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2 6 .

What Does Non-graded Mean? Misconceptions about the Montessori Mixed Age Grouping What grade is my child in? Families in a Montessori school are not always sure how to answer this question. The truth is that Montessori schools are non-graded. So how do you answer this question? If you ask a Brookfield teacher what grade little Joey is in, she will look up his birthday and give you an answer based on his age. If he turned six before December 1st (the most widely held cut-off) she will answer first grade. The confusing part of this for families is that Joey might be a new student in the preprimary class that never learned to read before attending Brookfield. He might also be a second year student in the elementary program who just learned to read and is still working on fluency and comprehension. He might also be a student who learned to read at age 4 ½ and is currently reading second and third grade materials. So what does the term “first grade” mean to a Montessori teacher? It means a birth date and a way to decide what standardized test to administer in the spring. Does Level 1 mean first grade? No. Montessori elementary classrooms cover an ever-expanding knowledge base of information and experiences for children. Since all teachers have different viewpoints on how long to stay with one topic, it became expedient as the school grew to assign some goals or milestones for teachers to attain each year. This was done to ensure the same quality of education at any Brookfield school that your child attended. (It also prevented your child from studying rocks all year!) It was never intended as synonym for Grade 1. It has nothing to do with Math or Reading or Spelling, which are self-paced. It is simply Brookfield Academy’s way of dividing up the cultural curriculum (Geography, Geometry, Science and History) into attainable milestones. Level 1 could have just as easily been called Level A or the “Blue Level.” Most children begin the Level 1 studies during their first year of the elementary program. Usually this child is six years old, but sometimes he is five or even seven depending on his background. Are the Level 1 studies the same in traditional or public school? No. Montessori studies move from the “big picture” to the small detail or from the concrete to the abstract. This philosophy prescribes a set pattern of lessons that unfold the complexity of a subject in a systematic way that the child can absorb and respond to. It does not equate to traditional education at all. It far surpasses it. So what grade is my child in anyway? If you ask a Montessori teacher what grade work your child is doing? They will look at the child’s reading, spelling and math levels and give you an average. If your child is reading second grade books, doing Math in a third grade book and spelling second grade lists correctly, they will probably say that your child is doing work that is equivalent to the second grade. What grade your child enters after leaving Brookfield is up to the school you choose. Choose carefully. Why does Brookfield advance the child so much? Won’t they be bored in public school? We set the stage for your child to grow and learn. We cooperate with the child’s natural thirst for knowledge. This cannot and should not ever be quenched. It should be nourished. Articles on Brookfield and Montessori are based on real questions that families ask. I hope they are helpful to all families in understanding our wonderful world of Montessori education. - Christine Kulp -Priya Verghese

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