To overcome low test scores and a high dropout rate, an entire school district is implementing radical reforms. For starters, when the elementary and middle-school students come back next fall, there won’t be any grade levels – or traditional grades, for that matter.
The 10,000-student district in metropolitan Denver is modeling its new “standards-based” program, where the students help plan the lessons, on an effort in Alaska that was able, in five years, to turn around the lowest performing schools in that state. (Read the full story in the Christian Science Monitor)
I think this is great! Kids learn: that everyone is different, there is no need to compare themselves with others. They can excel in their strengths and work on their weaknesses. It allows kids to learn at there own pace without pressure. Everyone gets a chance to shine, nobody is left behind.