Ann Arbor elementary schools see a growing number of classrooms with split grades
For many parents of elementary school students, the idea of split classes is as welcome as nails across a chalkboard.
But families heading back to the Ann Arbor Public Schools as classes start this morning are finding that split classes are increasingly becoming reality as budget cuts have forced the school system to become more efficient.
Children at Thurston Elementary in Ann Arbor will find a new split class in the school for the 2011-2012 school year. Here, Thurston students are shown boarding a bus in 2010.
AnnArbor.com files
Margaret Baker, whose second-grade daughter will be in the split classroom, said she’s unhappy about the late notice. It would have been better, she said, to tell parents in June about a potential for a split.
“It would have been nice to have a heads-up,” she said. “It was sprung on us with no warning. It would have been nice to have some buy-in.”
And Aimee Lahann, parent of a first-grader in the class, said she worries that the teacher was given little time to prepare for a split class.
"First grade is a pivotal year. It's the foundation, a building-block year," she said. "The teacher was only given a few days notice to prepare."
While Baker said she’s not worried about her daughter, she said some parents of first graders in the classroom worry that their children will feel lost.
“There’s a significant difference between the age groups," she said. "For many of the first graders, it will be the first time they’ve gone to school all day.”
As of now, Baker said, there are eight first-graders and 16 second-graders assigned to the class.
During better economic times, the district has been able to minimize splits, said Liz Margolis, the district's spokeswoman. There were even years when the district eliminated all splits, though they have been present in the district for the past several years.
“We’ve done everything possible to avoid them because parents don’t like them,” she said.
But that was before the economy went sour and school funding took a nosedive. The district’s 2011-12 budget eliminated 62 full-time teaching jobs, and the district has seen an increase in the number of split classrooms, Margolis said.
At Thurston, enrollment fell 38 students short of projections, mostly in the first and second grades, Margolis said. One teacher was transferred to another school and the split was created.
“If enrollment goes up, things could change,” she said.
Average elementary class size has increased by two to three students this year, Margolis said. The days of having a class of 15 students to avoid a split are over.
“We don’t have the luxury of those low numbers,” she said.
More than a half dozen of the district’s 21 elementary schools will have at least one split when school opens next week, Margolis said. That number could rise.
Splits could be added or eliminated, as elementary buildings get a firmer handle on enrollment. At least at this point, four elementary schools saw a decline in enrollment while four others saw an increase, Margolis said. This created a need to shuffle some staff. Enrollment, she said, changes daily.
Not everyone shuns split classrooms. The Open School at Mack has always embraced multigrade classrooms and Angell Elementary School has had 1-2 splits for a number of years by choice, Margolis said.
Brit Satchwell, president of the Ann Arbor Education Association, said there are pros and cons to split classes.
“The upside it that they use staff effectively and they save money,” he said. “But the potential problem is that there could be a much broader range of ability and as we are trying to individualize instruction — which is a district goal — a wider range can cause problems.” And, he said, parents don’t like splits.
Comments
sandy schopbach
Wed, Sep 7, 2011 : 7:43 a.m.
As I was living abroad and wanted my children to have a bilingual school, that meant private. And it was Montessori, which I highly approve of, provided the Montessori method is applied as it was intended and not for some foofy reason. In that system, children are grouped by learning phases, which basically works out to ages 2 & 3, ages 4 & 5, ages 5-8 and ages 9-12. It works very well, because children can go at different paces and not be held back or pushed forward. This being said, Montessori has its own specific teaching material. That's not the case for public schools. So maybe its an unfair comparison. Still and all, I don't think parents should worry that their children will necessarily get a raw deal. It will depend very much on the teacher, and on how the education system handles the question of "pass/fail" in the old grading system. I think adaptations will have to be accepted. But the children will not inevitably lose out, especially in a city like Ann Arbor, where parents give their children a lot of education support and follow up on lessons and homework. Nudge, nudge. Hint, hint. And yes, Montessori classes are now notoriously small, but it was initially intended for poor neighborhoods and very large classes.
3 4 a2
Wed, Sep 7, 2011 : 3:10 a.m.
This article gets an incomplete for a grade. Which schools have splits. What grades? And which are the schools that had decreased or increased enrollments? Don't be spoon-fed. Go beyond the news release, what you are being told, please. The details reveal a truer big picture.
rosy12
Wed, Sep 7, 2011 : 3:05 a.m.
In my opinion part of the problem is lack of communication and poor planning. The problem is that this is all last minute and there was no proper communication between the distrcit and the parents. Is the teacher prepared to teach a split level class? How much notice was the teacher given? Was enough time given to put together a teaching plan for the split level class? In my experience there is not enough communication between the school and the parents (except when it comes to fundraising).
AMOC
Mon, Sep 12, 2011 : 4:46 p.m.
Ahmar - You said "Don't we have a deputy or asst superintendent for elementary education that would be on top of this data to share? " The current answer is "No, we don't." The former one retired, and the new one may not actually have been hired yet. Besides which, LeeAnne Dickinson-Kelley who had the overall responsibility for that before her retirement was so slick that she could spin the data to support whatever she thought the district wanted.
thecompound
Wed, Sep 7, 2011 : 4:52 p.m.
lack of communication with aaps? say it ain't so!
Ahmar Iqbal
Wed, Sep 7, 2011 : 2:30 p.m.
I think you hit the nail on the head — it is really just letting the parents knowing how it works so it is not a "surprise." Seems people who at least posted here had positive experiences. Don't we have a deputy or asst superintendent for elementary education that would be on top of this data to share? Especially with those parents whose kids are assigned split classes?
sh1
Wed, Sep 7, 2011 : 1:32 a.m.
There seems to be a lot more "rose-colored glasses" comments here than in a typical education article. Could it be because people don't want to admit that budget cuts actually do have a negative impact at the classroom level?
sh1
Wed, Sep 7, 2011 : 11:31 a.m.
A school that is designed to have split grades is very different from a split grade that suddenly happens in a school that is not designed that way.
5c0++ H4d13y
Wed, Sep 7, 2011 : 2:24 a.m.
Not really. My send my kid to a split grade school by choice. So I can't see what all the hub bub is about.
Somargie
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 10:49 p.m.
Comparing AAO multi-age school & schools specifically planned to teach 2 grades w/2 teachers with the rash of split classes in AAPS is inaccurate. Many split classes were forced from the bean counters with no idea of how it goes against best practices, no additional resources, or deliberate intentions to eliminate a teaching position. Why not research the facts that parents who wanted to enrolled students at these schools were diverted to other schools, how open enrollment was shut down prematurely despite interest, how some schools were allowed to keep small classrooms while others weren't, even with enrollment interest? In the current climate of budget slashing, most parents understand sacrifices but sacrifices done right versus deliberate manipulation to eliminate positions is just wrong. If AAPS were concerned about budgets they could allowed these classrooms to exist if parents were still enrolling to increase overall student populations? AAPS is more concern with elimination which causes suppar teaching, ill will & loss of parents willing to enroll/support them. They are so concern with eliminating positions that district officials refuse to show enrollment data at other schools, told schools to not give out enrollment info, forced K-classes to have 24 students, large classes with 30 plus when split students are combined & lawyerd-up when parents disagree. Saddest part of all is that AAPS new leader with a 70K salary increase refused to meet with parents twice citing that it's not her job to meet with parents & this is just a Human Resource problem & sent her secretary. This is the same person who made a video message regarding the transportation drama. Well, I'm a parent, I pay taxes, and I vote so if AAPS need my help in the future than they need to hire a leader...whose job is to meet with parents and walk the talk of those strategic goals that suppose to support students & parents. Not a CEO who talked the talk to be hired
Basic Bob
Wed, Sep 7, 2011 : 1:23 a.m.
Dr. Green has been very much out of the public eye since her hiring two months ago. I wonder how long that can continue.
Publius the Younger
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 8:48 p.m.
I wouldn't send Osama Bin Laden to the Ann Arbor Public Schools.
Steve Norton, MIPFS
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 8:09 p.m.
I'm a former Burns Park parent, and the school had splits (sometimes two) for nearly every one of the seven years our kids were there. Split classes can work well, but it does take skill. It is also different from the intentional multi-age classrooms, as other posters have said. The real message here is how taut the staffing system is. Split classes mainly exist because there aren't enough kids to justify separate sections. As the target class size goes up, this becomes more common. Schools have to hit their "numbers" to justify keeping a new teacher, who has already been identified, to teach a full section; failing that, they lose the teacher and create a split class. At our school, even the principal would not know for sure until the end of August if we had the enrollment necessary to justify another teacher. (That's one of the reasons our letters always went out so late, because classes were being adjusted until the last minute.)
AlfaElan
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 7:20 p.m.
Carpenter had Multi-Age (3-4 split co-taught) for year. They were one of the pioneers in the area and did a great job until Dr. Luce retired last year. My son excelled in that setting since as a 3rd grader he didn't feel held back and as a 4th grader the chance to help a 3rd grader made it more interesting. Done well a split works great, but done well it doesn't work. Funny how that applies to any classroom setting. Sad to see it being done because of class size and teacher availability though. On the other hand Carpenter this year had to add another kindergarten teacher since they have so many kids.
DeeDee
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 5:17 p.m.
Plenty of innovative private and public schools teach in multi-age classrooms with enormous benefits to the students. This can be a good thing - why not treat it as such. Believing that this has to be a negative event is likely to be a self fulfilling prophecy.
A2anon
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 11:37 p.m.
See above. It only works well with good planning and flexible curriculum. Not last minute, teaching two whole separate things.
thecompound
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 7:11 p.m.
Very true, but it does kind of stink to only be notified right before school starts. And I'm sure parents were notified in one of aaps administrations "eloquent" customer-friendly letters, lol.
thecompound
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 2:24 p.m.
Have done the split on several occasions, sometimes it works, sometimes not so much. One problem that people don't realize with their "back in my day" comments regarding splits, is that back then, behavior problems were dealt with much differently than they are today. Lots of tippy-toeing unless it's extremely escalated. Hopefully all these split classes ARE getting the "easier" kids to make it easier on the teacher as someone suggested.
eCoaster
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 2:03 p.m.
Mixed-age classes work if teachers have time to prepare and adapt the curriculum to reach students at different academic/developmental levels. We found out a week before school started that my son would be in a split class at Eberwhite for first grade, along with just a handful of his peers. He learned the second-grade curriculum just fine, but missed out on things like practicing penmanship and adjusting to the whole concept of homework. It was stressful. Then, at the end of the year, we were told that he would be revisiting the same curriculum the next year as a second grader because there likely would be no 2/3 split!?! He is in private school now.
gofigure
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 1:59 p.m.
Both my children were in split classrooms way back in the 80's. It actually works better than you think. The younger children can learn at a faster pace (if capable) and the older children who may be having some difficulty don't feel as if they're being singled out. The kids aren't the ones with the "problems", it's the parents. Kids are going to act based on your reactions. Instead of getting riled up, maybe you should look at this as a lesson for your kids to help a classmate or, be helped by a classmate. Both of my children (now grown adults) loved being in split classrooms. With the cutbacks in school monies, seems to me there are more important things to worry about. As far as knowing ahead of time, what would you have done? Moved them to a different class or school?
Jennifer Eshelman
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 1:55 p.m.
I was in a 1-2 split (for both year) and 5-6 split (for 5th grade) going to school in NC. It was GREAT for me, particularly as a kid in the younger grade who was a little ahead, the teacher let me do 2nd grade reading and math. Seems like something to worry about that actually won't be such a big deal...
A2anon
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 1:51 p.m.
There is a difference between a "split class" in a school which is set up to teach one grade per class, and a multi-age classroom where the curriculum supports it. In other words, if a teacher suddenly has to teach two completely different curricula in one year, that's really hard. At AAO, the first and second graders for example are being taught together. The only time they separate into grades is for math. Otherwise, they all get taught the "science" curriculum, for example, at the same time -- one year they'll do traditionally first grade curric, the next second, and keep cycling. They group into small groups for reading and spelling, based on ability. The entire school is set up to support the multi-age classrooms, with older kids helping younger ones, etc. We LOVE it, our kids love it. But I don't think it's the same thing as a split-level in a traditional school -- I think that's really hard on the teacher, and not always successful.
eom
Wed, Sep 7, 2011 : 12:28 a.m.
Agreed! There are FIVE science units for third grade - imagine having to teach those five units along with the three for fourth grade or three for second grade...at this point, our curriculum is really difficult for one teacher to teach two grades levels. Splits are NOT multi-age classrooms, they are taught by one teacher, two grades. Although there might be shifting of kids between the other grade level teachers, there's nothing easy about it.
linuxtuxguy
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 1:01 p.m.
"...are finding that spilt classes are increasingly become reality in the as budget cuts..." What?
Wolf's Bane
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 1:15 p.m.
Yeah, great point. The question we need to ask is: "ARE our CHildren learning?"
AMOC
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 12:51 p.m.
I have some experience with grade splits, as my kids have twice been part of one at Northside elementary. The first time, if I'm remembering this right, it was a 1-2 split as is described in this article. The split was a mid-day one, created because there were too few kindergartners to occupy all the time of 2 teachers. So one teacher (the school's reading specialist) had a group of ~ 20 1st and 2nd graders for half the day, and the other half of the day they were in other (larger group) classrooms with their age peers. Several years later, one child was also in a 4-5 split classroom, with students selected for this based on their expected stability and returning to the school. That was a great success, as the teacher made a very strong effort to teach social skills and develop community among the students. That student also learned more, and learned it better than his brother who was in a different classroom. I think this was due in part to the relative skills of the two teachers, and in part to the fact that the split-grade classroom encouraged students to operate more independently and therefore they were more invested in their own learning. I think that many kids would benefit from mixed-age classrooms, as is commonly done in Montessori schools and AA-Open, but only if the teachers are also allowed to group them for lessons other than reading by achievement/ability/ mastery of concepts. There is nothing sacred about "6-year-olds are first graders" who shouldn't mix with 7-year-old second graders. But the teachers should get MUCH more time to prepare than a week before school starts, and only the most skillful teachers should be assigned to teach split classes if it is not the norm for the building.
MWH
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 12:30 p.m.
I'm not really impressed with this article. "The Open School at Mack has always embraced multigrade classrooms and Angell Elementary School has had 1-2 splits for a number of years by choice, Margolis said." Should the reader venture a guess as to why these schools choose to have split classrooms? I not sure this is the only reason for split classrooms: "The upside it that they use staff effectively and they save money," he said (Brit Satchwell, president of the Ann Arbor Education Association) Perhaps the reporter could offer readers a little more depth into some of the benefits of multi-aged classrooms, instead of giving the negative impression that splits are done as a last resort and most parents don't like them. Maybe if parents were provided some information about the potentially good aspects of multi-aged classrooms, they wouldn't be as inclined take a pessimistic view of the situation.
Barb
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 1:33 p.m.
Not only that, those aren't the only 2 schools in AAPS who have gone this direction. I think your comments are good. A little more balance and info wold be helpful here.
Wolf's Bane
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 11:50 a.m.
Our daughter is due to start kindergarten in 1 year. If the situation has managed to deteriorate further from what it is now, she is going to attend a private school and we'll move. We decided to stay here, in Ann Arbor, because of the great schools, but if they continue to degrade, it makes little to no sense to stay here. Y'all been put on notice.
Lola
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 4:20 p.m.
1) Why does sending your kid to private school mean that you have to move as well? 2) Good luck selling your house. 3) 5c0++, you are awesome.
dotdash
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 3:06 p.m.
You could also consider not falling into the kindergarten-will-determine-choice-of-college trap that lurks in the backs of parents' minds. Give it some time, see what it's like. No kindergarten class in AA is going to damage your daughter's prospects, and if your family can be an active part of the local elementary school community, that will definitely enhance her experience. Be involved in a good, know-the-teacher and bake-cookies way, and it will be enormously rewarding. Much better than moving.
Barb
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 1:32 p.m.
Newsflash for ya: things are tough all over. AAPS is doing pretty well, considering. This is not the end of the world and could be a good thing in some situations. Before you decide it's the be-all end-all, do some research and learn how education is evolving.
timjbd
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 11:40 a.m.
Ahem: "...classes are increasingly become reality in the as budget cuts have forced the school system to become more efficient."...?? Let's tighten up a little, guys.
Mike D.
Sat, Sep 10, 2011 : 4:12 a.m.
The writer was simply trying to show in practical terms what happens when public education fails.
L'chaim
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 2 p.m.
This article was poorly edited for grammar and typos. Sadly badly.
Diana
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 10:56 a.m.
A traditional Montessori classroom would have grades 1, 2, & 3. But 24 students would be a class with two teachers.
local
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 10:54 a.m.
Yes, and even Burns Park has two splits this year from what friends have told me whose kids attend the school. I think there bigger concern is that class sizes have raised as well. (Upper elem. having 28-29 students in them) I guess we will see how this plays out over time.
CLX
Wed, Sep 7, 2011 : 12:08 a.m.
Burns Park has has splits every year for at least the past 8, so not sure where this comment is coming from. There was also a kindergarten class of 27 kids one year, so its nonsense to think that Burns is different from any other school.
G2inA2
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 10:07 p.m.
"Even at Burns Park?" REALLY!! What makes Burns Park better than any other school. Why should that school be protected from a split classroom? It SHOULDN'T. Come on--this is sounding way too much like the desegregated schools of another century. A school is a school is a school and the differences between the schools is NOT the neighborhood or the name of the school. It's about the TEACHERS in that school!
Wolf's Bane
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 1:18 p.m.
Even Burns Park? Burns Park, like any other school in the AAPS has been degraded to conform with the standards throughout the AAPS. Once, a long time ago, it was indeed a unique and had a highly regarded reputation, but those days are long gone. Furthermore, Wines scored a 99 in recent tests, while Burn Park did not.
thorj97
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 10:32 a.m.
I think split grades are quite common for progressive education. However, I'm not sure how it well it would work with the larger class sizes. Clearly, there's a wider spread of educational needs among the students.
Urban Sombrero
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 10:25 a.m.
I was in a split 5-6 grade class way back in the stone age when I was a 5th grader. It wasn't bad, from what I remember. (This was at Clinton elementary, in AnnArbor, which no longer exists.) That was over 20 years ago, so I don't remember it exactly. I would think it would be hardest on the teacher. Two curriculums, two sets of lesson plans to teach, trying to give each group the "right" amount of attention, etc.
jns131
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 10:21 a.m.
Our child went for two years at a charter that was split level. No biggie. The thing was that the school had two teachers teaching the two levels. Co teaching. But everyone learned the same. Hate to say it parents, time to rethink one room school houses. Children learned from the older ones and the older ones taught the younger ones when the teacher was teaching another level. Parents get all twisted when something new is sprung on them. As long as mine is learning, one or two split level learning is not a big deal.
Jonny Spirit
Wed, Sep 7, 2011 : 12:42 a.m.
Ha, Ha, Ha, I have had it way to good. I'm no teacher, nor would I want to walk in there shoes. They should get paid and they earn every penny of what they make. You have no idea what I do. I'm just a concerned parent who understand common sense of teaching kids. You people want to change the world so bad why don't go to your local gas station and ask for the 35 cent gas tax back so I can afford to get back and forth to work. Let's start taking money from the people sitting on billions of our dollars instead of picking on the people who educate our children.
jns131
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 11:42 p.m.
Ours had 25 pupils. Hate to say it, but it sounds like you had it good far too long. Try mixing things up a bit. Not that hard.
Jonny Spirit
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 3:45 p.m.
How many students were in your child's classroom? Try teaching 25 students, ONE teacher, ranging from 7-11 years old, different curr, different textbooks, different everything. The games in the classroom, the books teachers use, the desk size. Everything is different. I'm glad my kids don't go there. Yes it is a big deal. This isn't the 1900's, times have changed because it's better for kids.