Elementary School Grade Reconfiguration

3 of 4

profiled districts report positive experiences with grade reconfiguration

At most public school districts, students attend elementary schools based on their neighborhood of residence. Under grade reconfiguration efforts, administrators could pursue elementary school reassignment based on grade level—all K-2 students attend one school, and all 3-5 students attend another. Our research guides administrators deciding whether or not reconfigure grades—based on potential implications for instructional standardization, operations, cost efficiency, and stakeholder response.

Reconfiguring grades leads to mostly positive results at small districts

At all profiled districts, administrators reconfigured K-5 or K-6 elementary schools into K-2 schools and 3-5 schools. While contacts at District B, District C, and District D report mostly positive outcomes and few drawbacks associated with grade reconfiguration, contacts at District A report entirely negative outcomes of grade reconfiguration. Notably, a higher total student enrollment and accompanying challenges such as the redistribution of a large number of students may have contributed to these negative outcomes at District A. Administrators at District A chose to revert to the district’s original grade configuration model several years after reconfiguring grades. Contacts at other profiled districts offer solutions to many of the negative outcomes reported by contacts at District A.

Reconfiguration standardizes grade-level instruction

Contacts at District B, District C, and District D report significant improvements to teachers’ opportunities to collaborate with their entire grade-level team following grade reconfiguration. Contacts at these districts report that this improved collaboration in turn improved instructional standardization across different course sections within the same grade—students are now more likely to learn the same content at the same time. Contacts at District D report that instructional standardization allows teachers in each grade to spend less time re-teaching last year’s concepts.

Administrators can more easily respond to enrollment trends

In the event of a grade-level enrollment decline, contacts at District D report that administrators can more easily adjust staffing in a reconfigured model. Contacts explain that, prior to reconfiguration, schools in the district sustained losses or gains in student enrollment at different rates. Grade reconfiguration centralized all grade-level enrollment changes at one school. As a result, administrators can eliminate a course section and associated staffing line with a smaller impact on average elementary school class sizes, which allows administrators to more easily respond to enrollment declines.

In one example, the percentage of students in above-average classes decreases from 66% to 41% after grade reconfiguration.

To understand the impact of grade reconfiguration on class sizes in each grade, consider the these metrics:

Devote sufficient time and resources to stakeholder engagement and experience

At the three districts that experienced positive impacts of grade reconfiguration (District B, District C, and District D), administrators invested in community-building initiatives, meticulous logistical planning, and opportunities to elevate stakeholder voice. For example, administrators at District C invited teachers to grade-level meetings at their future building during the year before grade reconfiguration. Administrators used these meetings to source teacher input on school operations (e.g., hallway paint colors, daily schedule). While stakeholders at these profiled districts did express some concerns and reservations prior to grade reconfiguration, contacts believe that these efforts helped to persuade stakeholders to support grade reconfiguration and—post-reconfiguration—recognize its demonstrated advantages.