The Adaptive Learning Environments Program can provide appropriate individualized instruction to students of all ability levels. The program has undergone more than a decade of development and data-based testing. (MLF)

John Wilson School, Innisfail, Alberta, prides itself on being a leader among schools. It was one of the first to put into place a continuous progress system that keeps children in class with their age level but allows for differences in learning rates. Other programs and projects are briefly described. (MT)

After presenting information on the general inadequacies of the graded system in schools, this monograph discusses the possibility of advancing the individual educative process through the concept of continuous pupil progress. The following proposition is presented: If there are no grades; if a child progresses according to his own ability; if the…

Describes a pilot program demonstrating that the grouping of elementary students by skill levels rather than by age can produce successful results. (Author/DN)

Technical assistance given to facilitate implementation of continuous progress programs in a Georgia elementary school system is discussed in terms of long-range goals for staff development and general objectives for a continuous progress model and its mainstreaming program. (DS)

The article describes four schools that use a continuous progress or nongraded approach to pace gifted elementary students. Article inserts present information on the Richardson Study (a national study of gifted education) and guidelines for developing continuous progress and nongraded models. (SW)

Thirty-two elementary schools in the District of Columbia participated in a study comparing the effectiveness of the district's midyear student promotion program with that of an annual promotion program. Sixteen schools used each form of promotion. Third grade reading and mathematics scores in the experimental group did not differ significantly…

This paper examines research on classroom programs for elementary school students who are at risk for learning problems. The full range of alternative classroom organization models designed to meet the needs of low-achieving or heterogeneous classes is explored in an attempt to discover which type of program is most effective and why. The goal of…

The best reporting procedure for any school or school district can be determined only after careful study of the needs and philosophy of the educational program. Whatever the choice of evaluation process, it should be focused on the individual rather than on a group, be skill- or criterion-based, be adaptable on a multi-grade-level range, be…

In the evaluation study reported, students in a school using the continuous progress plan were compared with students in a school using a graded, self-contained classroom model. Differences were sought in the areas of achievement in reading and mathematics between fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade pupils and attitudes toward self and school.…

Describes a new student-centered, activity-oriented, open classroom approach to reading instruction with individualized instruction and continuous progress in reading skills as its major emphases. (Author/DN)

One of a series of documents produced by a nationwide network of early childhood education specialists, teachers, parents, and Head Start staff, the document contains a language arts skills continuum to be used as a tool for individualizing instruction for students learning basic educational skills. A comprehensive set of learner objectives for…

Describes one elementary school's multiage assessment plan. Describes how standards were developed, and describes the assessment plan's guiding element: the progress report arranged as a continuum of objectives that serve as a goal indicator and a reporting mechanism. Discusses how objectives are assessed, record keeping and documentation, and the…

States that learning can shut down very quickly when learners are held back or pushed by grade-level constraints. Argues that multiage classrooms support each learner's continuous progress based on each child's experience, background, learning needs or strengths, and interests. (SR)

Advantages of multiage classrooms include improvements in student self-concept, attitudes toward school, leadership, and social skills; reduced discipline problems; and individualized instruction. Implementation problems include entrenched teacher attitudes, including overdependence on textbooks, and the extra teacher training and planning time…