couldn't take high school classes) --- after 8th grade this cap was removed, and students could take any classes which they could qualify for academically. To facilitate this, some teachers were also accredited as faculty at a nearby college, and if necessary arrangements were made either for college professors to come to the school and teach, or students travelled to the college.
Most students graduated with at least a little college credit, and many received a college degree along with their high school diploma --- until the Mississippi State Supreme Court decided that it was illegal because it conferred an unseemly advantage on some students with no corresponding compensation for students who were unable to avail themselves of it academically.
- bradrn 2y ago> The best school system I ever attended rigorously divided classes between social and academic This is such a great idea! And it sounds like it works well in practise, too. I’ve often pondered the idea of separating classes by ability rather than age, and this is a really practical method of achieving it.
- WillAdams 2y agoIt worked quite well --- helped that it was a small, cohesive school system with all grades in the same building/complex. A similar idea is to group children by reading level which makes classes function more smoothly since students finish reading assignments in similar periods of time.
- smeej 2y agoIronically I think a version of this had to happen in the one-room schoolhouses of yore. If you're the only teacher, you can't afford to split everyone by age. You kind of have to roll people into whatever lessons they can handle and do your best. It was "innovative," in a way I think we're coming to regret, to suggest that all 8-year-olds (for example) must be at the same level across every subject, and none of them should ever be taught alongside a group of mostly 6- or 10-year-olds.
- DontchaKnowit 2y agoThis is brilliant. Would love to see more of this in the US education system.
- gaurav_v 2y agoWhich school was this, and when did you attend?
- WillAdams 2y agoThe public school system near Columbus Air Force Base and I attended for 3rd and 4th grades (taking 7th and 8th grade English and science courses) in the '74 and '75 school years.
- smeej 2y agoWhat did you do when you moved and your new school was expecting you to do 5th grade work?
- WillAdams 2y agoFor reading, worked through a box of SRA booklets in a couple of weeks time and then went to the library for the rest of the year --- mostly I was bored and coasted until my classes caught up, and even then, I was able to get decent grades w/ minimal effort. Of course this all came to a head when I was a junior and the school system couldn't find a teacher for Calculus for myself and the couple of other students who wanted it which pretty much killed my college prospects, so aced the ASVAB, DLPT, and EDPT and enlisted.
- mwigdahl 2y agoChief Justice Diana Moon Glampers presiding, no doubt...
- WillAdams 2y agoIt wasn't too far off from that --- my understanding of the court case was that since some students got free college out of it, the tort demanded that free college tuition be afforded to those students who only graduated with a high school diploma.