For the method of comparing athletic performances by age, see Masters athletics § Age-graded tables.
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In sociology and anthropology, an age grade or age class is a form of social organization based on age, within a series of such categories, through which individuals pass over the course of their lives.
This is in contrast to an age set, to which individuals remain permanently attached as the set itself becomes progressively more senior.
The number of age classes, the determining ages and the terminology vary significantly between traditions. Even within a single society, a person may belong to several overlapping grades in different spheres of life, e.g. per year a different school class and yet for several years on end a child, then an adolescent, finally an adult.
In tribal societies entry into an age grade – generally gender-separated – is often marked by an initiation rite, which may be the crowning of a long and complex preparation, sometimes in retreat. After a period of some years, during which they often perform certain common activities, alone or under senior guidance, members may be initiated either collectively or individually into a more senior age grade. This progression is often accompanied by the revelation of secret knowledge. In most cultures, age grade systems, as with age sets, are the preserve of men, and it is the older men who control a society's secret knowledge, collectively or restricted to a council of elders and/or specific positions such as shaman entrusted with the preparation of initiants.
Closely related age-grade systems are common among East African Cushitic communities. Particularly, the Oromo, a trans-national nation living in Ethiopia and Kenya, have a well-developed age-grade system known as the Gadaa System. [Another example is that of the Maasai] Gadaa through history came to organize social life around the series of five generation grades which assign obligations as well as rights to members of the society. Through Gadaa, many socio-political functions were carried out. For example, the system operated as an educational institution by providing periods of training and skill development in each grade and by casting all those YUBA (who had finished the full cycle consisting of five-grades) in the role of teachers and advisors. The system operated as a judicial institution by assigning a Chief Justice, jurors at the national level and making all LUBA wherever they were into arbitrators and councilors ready to defend the national law.[1]
Many male age grade systems are associated with patrilineal kinship systems.[2] Male age grade systems associated with matrilineal kinship systems are found among the Austronesian populations of Taiwan.[3]
^"Understand Gadaa System". Archived from the original on 2006-10-22. Retrieved 2006-10-12.
^Bernardi, B. (1985). Age Class Systems: Social Institutions and Polities Based on Age. Cambridge University Press.
^Shepherd, J.R. (1995). Marriage and Mandatory Abortion among the 17th-century Siraya. American Anthropological Association.
In sociology and anthropology, an agegrade or age class is a form of social organization based on age, within a series of such categories, through which...
period, and together pass through a series of age-related statuses. This is in contrast to an agegrade, through which people pass individually over time...
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England and Wales under three grades, with Grade I being the highest grade: Grade I: buildings of exceptional interest. Grade II*: particularly important...
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admission to P1. In Bahrain, the minimum age for the first grade is seven years old. In Bangladesh, First Grade (known as prothom sreni) begins in January...
the final year in some countries). Students in eleventh grade are usually 16–17 years of age. In Australia, Year 11 is the twelfth year of education and...
generally start between the ages of ten and eleven. In the Philippines, the equivalent is Grade 5, and students can also start at the age of 9. In the United...
terms and ages may vary in different places: For additional ISCED stages of education, see ISCED. Sudbury schools do not use formal grade levels or educational...
This was an agegrade tradition common among many of the Bantu peoples of the continent's southern region. Young men were organised into age groups, with...
school, which starts in seventh grade. Under the 2004 Constitution of Afghanistan, education up to ninth grade (about age 15) was compulsory. In 2013, it...
Twelfth grade (also known as 12th grade, grade 12, senior year, or class 12) is the twelfth year of formal or compulsory education. It is typically the...
Sixth grade (also 6th Grade or Grade 6) is the sixth year of formal or compulsory education. Students in sixth grade are usually 11-12 years old. It is...
to an agegrade group for enforcement. The ceremony starts with the picking of the palm leaf, Iburu omu, by the Okezie agegrade group. Agegrade, also...
Seventh grade (also 7th Grade or Grade 7) is the seventh year of formal or compulsory education. The seventh grade is typically the first, second or third...
which pupils are between the age of 12 and 14, is typically the final grade before high school. In South Africa, Grade 8 is the first year of high school...
young in their age cohort are four times more likely to be retained. Different schools have used different approaches throughout history. Grade retention or...
Third grade (also 3rd Grade or Grade 3) is the third year of formal or compulsory education. It is the third year of primary school. Children in third...
school. Children in fourth grade are usually 9–10 years old. In Argentina, the minimum age required for the fourth grade is between 9 and 10 years old...
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in second grade are usually aged 7–8. In Australia, this level of class is called Year 2. Children generally start this level between the ages of seven...
Irish Lions series. Barrett has previously represented New Zealand at age-grade level, being a part of the 2016 under-20 side that took part at the World...
States. It culminates with twelfth grade (age 17–18). Whether it begins with sixth grade (age 11–12) or seventh grade (age 12–13) varies by state and sometimes...
governance in which power is devolved to agegrades. Each agegrade consists of people within three years age bracket. Hon. Cornell Chijioke Onwubuya (Agunkwo...
side introduced in 1971 was for uncapped players; and the start of the age-grade pathway sides - like the Under 21 side - which began in 1984. Scotland's...
primarily according to their chronological age, rather than by their individual developmental levels. Grade skipping is usually done when a student is...
Grading in education is the process of applying standardized measurements for varying levels of achievements in a course. Grades can be assigned as letters...
school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary education of children who are 4 to 10 years of age (and in many...
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