How Julie Billiart Schools Uses Grade Bands To Impact Student Personalization And Success

Wednesday, December 14, 2022

At Julie Billiart Schools, we recognize that all students present different academic strengths and weaknesses. Subjects that some children struggle with may come naturally to others, and what each child needs to succeed may look a little different. Our goal is to tailor our environment to provide the best possible learning opportunities for our students. That’s why JB operates in Grade Bands. This is a unique model that allows our Intervention Specialists to differentiate instruction and address each student’s individual needs and strengths. You and read more to see our approach at JB!

What Are Grade Bands?

Grade Bands are a coupling of up to two grade levels that work together to provide smaller instructional opportunities for students based on their academic needs. Grade Bands allow for four groups of math and language arts instruction instead of just one. At Julie Billiart Schools, we have a maximum of 16 students in each grade level. Using our Grade Bands, two grade levels (up to 32 students) pair up for this strategy.

What Grades Are Banded?

At JB we are broken into the following grade bands: 1/2, 3/4, 5/6, and 7/8. These are the bands that will work together for math and language arts to create multiple levels for students to work within. Kindergarten is not banded with any other grade because with our youngest learners are focusing on foundational skills.

How are Grade Bands used to Differentiate Learning?

At the beginning of each academic year, our Intervention Specialists determine our students' academic levels using a series of tests and assessments. Using these results, students are divided into one of four groups based on their needs. This example applies to students in our 3-4 Grade Band. A third-grade student who is excelling academically in certain subjects, for example, might join a group that’s below or at level four.

The Grade Bands only separate for math and language arts. All other subjects (religion, science, art, music, etc.) operate in a whole group setting.

Benefits of Grade Bands for Students and Intervention Specialists

Our students benefit greatly from our Grade Band structure as it allows for small class sizes for math and language arts. Using this strategy allows our intervention specialists to provide additional support for students who are struggling. It also gives students who need enrichment more opportunities to access a higher curriculum. Grade Bands and constant monitoring give JB the flexibility to move students between grade bands if they are really picking up on lessons.

Intervention Specialists can tailor their lessons to the students in their groups and work individually with students who need it. In a Grade Band scenario, one Intervention Specialist might only have a class size of about four students, allowing both the students and the teacher to really get the most out of the lesson.

At JB, it is our mission to educate and empower students. To do that, we have to meet them where they are academically, socially, and emotionally. Our unique Grade Band model allows us to truly customize our approach in the classroom for core subjects. To learn more about our curriculum, you can visit here.

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