Second Grade Class Size

[Anonymous]

I'm hearing that my daughter's second grade class next year will most likely have 25 kids with one teacher and no assistant in the room. I'm sure this is totally feasible in many districts, but I worry that given the behavior issues in the first grade this year and wide range of academic levels this could create a disastrous situation for one teacher to take on alone each day. Is 25:1 a normal ratio for second grade in DC? I'm quite new to this forum, so doing a class ratio search gave me a lot of info that didn't quite pertain to my situation...but maybe I missed it and this has been a topic previously addressed on here.

[Anonymous]

Yes it's normal.

[Anonymous]

Completely normal for public schools of all stripes.

[Anonymous]

I wrote this on another thread: In addition to the student teacher ratio, you'll want to know how and where the 25 kids will spend their day. If there is a lot of group pull-out happening (as there is in our DCPS, even at that age), then 25 is indeed totally feasible. Same goes for portions of their day spent with other or additional teachers (music, art, PE). Lastly, you'll want to know how experienced the teacher is. I've seen a 1st grade teacher handle more like 30 kids, and not all angels, and do very well with it but that teacher isn't a beginner...

[Anonymous]

I hope this is not the norm. my 2nd grader in DCPS has always been in a class of between 19 and 21 kids (including this year), in PK and K with a permanent aide, except for K when there were 25 kids in Class. in K she did not do too well. in her class kids are pulled out and they also work in small groups with various levels, but I really hope the number of kids in each class is kept around 20 because based on my experience 25 and above is not that good

[Anonymous]

In my experience as your DCPS becomes "popular" or deemed "good" the class sizes will go up. That is what happened at ours, the first 4 years at our inbounds school there were 19-20 kids in our DC's classes and most of the other grades/classes, but now K-4th have about 25 kids per class. It has required parents to rethink normal class size in our school and it is the norm for families that have entered the school in the past year or 2.
Ad yes, new teacher, weak classroom management, totally impacts the class, so if you are in that situation from the get go talk to the teacher and principal about concerns.

[Anonymous]

In "Ramona the Pest" there are 30 kids and one teacher in Kindergarten. And she crosses a busy street that has a construction zone in front of it. By herself. In Kindergarten. I read it recently with my kids and was amazed how times have changed.

[Anonymous]

OP here...while the second grade teachers are both experienced and outstanding , what troubles me is that there are severe behavior problems, one in particular, that demand all the teacher's attention this year. It's so bad that sometimes the class has to evacuate while desks are thrown and curse words shouted. The principal rubs him on the back and sends him back to class and the same behaviors are repeated. There is at least an aide to help...next year it will be the same behavior problems and class size,minus an extra adult. The second grade teachers get no help and run all of their own small groups.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here...while the second grade teachers are both experienced and outstanding , what troubles me is that there are severe behavior problems, one in particular, that demand all the teacher's attention this year. It's so bad that sometimes the class has to evacuate while desks are thrown and curse words shouted. The principal rubs him on the back and sends him back to class and the same behaviors are repeated. There is at least an aide to help...next year it will be the same behavior problems and class size,minus an extra adult. The second grade teachers get no help and run all of their own small groups.

I would think a child like that would have a dedicated aide and an IEP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here...while the second grade teachers are both experienced and outstanding , what troubles me is that there are severe behavior problems, one in particular, that demand all the teacher's attention this year. It's so bad that sometimes the class has to evacuate while desks are thrown and curse words shouted. The principal rubs him on the back and sends him back to class and the same behaviors are repeated. There is at least an aide to help...next year it will be the same behavior problems and class size,minus an extra adult. The second grade teachers get no help and run all of their own small groups.

I would think a child like that would have a dedicated aide and an IEP.

[/b] hahahaha....in DCPS?

[Anonymous]

I teach first grade in a DC charter. I had a student like that and he got a dedicated aid, then was moved to a self-contained classroom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here...while the second grade teachers are both experienced and outstanding , what troubles me is that there are severe behavior problems, one in particular, that demand all the teacher's attention this year. It's so bad that sometimes the class has to evacuate while desks are thrown and curse words shouted. The principal rubs him on the back and sends him back to class and the same behaviors are repeated. There is at least an aide to help...next year it will be the same behavior problems and class size,minus an extra adult. The second grade teachers get no help and run all of their own small groups.

I would think a child like that would have a dedicated aide and an IEP.

[/b] hahahaha....in DCPS?

There are multiple children with dedicated aids in my DC's DCPS elementary school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here...while the second grade teachers are both experienced and outstanding , what troubles me is that there are severe behavior problems, one in particular, that demand all the teacher's attention this year. It's so bad that sometimes the class has to evacuate while desks are thrown and curse words shouted. The principal rubs him on the back and sends him back to class and the same behaviors are repeated. There is at least an aide to help...next year it will be the same behavior problems and class size,minus an extra adult. The second grade teachers get no help and run all of their own small groups.

And you know this because???

[Anonymous]

Can someone explain the new chair throwing trend with 6/7 year olds? My DC has been coming home lately saying a classmate does it. I asked what the consequence is and she said you have to pick the chairs up if you throw them. If that's the consequence then I guess we know why it is becoming a repeated offense!