Any major change is a stressful and difficult process, for institutions as well as for individuals.
The transition from graded to nongraded primary education is a major change indeed. Not only does it require teachers to master new instructional techniques, but it requires changes in school organization and a basic shift in educational philosophy. The nongraded approach uses student diversity to advantage rather than regarding it as an impediment. Children grow socially and emotionally as well as intellectually as they work together on cooperative projects, help classmates who are younger and less able, and rely on older and more advanced peers when they need assistance themselves. Current knowledge of the developmental stages of young children and of the different learning styles of individual students is taken into account in designing curriculum and planning instruction.