Heatherwood Elementary's Ungraded Primary

Here is a description of Heatherwood Elementary's Ungraded Primary taken from an article by Nancy Martin in the December 1998 edition of the Left Hand Valley Courier.        Heatherwood Elementary School has a very special program called the Ungraded Primary (UP). First and second grades are combined for the two years so that students have the same teacher for that period of time.        According to one UP teacher, "We recognize each child as an individual having unique needs and seek to establish an educational design that will help develop his [or her] maximum intellectual and social potential."        This philosophy recognizes that individuals learn best when they are supported by other "learners." Students are invited to take risks in a supportive and cooperative climate, and are personally involved in decisions about their own learning. With this encouragement, the students have positive attitudes about the meaningful tasks involved in learning.        UP is a creative program that uses diverse teaching and learning processes. Students work in cooperative teams and use a "hands-on" approach in many subjects.        The UP program has been in effect for eleven years (in December 2000) and has proven successful for most. As one teacher stated, "I truly believe that combining different age-grade levels is beneficial to all kids. There's no bias; they're willing to help each other. Developmentally, it makes sense to mix the levels."