Elementary School Implementation Experiences with Departmentalized Instruction

 

Assigning upper elementary grade teachers to teach their strongest subjects to multiple classes (“departmentalizing”) rather than teaching all subjects to a single class (“self-contained instruction”) could mean more specialized instructional expertise in the classroom or focus for teacher planning time and professional development. Today, IES released a study that examined the experiences of 90 schools that either voluntarily switched for two years to departmentalized instruction or continued teaching all subjects to a single class in 4th and 5th grades beginning in fall 2019. Although the pandemic significantly disrupted instruction and some study activities, key findings from school and teacher experiences during this challenging time may inform schools and districts considering adopting departmentalized instruction: Schools that switched implemented the three key steps needed to departmentalize instruction but some faced challenges. They were able to select a staffing model that determined how they would organize departmentalization in those grades and mostly assigned teachers to subjects in ways aligned with the teacher’s relative strengths – the first two steps in the model. However, 42 percent of schools reported that departmentalized instruction made it challenging to develop a schoolwide schedule.   Departmentalized teachers’ experiences were consistent with some, but not all, of the potential benefits and challenges of departmentalized instruction. For example, the study’s departmentalized teachers spent more hours per week than other teachers planning for subjects they taught but did not spend more time on professional development in those subjects.   The effects of departmentalized instruction on student achievement and teacher retention remain unclear. This study was unable to assess how departmentalized instruction affected student achievement and teacher retention, in part because the coronavirus pandemic influenced the extent to which study schools participated as planned. Other recent studies had some shortcomings that limit whether conclusions can be drawn with confidence.