Schools with big grade spans may be able to sustain more parent involvement in the upper grades than is typical in middle or high schools. On the other hand, because schools with very wide grade spans usually have fewer students and classrooms per grade, there may be fewer opportunities for elective or exploratory courses. In addition, fewer classrooms per grade means fewer opportunities to match students to teachers according to learning and teaching styles, to place students with others with whom they work well, or to separate students who don't get along. Opportunities for teacher collaboration or mentoring at a specific grade level are also reduced. The smaller the number of grades in each school within a K-12 system, the more transitions students will make during their schooling.
Transitions can be stressful.
These stresses can be mitigated by practices such as between-school visits, mentoring by students from the school at the more advanced level, special assemblies for new students, communication between the faculties and administrations of the two schools, and grouping students into teams or houses in large schools. Yet neither is grade-span irrelevant. Email Webmaster Tel.