MARIANO MARCOS STATE UNIVERSITY

UNIVERSITY
College of Teacher Education

Course Title Teaching Multi-Age/Multi – grade Classes

Sem/AY 2nd Semester, AY 2022 – 2023
Topic Unit I – HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF MULTI-GRADE CLASSES
Lesson I – Origin of Multi-Grade Classes

INTRODUCTION OF THE LESSON

Will a teacher not hold class if there are just a few enrollees? Should a student drop out if
the school is far from home or there is no enough teachers and classrooms?
If you ask the Department of Education (DepEd), the answer is ‘it continues to find ways to
bring children to school in order to complete their basic education’.
As it was presented last March 29, 2012 by the Department of Education, one of the many
ways is holding of multi-grade classes. A multi-grade class consists of two or more different grade
levels inside a single-grade classroom handled by one teacher for an entire school year. It is
offered in elementary schools located in distant and sparsely populated localities.
With this, the lesson intends to have a background of the start of multi-grade classes.

PRESENTATION OF OUTCOMES
At the end of the lesson, the students should have:
1. identified multi-grade classes in Western countries;
2. described the background of multi-grade classes in Western countries and in the
Philippines;
3. differentiated multi-grade classes in the Philippines to that of the other countries using the
Profile of Multi-grade schools; and
4. made a comparison of multi-grade schools in the country.

WARM-UP ACTIVITY (Motivation/Assessment)

Looking at the title of the course, Teaching Multi-Age Classes, plot your understanding and
concepts related using ANY graphic organizer. Then explain your answer in a paragraph form with
not less than 100 words.
Note:Use a clean long bond paper to be submitted on Monday, January 23, 2023.

CENTRAL ACTIVITIES (Formative Assessment)

Learning Input 1

At one level, multi-age teaching is an important and appropriate way to help nations reach their
internationally-mandated Education for All targets and national Millennium Development Goals
by providing good quality education to children who are often neglected by their education
system because they live in small, poor and remote communities.

It is an approach that can help schools in these communities and teachers in these schools serve
their students better by providing them an education that is both good quality and relevant to
the community in which they live.
 MARIANO MARCOS STATE UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY
College of Teacher Education

Many teachers in Asia and the Pacific need to teach students from more than one grade in one
classroom. And many – in Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines and elsewhere-
are already doing so. The approach being used is known as multigrade teaching – teaching classes
of students not only of different ages and abilities but also at different grade levels.

Multigrade teaching is not always easy, but doing it well means that you are educating children
who otherwise would not be able to go to school and therefore helping them gain the knowledge
and skills they need for a more promising future.

History of Multi-grade Classes

Multi-grade classrooms or composite classes are classrooms with students from more than
one grade level. They are created because of a pedagogical choice of a school or school district.
They are different from split classes which are formed when there are too many students for one
class – but not enough to form two classes of the same grade level. Composite classes are more
common in smaller schools; an extreme form is the one-room school.
Studies of the performance of students in composite classes shows their academic performance
is not substantially different from those in single-grade classrooms; instead, outcomes tend to be
a function of the teacher's performance.
Multi-age schooling originated in one-room schoolhouses during the 19th century. It became less
common in the 20th century with the rise of mainstream schooling. However, multi-age schooling
had a resurgence in the 1960s. Approximately one third of all classes across the world are
multigrade classes.

“In Canada, more than 20 percent of students are registered in split classes, and that number is
growing. Around the world, split classes are also a growing phenomenon in countries as diverse
as Australia, France, Switzerland and the Netherlands.” (Kelly, 2015)

The reasoning behind multi-age classrooms is distinct from that of split classes. While split classes
are created when there are not enough students to form two separate single age classes, multi-
age classes are intentionally formed to create a mixed age, diverse learning environment. This is
an important distinction, as the reason for creating a split class or multi-age class will dictate what
kinds of teaching strategies and pedagogy is applied in the classroom, which will in turn impact
student outcomes.
For a given number of students, composite classes allow greater administrative flexibility in
allocating students to classes. This allows gender balancing, matching of student needs to
teaching expertise, and balancing class sizes. By allocating children to classes according to specific
learning needs, it is possible to arrange classes with narrower ranges of abilities.
Schools composed exclusively of composite classes are increasingly common in Australian
primary school education; they are not uncommon in New Zealand.
Composite classes often meet resistance, with parents often believing that their child is
disadvantaged by being in one. This perception is often regardless of whether their child would
be in the younger or older cohort.
 MARIANO MARCOS STATE UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY
College of Teacher Education

Advocates of multi-age classrooms point to the lack of age stratification in workplaces, families
or other social environments as a reason to create a similar environment in the classroom.

Review of the Multigrade Program in the Philippines

Since 1993, the Multigrade Program in Philippine Education (MPPE) has significantly contributed
to the Department of Education’s (DepEd) need to democratize access to education while
ensuring its quality in around 19% of public elementary schools in isolated, underserved, and
sparsely populated communities in the Philippines.

In 2016, DepEd instituted its Basic Education National Research Agenda which identified the
review of the MPPE as a research priority to determine if it is serving its intended purposes and
to inform decisions for policy formulation and programme improvement. As a response, under a
tripartite agreement established in 2017, SEAMEO INNOTECH worked with UNICEF and DepEd to
identify key steps in advancing the implementation of MPPE. One of the components of the
collaboration involves a program review to present the overall status of the MPPE as a modality
of delivering basic education. Its Summary Report has been recently published on the INNOTECH
website.

The review was undertaken to accomplish four specific objectives. First, it aims to assess how
well the MPPE was implemented in line with existing standards and policies of DepEd. Second, to
identify factors that contribute and hinder in achieving the goals of MPPE. Third, the review also
aims to describe the contribution of the Multigrade program to student learning and school
quality. Lastly, it intends to examine the role of the program in improving access to quality
education in disadvantaged school communities.

Through a series of focus group discussions, national survey of multigrade schools and schools
divisions, case studies, comparative analysis, and documentary analysis, the study shows that the
MPPE implementation was generally compliant with existing standards and policies. However,
the extent to which multigrade schools complied to these policies vary due to the local context
and experiences of multigrade schools. A more flexible policy seems to be necessary to cater the
unique conditions of the communities where the multigrade program is implemented.

In terms of factors affecting the achievement of MPPE goals, innovative instructional strategies,
authentic assessments, parental and community engagement, the strong commitment of
multigrade teachers, and enabling school leadership were recognized as contributing factors. On
the other hand, achieving MPPE goals is said to be constrained by inadequate instructional
support from school heads and supervisors, issues concerning multiple roles assigned to
multigrade teachers, and the absence of a responsive monitoring and evaluation system specific
for multigrade implementation.
 MARIANO MARCOS STATE UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY
College of Teacher Education

Amid the challenges, the multigrade program proved its contribution to student learning.
Through the comparison of learners’ results in various assessment tests, multigrade learners are
seen to be performing at par with learners in a single grade classroom setting. Even
outperforming some monograde learners in assessment tests for language, mathematics, and
social studies.

The multigrade program was seen as a practical solution to address barriers to education such as
access and inclusion. It is a reasonable learning delivery especially in remote, isolated, low-
resourced, and underserved communities as teachers provide different but appropriate activities
to the learners based on their individual developmental level. This allows teachers to empower
and engage the learners by providing multiple ways to learn.
``
While the multigrade program has been proven as an effective learning delivery mode, there are
still a lot of areas that may be improved, particularly in policies and program implementation.

Know more about the Multigrade Program in the Philippine Education review through this video:
https://youtu.be/8SrIK4QScYw

In the Philippines, there are areas where enrolment is low or there is lack of teachers making it
necessary for different grade levels to be combined. Thus, in areas that are isolated and sparsely
populated, geographically inaccessible, or deficient in educational resources, multigrade classes
have been adopted as a strategy to ensure ‘Education For All’. As of School Year 2008-2009,
there were 37,697 public elementary schools, and 12, 225 of these (or 32%) were multigrade in
nature (Villaon, 2010).

The Multigrade program aims to serve the right of school age children living in remote, far-flung
and disadvantaged areas in the country. In this regard, DepEd issued Order No. 38, s. 1993, or
Improving Access to Elementary Education by Providing Complete Grade Levels in all Public
Elementary Schools through combination and/or Multigrade Classes and DECS Order No. 96, s.
1997 Policies and Guidelines in the Organization and Operation of MG Classes.

Development of Multigrade Schools

Founding dates of public schools covered in this profiling go back at the start of the 20th century
with 3% of respondents claiming that their schools were established in the 1920s. Most of the
schools which responded to the survey reported to being established in the in the 1960s. Around
11% of schools were established about 10 years ago.
 MARIANO MARCOS STATE UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY
College of Teacher Education

Although DepEd, in the 1990s, issued policies on the multigrade program (which stipulated the
definition, organization of the multigrade classes, school plant, facilities and furniture,
curriculum and program, and support, welfare and incentive program), the survey revealed that
there are multigrade schools that are just a decade short from their centennial year. There are
also 1.5% of the schools surveyed that are around 70 years old.

Majority or about 18.1% of the respondents claimed that their multigrade schools have been
operational for more than 10 to 20 years. There is also a bigger proportion of school
respondents who reported that their schools have been recently operating as multigrade such
as those that are less than ten years old, comprising 11.2%. The current proliferation of
multigrade schools could be attributed to DepEd’s Education For All campaign, which sought to
reach unreached learners and ensure their right to education.

In addendum, another DepEd Order is issued last July 24, 2009 that is Strengthening the
Implementation of Multigrade Program in Philippine Education.
 MARIANO MARCOS STATE UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY
College of Teacher Education

JULY 24, 2009 DO 81, S. 2009 – STRENGTHENING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF MULTIGRADE

PROGRAM IN PHILIPPINE EDUCATION AMENDED BY
July 24, 2009
DO 81, s. 2009
Strengthening the Implementation of Multigrade Program in Philippine Education

To: Bureau Directors

Regional Directors
Schools Division/City Superintendents
Heads, Public Elementary and Secondary Schools
All Others Concerned

1. The Multigrade Education is one of the Department’s strategies to provide access to

quality education for all school-age children in remote communities where enrolment
does not warrant the organization of monograde classes.
2. To address recurring issues in the implementation of DepED Order No. 96, s. 1997,
“Policies and Guidelines in the Organization and Operation of Multigrade (MG) Classes”
the following guidelines are issued:
1. Strict implementation of Special Hardship Allowance for Multigrade Teachers as
contained in Department of Budget and Management (DBM) National Budget
Circular No. 514 dated December 5. 2007, “Guidelines on the Grant of Special
Hardship Allowance” shall be observed;
2. Teachers assigned shall be trained on multigrade instruction through a continuing
standards-based professional development program managed by a core of
division and regional MG trainers;
3. The Bureau of Elementary Education (BEE) shall provide the Multigrade Training
Resource Package (MG-TRP) and the Multigrade Teach-Learn Package (MG-TLP).
The second contains lesson plans and pupils learning exercises in the different
learning areas;
4. A core of trainers (list enclosed) for the division-based training of MG teachers has
already been organized and trained for this purpose. They will continuously
provide training with financial assistance from the Bureau of Elementary
Education;
5. As much as possible, trained multigrade teachers shall not be transferred to
another school within two years. All divisions are strongly encouraged to provide
additional incentives for these teachers;
6. Regular monitoring and technical assistance on the implementation of MG
program shall be conducted at the division level. Monitoring report on the
findings/results shall serve as basis for planning enhancement programs and
policy formulation at all levels.
DO_s2009_81

Activity
Based on your understanding on the material, answer the given questions:
Answer the questions below based on your understanding on the given material.
1. Is there a difference between Multigrade and Multi-age classes? Yes or No? If YES, what are
they? If NONE, why did you say so?
2. How will you describe a multi-grade class?
3. How was multigrade classrooms created in other countries? in the Philippines?
 MARIANO MARCOS STATE UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY
College of Teacher Education

4. What are the significant contributions of the Multigrade Program in the Philippine Education
to DepEd?
5. What are the projects and programs of the Department of Education for the continuation of
the conduct of multigrade teaching?
6. Looking at the graph on the year of establishments of multigrade schools in the country, what
can you say on its status? On the number of years as a multigrade school?

WRAP-UP ACTIVITY
Watch and study on the given link, then make a reflection paper. Write your reflection in 200-250
words only. Be able to observe the basics in writing a reflection paper.

https://youtu.be/8SrIK4QScYw
A Review of the Current Situation and Practices of Multigrade Schools in the Philippines - YouTube

Submit your paper on mVLE Assignment on or before __________________ 2021.

ASSESSMENT(Post Assessment)
Assume yourself as curriculum maker who would like to inform the DepEd officials and teachers
about the current situation of multigrade teaching.

Choose one article or case that you will work on from the following:
 Innovations in Teaching
 Education for All
 Strategies for Multigrade Classes
 MARIANO MARCOS STATE UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY
College of Teacher Education

SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES
(Use this template/page to accomplish the activities in this module)

Name of Student ________________________________________

Student No. ________________________________________
Course Code/Title ________________________________________
Sem/AY Second Semester/AY 2022-2023
Date Submitted ________________________________________

ACTIVITY No. 1 : WARM-UP ACTIVITY

Looking at the title of the course, Teaching Multi-Age Classes, plot your understanding and
concepts related using ANY graphic organizer. Then explain your answer in a paragraph form with
not less than 100 words.
Use a clean long bond paper to be submitted on Monday, January 25, 2023.

ACTIVITY No. 2: Background of Multi –grade Program in the Philippines

Know more about the Multigrade Program in the Philippine Education review through this video:
https://youtu.be/8SrIK4QScYw

Note: Just watch the video clip. Questions related to the video will be asked during class discussions.

ACTIVITY No. 3 :Reflective Questions

Answer the questions below based on your understanding on the given material.
1. Is there a difference between Multigrade and Multi-age classes? Yes or No? If YES, what are
they? If NONE, why did you say so?
2. How will you describe a multi-grade class?
3. How was multigrade classrooms created in other countries? in the Philippines?
4. What are the significant contributions of the Multigrade Program in the Philippine Education
to DepEd?
5. What are the projects and programs of the Department of Education for the continuation of
the conduct of multigrade teaching?
6. Looking at the graph on the year of establishments of multigrade schools in the country, what
can you say on its status? On the number of years as a multigrade school?

Note: Use a whole sheet of paper in writing your answer. Don’t forget to label properly (e.g. name,
section, student no., etc.). Submit this on or before January 27, 2023.

ACTIVITY No. 4: WRAP-UP ACTIVITY

Watch and study on the given link, then make a reflection paper. Write your reflection in 300-500
words only. Be able to observe the basics in writing a reflection paper.
https://youtu.be/8SrIK4QScYw
A Review of the Current Situation and Practices of Multigrade Schools in the Philippines - YouTube
 MARIANO MARCOS STATE UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY
College of Teacher Education

Note: Use a whole sheet of paper in writing your answer. Don’t forget to label properly (e.g.
name, section, student no., etc.). Submit this on or before January 31, 2023.

ACTIVITY No. 5: ASSESSMENT(Post Assessment)

Assume yourself as a curriculum maker who would like to inform the DepEd officials and teachers
about the current situation of multi-grade teaching.

Choose one article or case that you want to work on with from the identified topics below:
Innovations in Teaching
Education for All
Strategies of Multigrade Classes

Note: Use a whole sheet of paper in writing your answer. Don’t forget to label properly (e.g. name,
section, student no., etc.).Use at least 300-500 words. Submit this on or before January 31, 2023.