Warren School Principal

Warren School students learn in multiage classrooms:

Senior Blended (grades 5 & 6)

Upper Blended (grades 3 & 4)

Primary Blended (grades 1 & 2)

Early Blended (Preschool & Kindergarten)

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Although the multiage structure was initially explored as an option to address uneven enrollment, it is now a structure that we embrace for philosophical reasons. There are academic and social/emotional benefits to learning in a multiage environment.

 

Students at both ends of the achievement spectrum, gifted or high-achieving students and lower-achieving students, benefit from learning in a multiage environment. According to Pratt (1986), “age-segregated classrooms are particularly difficult for children whose development differs from the norm." In a single-grade class, students can be acutely aware of the grade level standards, and sometimes feel that something is "wrong" with them when they do not fit the norm. In a multiage setting, the emphasis is on each student's progress along a continuum of skills and concepts, rather than on specific grade-level standards. Research indicates that this change in focus translates to greater achievement for students. “Statistical analysis demonstrated that students from multiage classrooms achieved greater academic outcomes in relation to their abilities and demonstrated greater increases in academic achievement than students of the same and higher abilities from single-age classrooms, [even] when all classrooms employed developmentally appropriate teaching practices” (Kinsey, 2001). 

 

There are other, nonacademic benefits to adopting multiage grouping as well. “The general picture that emerges from...studies is one of increased competition and aggression within same-age groups, and increased harmony and nurturance within multi-age groups” (Pratt, 1986). A healthy school culture - one of cooperation across ages, grade levels, and other differences - positively impacts academic achievement as well, since academic success is more likely when students have healthy self-concepts and social self-concepts (McClellan & Kinsey, 1999). In addition, "Kinsey demonstrated that higher teacher ratings of student prosocial behaviors were significantly related to greater student achievement outcomes on both standardized and report card assessments” (Kinsey, 2001). 

 

Students at Warren School also experience the benefit of looping with their classroom teacher for two years. During the first year, they learn the routines and the classroom culture from their teacher as well as the older peers in the classroom. During the second year, they hit the ground running. The teacher already understands the children as individuals and as learners, and can immediately pick up where they left off at the end of the previous school year. In addition, the older students become role models and mentors for their younger peers, roles that also benefit the older students academically.

 

 

Our History

In the 1960’s, Warren School ran a multiage program. At the time, the school was housed in a small white wood structure that is now the Warren Library. First Selectman Craig Nelson recently recalled his experience there as a student. “Multiage was different then,” he told me. “I liked being with different kids every year, since my grade only had 5 students. However, teachers didn’t know then what they know now.”

 

Fast forward fifty years. Warren School has expanded, and is now housed in a larger brick structure adjacent to the Warren Library. With grade levels ranging from 6 to 17 students, multiage conversations began again in earnest. A combined class of 1st and 2nd grade students was created two years ago.  Supported by their classroom teacher Mrs. Mary-Ellen Birdsall and Literacy Specialist Mrs. Joanne Woodington, the class flourished. With the goal of providing a first-class education for every student in Warren using the multiage model, Superintendent Ed Drapp reached out to international multiage consultant Dr. Sandra Stone for assistance.

 

Dr. Sandra Stone, from the University of Northern Arizona, has traveled to Warren to meet with teachers and families to provide guidance on the development of a multiage program that is focused on the progress of individual students rather than on progress through a set curriculum. This student-centered focus fits well with Warren’s unique character as a small school, where students of every age frequently interact with one another and with the entire staff on a daily basis.

This year, Warren School has an Early Primary class of Preschool and Kindergarten students taught by Mrs. Karen Brady, and an Upper Blended class of 3rd and 4th graders taught by Mrs. Beth Ulrichsen. Both teachers are using the multiage philosophy introduced by Dr. Stone. The experience is going so well, that other Warren teachers have expressed their interest in expediting the process so that all students can learn in a multiage classroom starting with the 2015-2016 school year.

 

Warren School is returning to its roots, but with a new and improved multiage experience that is fostered by our partnership with Dr. Stone, and with teachers who understand the unique needs of every student.   

 

Standards based education in multiage classrooms

Last Friday, I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Frank Colangelo, a former principal of Warren School who retired in 1994. As I took him on a tour of Warren School, Mr. Colangelo shared his recollections from 22 years ago. The Kindergarten class used to be in what is now the 2nd grade classroom. Mrs. Woodington's reading room was the Science room back then. And the current library, with its inspirational MakerSpace and 3-D printer, was nonexistent.

 

As we reminisced, Mr. Colangelo told me that he'd heard about our quest to build a school-wide multiage program, and he wondered what all of the buzz was about. After all, multiage instruction is nothing new, and was commonplace during his tenure as principal. I have been thinking about this question a lot since Friday. Although it confirms that Warren School will return to its roots next year, providing multiage instruction for every student, it also makes me ponder. What is all of the buzz about?

 

Historically, multiage instruction is nothing new. I think that the buzz is occurring because our world is quite different than it was years ago. Like all of today's schools, we need to help our students master grade level standards that will prepare them for their future, when they may select jobs and careers that have not yet been invented. Like many schools, we teach the standards using best practices such as providing students with clear targets and goals for learning, sharing immediate and specific feedback, teaching students in small groups, encouraging collaborative group work, and allowing students plenty of time to think creatively and critically.

 

I think that the buzz is about how we will teach a standards based curriculum within multiage classrooms. Our focus will shift subtly from teaching the curriculum to teaching each individual child. With such a wide range of ages within one classroom, it becomes impossible to expect all students to master the same skills at the same time. Instead, children are grouped flexibly and taught the next set of skills that they are ready for. Students who need it are given more time to master the standards. Students who have mastered certain standards have their learning extended. All students are challenged at their level, alongside children who may be older or younger than they are. This is what excites the Warren School staff, and makes us look forward to next year when all of our students will have the opportunity to learn in multiage classrooms. We will be returning to our roots, while at the same time preparing our students for an exciting and unknown future.

 

 

Articles/Resources

Here is an article about the importance of play in Kindergarten. Warren School's PK/K Early Primary class allows students an extended period of time to learn through purposeful play.