A Standing Ovation for Looping: The Critics Respond.

As more and more academic requirements are pushed down into the early years of school, early childhood educators cannot help but wonder if it is too much, too soon. How do we balance developmentally appropriate instruction with the growing demands that are trickling into early childhood classes? Should we lengthen the day so that our students will have more time to learn; reduce class size so that teachers can spend more time with students; integrate disciplines to save time; use balanced approaches to include large-group, small-group, and individual teaching strategies; adjust schedules to improve our time management; or keep the school time constant, but take "deep dives" rather than "shallow walks" (Wood, 1999) through school curricula? Perhaps a look at time from a new perspective--through the lens of looping--is the answer.

Act One, Scene One

It's September, the first day of school, and Jonathan darts through the door of his 1st-grade classroom. Throughout the day, Jonathan is defiant. Whatever his teacher says to do, Jonathan does just the opposite. If Mrs. C. asks Jonathan to sit down, he gets up and walks around. If it is time to listen, Jonathan talks to the other students at his table. When Mrs. C. first approaches him about his behavior, Jonathan immediately says, "I don't have to listen to you!" Mrs. C. finds that first day of school to be challenging, to say the least! That evening, Mrs. C. decides to call Jonathan's mother and invite her to observe the class the next day. Even with his mother present, however, Jonathan acts no differently. Jonathan's mother and Mrs. C. have a long talk after class, and the teacher begins building a relationship with the young boy and his mother.

Fast forward to November of Jonathan's 2nd-grade year--same class, same teacher. The school's cafeteria is hosting Surprise for Lunch Day; every student who buys a lunch receives a friendship bracelet. As the students in Mrs. C.'s class sit down to eat their lunch, Mrs. C. says, "Oh! You guys are so lucky. I've always wanted a friendship bracelet." Without hesitation, Jonathan shouts back, "Here, you can have mine." He runs over, smiling hugely, and places the bracelet in Mrs. C.'s hand. They exchange glances; they understand each other without having to speak a word.

Behind the Scenes

By working together for two years in a looping program, Jonathan and his teacher were able to work through some obstacles common to the early years of schooling. During the 1998-1999 and the 1999-2000 school years, the first author had the opportunity to work with Mrs. C. during her looping experience from 1st to 2nd grade. The visits to her room were only occasional during that first year, when she taught 1st grade, but were much more frequent (22 times) and involved during 2nd grade. Together, the professor and the classroom teacher developed conceptually designed language arts/literacy, social studies, and science curricula. During the first year, Mrs. C. prepared for looping and the collaborative team developed two surveys that eventually were used to assess parent and student views on looping at the end of 1st grade, and then again at the conclusion of 2nd grade. The surveys focused on identifying parents' and students' impressions regarding looping's social emotional, and academic advantages (or, disadvantages) before and after the practice was initiated.

The Clifton E. Lawrence School, a K-2 elementary school in Sussex County, New Jersey, has approximately 1,700 students who come from upper-lower to lower-middle socioeconomic backgrounds. Before the 1998-1999 academic year, the district superintendent spoke to the staff on several occasions about the possibility of using looping in the primary grades. The building principal asked Mrs. C., a 1st-grade teacher, if she would consider looping to 2nd grade with her students. A 19-year veteran of teaching, Mrs. C. was ready for a new challenge. She agreed to loop from 1st to 2nd grade with her students. A review of the literature indicated that looping could benefit her students. With the collaborative support of the first author, she set out to see if her students and their parents would agree.

Designing the Backdrop 

The parent and student surveys about looping were developed after a careful review of the literature, and were designed to assess the social, emotional, and academic advantages of looping. Each parent received a survey prior to looping, in June 1999, and again in May 2000, at its conclusion. The students responded to their surveys during the same months. Sixteen parents, as well as 18 students who were with this teacher for the two years, responded to the surveys. Four students who joined the class in September of 2nd grade responded to a modified survey. As a result of continuous research and reflection, 10 additional statements were added to the survey for parents at the end of the second year.

Act Two, Scene One

Nathaniel was a sensitive and shy student during 1st grade. He thought little of himself, rarely participated in class discussions, and never raised his hand. When it came time to read or become involved in a group activity, Nathaniel was a quiet, non-contributing member of the class. In 2nd grade now with the same class, due to looping, he has taken on a new role. Nathaniel is outgoing and self-confident. His work is outstanding and his self-esteem is strong. Nathaniel has forged a trusting relationship with his teacher, Mrs. C., and is truly engaged in the teaching-learning process.

The Critics Respond

What were parents' impressions of the looping experience, both before and after? The preliminary surveys indicated that the parents believed that looping would benefit their child emotionally, socially, and academically. At the end of 1st grade, most parent responses, to 15 of 16 questions, were in the "agree" to "strongly agree" range. Thirteen statements yielded similar results at the end of 2nd grade. The one question that did not fall into this range on both surveys concerned the difficulty that new students faced upon entering the class in year two. Parents believed that the adjustment for these students would not be easy.(1) Their prediction was right on target, as the three parents whose children entered the class at the beginning of year two agreed that the adjustment was difficult. The level of agreement with two other statements, about parental involvement in their child's education at home and in school, decreased slightly from year one to year two.(2)

The parents' responses to each of the six statements that centered on social issues remained the same or moved more toward "strongly agree" from year one to year two. These statements examined relationships among the teacher, parents, and students; student relationships between and among themselves; the classroom climate; and the match between the teacher and student.

The parents' responses to three of the four statements that focused on the emotional issues were more weighted toward strongly agree in May 2000 than at the conclusion of 1st grade in June 1999. These statements examined their child's confidence, security, and anxiety levels. Parents also conjectured that looping would increase their child's tendency to take risks in the classroom; the mean fell slightly, however, in year two, as compared to year one.(3) This finding may actually be a result of increased confidence in the security of the classroom. What may appear to be a risk in some classrooms may not be considered a risk in a more secure environment.

Although parents did not strongly believe that their child's grades would improve because of looping, they consistently believed that looping would enable the teacher to know their child's strengths and weaknesses better.(4) Parents speculated that looping would give their child more time to be successful in school; the number of parents who concurred increased slightly in May 2000. Parents also thought--at levels that remained consistently high on both surveys--that looping would allow the teacher to meet their child's learning needs.

Ten additional statements were added to the parent survey at the end of 2nd grade. Eight of the statements (numbers 17 through 24) are taken from The Looping Evaluation Book (Foresten, Grant, & Richardson, 1999). The results indicated that a majority of parents did not want a three-year looping experience if it were offered (and it was not). Statements about choosing looping again, recommending looping to other parents, the children's happiness with the looping experience, and children's contentment being with the same teacher and classmates for two years were all rated agree to strongly agree. (See Appendices A and B for the parent surveys.)

Act Three, Scene One

During 1st grade, Allison did not seem to care about completing her work. She was inattentive, and sometimes even disengaged, in class. At the same time, Mrs. C. knew that Allison was very creative. She could see Allison's creativity emerge through her drawings. She was artistic and had a vivid imagination. Allison possessed a strong spatial intelligence, but found linguistic and mathematical tasks to be challenging. Mrs. C. believed that Allison had the potential to become engaged and to use her creativity as a vehicle to read, write, and compute.

One day in 2nd grade, Allison wrote a story about a dog. That story was an expression of her perceptions about her family. As the story unfolded, it revealed a new part of Allison. Allison was now ready to share, and she showed a remarkable turnaround after writing this story. She became involved and engaged in the teaching-learning process. She began to care about her schoolwork and realized, like the Little Engine Who Could, that she could take on the challenges of reading, writing, and applying mathematical skills. In May of 2nd grade, her total standardized test results approached the 90th percentile!

The "Main Characters"

How did Allison and the other students feel about spending two years with the same teacher? The student surveys, which contained 11 statements, helped to answer that question. The students could respond to each statement by circling a happy, neutral, or sad face. In the survey used for the 2nd grade, the wording for six statements was changed to elicit responses of "yes," "not sure," or "no." The researcher thought this modification was more developmentally appropriate for the 2nd-graders. Numerical values were assigned to the responses, producing class averages. Three statements addressed social issues, seven addressed emotional issues, and one addressed academics. Scores at or above 2.5 were considered very strong, and those above 2.0 were considered strong. There were no mean scores below 2.1. Therefore, one could conclude that these 18 students had positive looping experiences.

Students had the strongest, most consistent responses to several statements in each of the three areas: social, emotional, and academic. Students stated they learned a lot in both 1st and 2nd grade.(5) Emotionally, they felt good about having the same teacher for two years because, they said, the teacher made them feel important.(6) Socially, they felt good about helping other students in the class.(7)

In year two, students' perceptions became stronger about the level of trust they enjoyed with their teacher. Students perceived that they made friends with the new students who joined the looping class in September 2000. (The student surveys are included in Appendices C and D.)

The "Supporting Characters"

Several parents were interviewed while their children were in 1st grade. The parents indicated that they were happily anticipating the looping experience. The same parents unanimously agreed that they based their decision to remain in the looping class on their satisfaction with their child's 1st-grade teacher. Parents felt strongly that the following positive relationships are essential to their child's successful learning experience: teacher-student relationships, teacher-parent relationships, student-to-student relationships, and parent-child relationships. When asked about their reasons for their child's successful learning experience, parents rated the importance of these relationships more highly than they did their child's feelings about his/her classroom or than the academic rigor of the classroom.

The Main Characters Respond

Students who were interviewed toward the end of 1st grade felt happy when they knew they were going to have the same teacher again for 2nd grade. The students considered their relationships with the teacher to be strong. When asked to describe their feelings about being with the same students and teacher again, the students said they felt "excited" and "terrific." At the end of 2nd grade, the students had mixed emotions about going to 3rd grade. Some were sad to see the year end, while others were excited about moving on to meet new teachers and new friends. Recently, one of the parents whose son was with Mrs. C. for two years asked, "Next year, my daughter will be entering 1st grade, and you will wait to loop again for her, won't you?"

Finale 

The experiences of Jonathan, Allison, and Nathaniel represent only a small glimpse into the exciting journey of looping. A review of the literature suggests that many social, emotional, and academic advantages can be the result of looping.(8) This classroom-based action research supports that view. The surveys and interviews demonstrated that parents consistently believed looping students would have less anxiety (emotional), that student-teacher relationships are important (social), and that the looping teacher would have a better understanding of her students' strengths and weaknesses of as a result of looping (academic). The students themselves believed that their relationship with the teacher improved (social), that they had less anxiety about returning to school in September (emotional), and that they would learn a lot as a result of looping (academic).

Looping gives teachers the time to create the emotional and social support systems that will encourage lifelong learning. Through looping, teachers are able to nurture "the growth of competent, caring, loving, and lovable persons" (Noddings, 1992, vii).

Reflections

Here are 10 recommendations for teachers who are considering looping:

* Form study groups that include teachers, parents, and administrators to discuss the research on looping, reflect on the practice, and develop a strategic plan for implementing the looping process in your district or school.

* Use multiple assessments to evaluate looping. Include both quantitative and qualitative designs. Standardized tests, performance assessments, and journal records should become a part of your looping portfolio. Remember, if we believe in multiple assessments, we must practice what we preach.

* Because teachers need continuous support, plan to continue study groups after looping begins. Reflective practitioners, working in concert with school leaders, will be able to refine the process as the program unfolds.

* Keep parents informed about your students' academic, social, and emotional progress. Communicate effectively with them at parent conferences. Widen your influence by attending parent association meetings. Write about looping in your school and classroom newsletters.

* Remember that looping must be presented as a choice. No parent should be forced to have a child loop. The teacher's challenge is to build influencing relationships within and outside the school community about new ideas. In schools where everyone loops, parents must be able to move students to other looping teachers if significant conflicts arise.

* Keep the board of education in the loop about looping. Once the study group has developed its recommendations, present them to the board. Give the board updates of how the looping is progressing. The board should receive a summary report at the end of the looping cycle, from both the teachers and principals.

* Publish your experiences about looping. Action research is a powerful way to make a contribution to the profession and to influence the thinking of other educators.

* Spend the time early on to develop good surveys. Refine your surveys during the looping process, if necessary.

* Decide early in the planning process about placing new students into a looping class after year one begins, as well as at the beginning of the second year.

* Build an "opt out" into the process for parents who wish to remove students from the looping experience. Sometimes, the teacher-student match may not be compatible. If students opt out of looping or move away from the school, decide in advance if you will accept new students into the looping class after the first year has begun.

Footnotes

(1) The average response for this statement at the end of 1st and 2nd grade was 2.6 and 2.7, respectively.

(2) The average response for each of the two statements went from 3.0 at the end of 1st grade to 2.9 and 2.8 at the end of 2nd grade.

(3) The average response went from 3.6 at the end of 1st grade to 3.4 at the end of 2nd grade.

(4) The average response to grade improvement in both surveys was 3.1. The average response to the teacher's knowing their child's strengths and weaknesses was 3.8 (2nd grade) and 3.9 (1st grade).

(5) The two-year average response was 2.85.

(6) The two-year average response was 2.75.

(7) The two-year average response was 2.8.

(8) See Additional References on Looping.

References

Foresten, C., Grant, J., & Richardson, I. (1999). The looping evaluation book. Peterborough, NH: Crystal Springs Books.

Noddings, N. (1992). The challenge to care in schools: An alternative approach to education. New York: Teachers College Press.

Wood, C. (1999). Time to teach, time to learn: Changing the pace of school. Greenfield, MA: Northeast Foundation for Children.

Additional References on Looping

Bracey, G. W. (1999). Going loopy for looping. Phi Delta Kappan, 81(2), 169.

Burke, D. L. (1996). Multi-year teacher/student relationships are a long-overdue arrangement. Phi Delta Kappan, 77(5), 360-361.

Burke, D. L. (1997). Looping: Adding time, strengthening relationships. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 414 098)

Checkley, K. (1995). Multi-year education: Reaping the benefits of "looping." ASCD Education Update, 37(8), 1, 3, 6.

Forsten, C., Grant, J., Johnson, B., & Richardson, I. (1997). Looping Q & A: 72 practical answers to your most pressing questions. Peterborough, NH: Crystal Springs Books.

Grant, J., Johnson, B., & Richardson, I. (1996). The looping handbook: Teachers and students progressing together. Peterborough, NH: Crystal Springs Books.

Jacobson, L. (1997). "Looping" catches on as a way to build strong ties. Education Week [On-line]. Available: www.edweek.org/ew/1997/ 07loop.h17.

Jacoby, D. (1994). Twice the learning and twice the love. Teaching-Pre-K-8, 24(6), 58-59.

LAB at Brown University. (1997). Looping: Supporting student learning through long-term relationships. [On-line]. Available: www.lab.brown.edu/public/pubs/ic/looping/Section7.shtml.

Little, T. S., & Dacus, N. B. (1999). Looping: Moving up with the class. Educational Leadership, 57(1), 42-45.

Liu, J. Q. (1997). The emotional bond between teachers and students: Multi-year relationships. Phi Delta Kappan, 79(2), 156-157.

Looping through the years: Teachers and students progressing together. (1995). The MAGnet Newsletter, 4, 1-3. [On-line]. Available: http://ericeece.org/pubs/mag/magfal95.html.

Rasmussen, K. (1998). Looping--discovering the benefits of multiyear teaching. Education Update [On-line]. Available: www.ascd.org/ readingroom/edupdate/1998/1mar.html.

Reynolds, J. C., Barnhart, B., & Martin, B. N. (1999). Looping: A solution to the retention vs. social promotion dilemma? ERS Spectrum [On-line]. Available: www.ers.org/spectrum/spg99c.htm.

Vann, A. (1997). Looping: Looking beyond the hype. Principal Magazine [On-line]. Available: www.naesp.org/comm/ p0597c.htm.

Michael Chirichello is Department Chair, Educational Leadership, William Paterson University, Wayne, New Jersey. Carol Chirichello is Teacher, Sussex Wantage Regional School District, New Jersey.

Appendix A

PARENT SURVEY-LOOPING
Grade 1
June 1999

Directions: The following statements describe perceptions of looping.
Please indicate the extent to which each statement characterizes your
opinion by placing the appropriate number next to each statement.
Although you have not yet had any experiences with looping, we are
interested in what you think may happen next year.

  1 - Strongly Disagree   2 - Disagree   3 - Agree   4 - Strongly Agree

1. -- Looping will build a stronger relationship between the teacher
      and me.
2. -- Looping will build a stronger relationship between the teacher
      and my child.
3. -- Looping will strengthen my child's confidence in school.
4. -- Looping will encourage my child to take more risks in classroom
      activities.
5. -- Looping will make my child feel more secure about school.
6. -- Looping will increase my involvement in my child's education at
      school.
7. -- Looping will increase my involvement in my child's education at
      home.
8. -- My child's grades will improve because of looping.
9. -- The teacher will know my child's strengths and weaknesses better
      because of looping.
10.-- My child will have less anxiety when school starts in September
      because of looping.
11.-- Looping will strengthen my child's relationships with other
      children in the class.
12.-- As a result of looping, the classroom climate will be very
      positive.
13.-- Looping will give my child more time to be successful in school.
14.-- The teacher will be able to meet the learning needs of my child
      better because of looping.
15.-- Looping with this teacher is the best match for my child.
16.-- New students who were not in this 1st-grade class this year and
      who enter the class for the first time in 2nd grade will find the
      adjustment easy.
Appendix B

PARENT SURVEY-LOOPING
Grade 2
May 2000

Directions: The following statements describe perceptions of looping.
Please indicate the extent to which each statement characterizes your
opinion by placing the appropriate number next to each statement. Now
that you have had a two-year experience with looping, we are interested
in what you think has happened during those two years of school.

  1 - Strongly Disagree   2 - Disagree   3 - Agree   4 - Strongly Agree

1. -- Looping built a stronger relationship between the teacher and me.
2. -- Looping built a stronger relationship between the teacher and my
      child.
3. -- Looping strengthened my child's confidence in school.
4. -- Looping encouraged my child to take more risks in classroom
      activities.
5. -- Looping made my child feel more secure about school.
6. -- Looping increased my involvement in my child's education at
      school.
7. -- Looping increased my involvement in my child's education at home.
8. -- My child's grades improved because of looping.
9. -- The teacher knew my child's strengths and weaknesses better
      because of looping.
10.-- My child had less anxiety in 2nd grade because of looping.
11.-- Looping strengthened my child's relationships with other children
      in the class.
12.-- As a result of looping, the classroom climate was very positive.
13.-- Looping gave my child more time to be successful in school.
14.-- The teacher was able to meet the learning needs of my child
      better because of looping.
15.-- Looping with this teacher was the best match for my child.
16.-- New students who entered the class for the first time in 2nd
      grade found the adjustment easy.

Statements added to the survey at the end of 2nd grade:

17.-- My child enjoyed being with the same teacher for two years.
18.-- My child enjoyed being with the same classmates for two years.
19.-- Starting 2nd grade was less stressful for my child.
20.-- The second year was less stressful for me as a parent.
21.-- I had a better understanding about my child's education after
      two years with the same teacher.
22.-- At the beginning of the second year, my child understood what
      was expected of him/her.
23.-- If I had to do it over, I would still choose looping for my
      child.
24.-- I would recommend looping to other parents.
25.-- My child was happy with the looping program.
26.-- I think looping should be a three-year, not just a two-year,
      experience.

Comments:

Notes:
Statements 17 through 24 are taken from the "Looping Survey for
Parents" chapter in C. Foresten, J. Grant, & I. Richardson, I.
(1999). The looping evaluation book. Peterborough, NH: Crystal
Springs Books.
Appendix C

STUDENT SURVEY-LOOPING
Grade 1
June 1999

(Directions for circling the face were repeated for each statement)

1.   [smile]   ??   [frown]   This is how I feel about having the same
                              teacher again in 2nd grade.
2.   [smile]   ??   [frown]   When something is bothering me, I can tell
                              my teacher about it.
3.   [smile]   ??   [frown]   My teacher makes me feel important.
4.   [smile]   ??   [frown]   When I help other children in my class,
                              this is how I feel.
5.   [smile]   ??   [frown]   When I ask my teacher a question about
                              something I do not know, this is how
                              she makes me feel.
6.   [smile]   ??   [frown]   When I am upset about something and I
                              talk with my teacher about it, this is
                              how I feel.
7.   [smile]   ??   [frown]   I will learn a lot in 2nd grade.
8.   [smile]   ??   [frown]   I will be nervous about coming back to
                              school for 2nd grade.
9.   [smile]   ??   [frown]   In 2nd grade I will make new friends.
10.  [smile]   ??   [frown]   This is how I feel about 1st grade.
11.  [smile]   ??   [frown]   When new children come into our class
                              next year, it will be hard for them to
                              make new friends in our class.
Appendix D

STUDENT SURVEY-LOOPING
Grade 2
May 2000

(Directions for circling the face or word(s) were repeated
for each statement)

1.   [smile]      ??    [frown]   This is how I feel about having the
                                  same teacher for 1st and 2nd grade.

2.    Yes      Not sure   No      When something is bothering me, I can
                                  tell my teacher about it.

3.    Yes      Not sure   No      My teacher makes me feel important.

4.   [smile]      ??    [frown]   When I help other children in my
                                  class, this is how I feel.

5.   [smile]      ??    [frown]   When I ask my teacher a question
                                  about something I do not know, this
                                  is how she makes me feel.

6.   [smile]      ??    [frown]   When I am upset about something and I
                                  talk with my teacher about it, this is
                                  how I feel after I talk with her.

7.    Yes      Not sure   No      I have learned a lot in 2nd grade.

8.    Yes      Not sure   No      I was nervous about coming back to
                                  school for 2nd grade.

9.    Yes      Not sure   No      I have more friends in our 2nd-grade
                                  class than I had in our 1st-grade
                                  class.

10.   [smile]     ??    [frown]   This is how I feel about this year
                                  in 2nd grade.

11.   Yes   Not sure   No         Children who were new to our class
                                  this year made friends with us.

Notes:

In the 2nd-grade survey, six statements were changed from faces to
"Yes," "Not sure," and "No." The researcher felt this was
developmentally appropriate. The researcher felt that statement
(6) was clarified by adding "after I talk with her."

The researcher felt that statement (10) was clarified by adding "this
year in."

Statement (11) was reworded in the second survey to place it
in the context of year two.