how does a Split grade work?

[Anonymous]

Different poster - Loudoun County has two charter schools. Total.

Anyway, I was in a split 4th/5th grade class back in the 80s. The overwhelming impression is that the "dumb" fifth graders and the "smart" fourth graders were in the class. The teacher told us on the first day that (like a PP said) it's actually the kids from each grade that can work independently, but the overwhelming impression is still there (why else would she have to explain it???)

I was a 5th grader. We had 12 from each grade, I think. Our teacher had been around forever and had a student teacher both semesters, which worked out well for when the class had to be split for lessons. Math was taught separately, I think reading was combined, using stories/projects not usually taught in either grade so that we wouldn't repeat anything. Art was combined, again doing "special" projects not normally taught in either grade. In retrospect, the teachers probably disliked having to come up with "special" projects. There wasn't nearly as much emphasis in our school on science, I think we went to different classrooms for that.

The biggest problem for me may have been specific to that school. Our classroom was located far from the rest of the classrooms (it was actually a great set up, basically two classrooms combined into one, so easy to separate the grades to teach specifically to them, but in a different part of the school.) I wasn't great friends with anyone in my grade, and didn't want to be friends with the younger kids (in retrospect petty, but important back then). That particular year it would have been better for me to be in a larger class with a broader friend base. Having our classroom in a different part of the building meant that we didn't often "mix" with the other kids, even lining up at different doors than the others.

I think it would have been fine had I not been having a bumpy road with friendships anyway, and had I been in the younger grade. I realize that I'll get little input into any classroom placements, but if a split class looks likely I wouldn't mind my kids being in the younger half of a split class. I wouldn't necessarily want them to be in the older half of a split class.

[Anonymous]

My daughter is in a 4/5 split-she's gened at a center school.

I think the experience has been pretty good. Because of the specials schedule and othe setup of the classroom itself, the teacher seems to get a decent amount of time with the students to do lessons separately. The teacher had done this split before and said she actually enjoys it.