BC News

Superintendent's presentation on multiage education
Release Date: January 22, 2010

This fall, a committee comprised of parents, teachers, and administrators met to review the concept of multiage education at the elementary level, how it has been used in the district, and to make recommendations about its future use. At the January 20 Board of Education meeting, Dr. Tebbano provided an overview of the committee's work. The report and Dr. Tebbano's presentation from the meeting can be accessed via the links below.

Multiage classes have been in use in the district for some time as a proven educational approach or a budget tool to maximize teacher scheduling with available resources, and in many cases to serve both of these needs. The committee heard both positive and negative feedback on multiage classes. Dr. Tebbano indicated that the broader research of these classes show that there are no statistically significant differences in achievement between students in classes that are grouped by one grade level and in multiage settings. According to Dr. Tebbano, while the committee recognized the merits of the multiage learning, it also wanted to ensure teachers are prepared to teach multiage classes and that students can benefit in the same way in an age of mandated grade level assessments. There are also concerns about maximizing the capacity of the district's buildings and ensuring that smaller schools won't be faced with a disproportionate number of multiage classes.

Class size, the potential use of multiage classes, staffing and sections, and budgetary impacts are all closely related, and will likely play a central role in this year’s budget discussions. Dr. Tebbano stressed that doing away with multiage education would create considerable budget implications with regard to staffing. Greater expansion of multiage classes in the district could potentially lead to budget savings, although the district would likely have to provide some additional funding for training and weigh this against the challenges broader expansion of the program might create.

All options remain on the table for balancing both the budget and staffing needs, keeping class sizes within the most favorable ranges possible, and providing the strongest educational experience possible.

More Information

• Committee report

• Superintendent’s presentation

 

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