photo by: Journal-World

The Lawrence school district offices, 110 McDonald Drive.

The Lawrence school board has approved a proposal to create multigrade elementary classrooms, meaning some students will be placed in classrooms alongside students a grade above or below them next school year.

Multigrade classrooms were one of 20 budget measures that the school board approved March 28 as part of its effort to address a more than $6 million budget shortfall for next school year. The multigrade classrooms will be put in place in almost all of the district’s 13 elementary schools, and the Journal-World sought additional details from the district about how the new classrooms will work.

The following guide includes information about instruction, the composition of classes and whether parents will have any choice as to whether their child is placed in a multigrade classroom. The information provided is based on responses from the district’s Curriculum and Instruction Team, district budget documents and district spokesperson Julie Boyle.

-How will grades be combined in multigrade classrooms?

Not all elementary schools and classrooms will be multigrade, but for those that will be, there will be students from two adjoining grade levels in the same class. Under a plan developed by the district’s Budget and Program Evaluation Committee, the district will create mixed kindergarten and first grade classrooms; mixed first grade and second grade classrooms; mixed second grade and third grade classrooms; and mixed fourth grade and fifth grade classrooms.

-How many multigrade classrooms will there be next year?

Under the Budget and Program Evaluation Committee plan, all but two of the district’s 13 elementary schools — the exceptions being Cordley and Schwegler — will have some multigrade classrooms next year. The plan anticipates a total of 34 multigrade classrooms, representing about 29% of the district’s 119 elementary classrooms. The exact breakdown will change from year to year depending on enrollment.

-How will teachers provide instruction to different grade levels in the same classroom?

Multigrade classrooms will operate with the curriculum for both grade levels, and depending on the needs of students, multigrade teachers could potentially teach one cohesive lesson to the whole class, have separate lessons for each grade level or some combination of the two options. According to information from the Curriculum and Instruction Team, instruction in multigrade classrooms will be similar to instruction in single-grade classrooms, where teachers could provide both whole-group and small-group instruction during the day as they work with students at different skill levels.

-Will parents have a say in whether their child is put in a multigrade classroom?

Not directly. Placement in a multigrade classroom will follow similar guidelines as those for single-grade placement, in which parents can provide information each spring regarding how their child learns best, but “teacher preference” requests are not accepted. Like single-grade classroom placement, placement in a multigrade classroom will consider students’ academic, social-emotional and behavioral needs, personality, friendships and connections. Building principals will use teacher input and work to make determinations, with the goal of creating classrooms that are “balanced and diverse.”

-Will the maximum number of students in multigrade classrooms be fewer than regular classrooms?

Only for the mixed second grade and third grade classrooms. Under the plan, the maximum class size for third grade will decrease from 27 students to 25 students, enabling the district to put third graders in the same classroom as second graders, who typically have a maximum class size of 25 students. The other mixed-grade classrooms do not require an adjustment to the maximum class size.

-Will multigrade classrooms be half one grade and half the other?

Not necessarily. According to the Curriculum and Instruction Team, academic and social needs of students will be the main driver of placement, but attempting to balance the number of students at each grade level will also be a consideration.

-How do multigrade classrooms save the district money?

Multigrade classrooms allow more possibilities for combining classrooms with low numbers of students, thereby resulting in fewer classes overall and the need for fewer teachers, according to budget documents. The change is expected to reduce the district’s need for elementary teachers by 24 full-time positions, saving the district up to $1.47 million next school year.