Options
to Ensure Continuous Progress
Two options exist for continuous progress when overlapping of age ranges is not employed. With the first option, children move on at the end of their time in a class regardless of the progress they've made. When they enter the new class, however, instruction can be tailored to meet their needs and allow them to pick up where they left off in the lower level class.
The second option takes into account that in some rare cases, children will require an additional year at the elementary level. Although this practice may resemble retention, it is different because the curriculum is not repeated. Anderson and Pavan (1993) explain:
"Although the research evidence against 'retaining' children is overwhelming, there may still be rare cases where a student might in fact benefit from remaining in the elementary school setting for an 'extra' year. Worth noting is that when the environment is nongraded and multi-aged, remaining in the three-year unit for a fourth year might actually go relatively unnoticed by either the 'retained' child or his/her classmates, since everyone's focus will be on continuous progress and academic success, rather than upon who passed and who failed." (p. 101)
