Looping In Elementary Schools

Sarah Roe

University of the Cumberlands

Throughout years of involvement in elementary classrooms, whether it be as a student, an

assistant, or a teacher, there is interaction with pupils coming from a vast range of both academic and

social backgrounds. With the understanding that no student learns or behaves the same way, it is
pertinent to discover the needs of every child in order to provide them with an excellent education.
Considering the emphasis put on finding the best methods to properly educate students both
individually and as a class, school systems are always trying out different ideas in order to fulfill
student needs. One of these techniques that some schools have adopted is called looping.
Looping is the educational practice in which one teacher advances in grade level for two or
more consecutive years while maintaining the same group of pupils (NCREL, 1997.) This system was
created in Germany based on analyses that showed a correlation between long-term student-teacher
relationships and student performance. It was later picked up by the United States Department of
Education as a viable practice in American educational institutions (Grant, Johnson, & Richardson,
2006.)
With looping, students are not only familiar with their teacher, but also with their classroom
rules and procedures. This saves the teacher and students from having to go over classroom rules and
procedures because they were presented and enforced in the previous school year. It also makes the
first few days of the school year go more smoothly because students will enter the classroom with an
understanding of what they are supposed to do without hesitation (Rasmussen, 1998.)
Students are not the only ones who develop a feeling of familiarity while in a looping cycle.
Teachers are provided with the opportunity to get to know and understand their students more deeply
than a single year of teaching permits. This can help them to better sit the needs of their students. A
teacher in an article from Education Update said that the first day of the second year of each loop felt
like day 181 instead of day one. This was because everyone was familiar with one another and lessons
could start from where they left off at the end of the prior school year with only a minor review
(Rasmussen, 1998.)

As looping grows in popularity across America, the amount of research concerning the strategy
has increased to determine its effectiveness. One of the most basic studies compares looping students to
traditional students. This research from Carmen Rodriguez and Bernard Arenz (2007) showed that
looping elementary students were more advanced in writing, vocabulary, and reading in contrast to
students who were assigned to a new teacher every year.
Those dedicated to the education of exceptional students have looked into looping as well. A
case study done by Laura Brown of Liberty University investigated whether looping suited the
academic, emotional, and social needs of students with learning disabilities (Brown, 2011.) Brown
states in her dissertation that looping exceptional students did not show a great improvement
academically, but felt more comfortable with asking for help, providing help, and answering questions
in front of classmates.
Surveys show high popularity of the looping technique among American elementary school
teachers. One study showed that 90 percent of looping teachers polled had seen an improvement in
performance from struggling students as a result of looping. Ninety-three percent of those same
teachers said that looping improved parent-teacher communication, as well (George & Loundsbury,
2010.)
One specific example of a teacher in support of looping is Justin Minkel, an elementary school
teacher who has taught both with and without looping. In his article for Education Week (2015,) Minkel
names his top reasons why he is in favor of looping. The number one reason he lists is that teachers are
given more time to get to know students. He says this allows for teachers to better understand student
learning styles, needs, and personality traits and in turn, greater performance from both him as a
teacher and his students academically.
In a separate article, Minkel makes the argument that looping decreases discipline issues in the
classroom (2015.) Reward and punishment systems using stickers or charts are often used in American

classrooms as an incentive for good behavior, but Minkel argues that they are shortcuts in discipline
that would not be necessary if the students and teachers were more familiar with one another. He says
that students are more likely to maintain good behavior in a setting where they feel comfortable with
the authority figure.
Though looping is quite popular among teachers, students, and parents who have tried it, one
article from Teach Thought (2013) brings up some problems that may come with looping. In the piece,
the author, Jennifer Nichols talks about how teachers may get too comfortable in a classroom with the
same set of students for more than one year. She says that maintaining a single group of students for
multiple years can result in teachers phoning in their performances and living off of their reputation if
they are already considered good teachers.
Just as teachers may get too comfortable in their second year in a looping setting, students may
do the same. Looping creates an environment where children do not need to worry about getting to
know their teacher or classmates every school year because they have already spent the previous school
year with them. While this can seem like a good thing, Nichols argues that students will suffer later,
when they have to enter a new classroom with a new teacher and a different mixture of classmates
because they have not learned how to adapt to different educational environments.
Student-teacher dynamics can take a major hit with looping, as well. Sometimes, certain
students do not mesh well with certain teachers. This does not mean that either person is in the worng,
but this clash of personalities can have a negative effect on the students feelings toward school and the
overall conduct of the classroom. Providing a new teacher to students on a yearly basis allows for
students to start fresh every year with teachers who may better suit their needs.
The final issue that Nichols notes is a decreased competency of teachers at each grade level.
Because looping teachers have to change their grade level every year, they are not allowed a consistent
growth process for one particular grade. A teacher may love teaching students in first grade, but

struggle to connect with older, fifth grade students, while other teachers have the opposite ideals for
grade level. Because of looping, teachers may be kept from their full potential of teaching a certain age
group as they are occupied with struggling with a less familiar grade level.
Looping is a tool that has proven itself popular across America as it has become more
commonly used over the past decade (George & Loundsbury, 2010.) Though some experts believe the
technique can be detrimental to students in the long run, it is quite popular among students, teachers,
and parents taking part in the program and only shows signs of growing.

Resources

Brown, L. (2011, November 1). Experiences of looping for students with learning disabilities.
Retrieved June 23, 2015.
George, P., & Lounsbury, J. (2010). Making big schools feel small: Multiage grouping, looping, and
schools-within-a-school. Westerville, Ohio: National Middle School Association.
Grant, J., Johnson, B., & Richardson, I. (2006). The looping handbook: Teachers and students
progressing together. Peterborough, NH: Crystal Springs Books.
Looping. (1997). Retrieved June 22, 2015, from http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/
instrctn/in5lk10.htm
Minkel, J. (2015, June 17). Why looping is a way underappreciated school-improvement initiative.
Retrieved June 22, 2015.
Nichols, J. (2013, May 15). 10 pros and cons of looping in education. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
Rasmussen, K. (1998). Looping: Discovering the benefits of multiyear teaching. Education
Update, 40(2). Retrieved June 22, 2015, from http://www.ascd.org/publications/
newsletters/education-update/mar98/vol40/num02/Looping.aspx
Rodriguez, C., & Arenz, B. (2007). The effects of looping on perceived values and academic
achievement. ERS Spectrum, 25(3), 43-55.