Multi-Grade Versus Single-Grade Classrooms: Student Performance on the IowaAssessments

Abstract

Creating the best instructional practice for students is the goal of all educators.The first purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a difference in the IowaAssessments in reading, written expression, mathematics, social studies, and sciencescores between third through eighth-grade students enrolled in multi-grade levelclassrooms and third through eighth-grade students enrolled in single-grade classrooms.The second purpose was to determine whether the difference in the Iowa Assessmentsreading, written expression, mathematics, social studies, and science scores between thirdthrough eighth-grade students enrolled in a multi-grade level classroom and third througheighth-grade students enrolled in a single-grade classroom is affected by student gradelevel. The independent variables used in this study included the classroom configurationsin the schools and the grade levels. The dependent variables in this study were archivedstudent achievement scores in reading, written expression, mathematics, social studies,and science on the Iowa Assessments from school years 2016-2017 and 2017-2018. Theaverage Iowa Assessments reading, mathematics, social studies, and science scores forstudents enrolled in a multi-grade classroom were not different from the scores ofstudents enrolled in a single-grade classroom. However, the average Iowa Assessmentswritten expression score for students enrolled in a multi-grade classroom is lower thanthe average Iowa Assessments written expression score for students enrolled in a singlegrade classroom. When Iowa Assessments scores were compared at each grade level, nosignificant differences were found between students in multi-grade and single-gradeclassrooms. This study has implications for district administrators, buildingadministrators, teachers, and parents. As the results indicated that students are equally successful in either classroom configuration, this study has offered insight into thefeasibility of using multi-grade classrooms. Recommendations for future researchinclude conducting the study over a multi-year period to monitor the full impact of thesame group of students who advance from grade 3 to grade 8 to track their achievement.Another recommendation for future research would include public schools as acomparison group in the study.