Classroom Configurations

One configuration for multiage classrooms is to have an overlapping of age ranges. For example, a primary class may include children who are 6 to 9 years old, while the intermediate class includes children who are 8 to 11 years old. This overlapping of ages allows teachers to make promotion decisions based on a child's progress and development instead of his or her age or grade level. It also ensures that when children are moved to the next level, their learning will continue to develop from the point at which they left off in the previous level.

Another configuration is for multiage classrooms to combine a specific number of grade levels. For instance, the multiage classrooms could be as follows: 1st/2nd grades and 3rd/4th/5th grades, or any similar variation. In such programs, which do not have overlapping ages, promotion to the next level is made on the basis of time spent in the classroom (two years in a 1st/2nd grade classroom, three years in a 3rd/4th/5th grade classroom).