PP That's great. What school was that?

Both my children were in differentiated math (and reading and spelling) groups for 1st and 2nd grade. Test and assessment early in the year, same teacher rotated working with the groups and had parents come in to help with other groups when possible. Including moving a child up a grade for a specific subject if the child needed the challenge. I think it's school and teacher dependent.

Our school did differentiation for math in 1st grade when my older child was there. They got a pre-test before each unit. How they did on the pre-test determined which group they'd be in. My younger child is in 1st grade now, and they no longer do this. I'm not sure why they switched. This was not AAP-related. It's just how they ran the math classes. They did it in 2nd grade, too.

in our school the kids get sent to different teachers based on some initial test them give them. this is different from any level ii pull-out. the 1st and 2nd graders will spend the entire year being differentiated for math. they could be in the top math group for 'time' but a lower math group for 'addition'. agree this is definitely the principal's decision. great for the kids, doesn't seem like much more work for the teachers. the aart visits the top math groups more often.