A Colorado school district does away with grade levels — and, really, what’s shocking is that this is considered shocking, even radical:
Ultimately, there will be 10 multiage levels, rather than 12 grades, and students might be in different levels depending on the subject. They’ll move up only as they demonstrate mastery of the material.
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And when children fall short of understanding the material, they keep working at it. The only “acceptable” score to move on to the next lesson is the equivalent of a “B” in normal grading – hopefully showing proficiency and giving kids a better foundation as they move on to more advanced concepts. Advocates sometimes describe it as flipping the traditional system around so that time, rather than mastery of material, is the variable.