Class sizes in FCPS- what is the real deal? (ES)

[Anonymous]

It's 20 years ago IN CHINA public school, my elemenary class size was 39 (and that was considered a small class). We were happily learning. No complains.

[Anonymous]

Oh goodie. FCPS now exceeds China's standards from 20 years ago. Seriously, is this the best FCPS can do? VA does not have the private schools that MD has. Just watch the wealthy people of VA leave if class sizes continue on this trend and then who will pay for all the esl and frm kids? Certainly not these families themselves.

[Anonymous]

Does anyone have the classroom size requirements per student? I am wondering if FCPS is meeting the space requirements in each classroom for all these children. Sure seems like a small amount of space per child.

[Anonymous]

Are there any other districts in the Country where class size is typically between 25-38 children with high test scores (other than China)? I meet people all over this country and never hear about classes like these except here.

[Anonymous]

It is the principal's job to advocate for the school. The principal is part of administration Do you think the central office knows the particular circumstances in the classrooms?

[Anonymous]

10:02 Sorry I should have said Gatehouse or cluster administration? So, what's your solution then? We have a staffing ratio approved by the school board which doesn't work for some schools, so now every principal should be calling their cluster 2 admin to get staffing reserve teachers? Why not just advocate for the school board to fix the problem so that all schools have decent staffing to begin with? There is already a K-3 initiative to keep title 1 school numbers very low with fixed max numbers in a classroom. Why not fix the staffing ratio so that all schools are guaranteed not to get out of hand with class size?

[Anonymous]

I am more interested in a principal running a school well once it's started than spending his or her time advocating for more teachers during the school year.

[Anonymous]

It is part of the principal's job to explain why the staffing formula does not work--perhaps the numbers just don't work with the grade level. In some cases, principals don't want to make the hard decision to have a teacher switch grades.

[Anonymous]

If that were the case, I'd understand, but that isn't what is happening. At several schools all class sizes in the entire school are large. There really isn't anything internally that they can do. And combination classes have their own set of problems anyway even if that was a solution.

[Anonymous]

Also, a lot of these schools have a LLIV option like Wolftrap, Oakton, Flint Hill, and Marshall Road or compacted math like at Vienna, therefore the aides or a part time teacher have to help out with advanced math for instance to keep the numbers from getting too high in one classroom. This doesn't really change the classroom teacher ratio, however it pulls any extra resources into those classrooms.

[Anonymous]

They need to get rid of AAP self-contained. It makes it harder to staff the classes properly.

[Anonymous]

Wolftrap had approximately 490 general ed students this year. That worked out to be 18 teachers at an average of 27 general ed students per grade (not include special ed or any other children added during the year) and a part time teacher to help with the AAP classes which were skewed larger than the general ed classes for grades 3-6. The formula drove this, not the principal. The class sizes in the 80's each grade didn't work out well to have a combination class. The only thing that could have been done is to get a teacher through the staffing reserve which is not guaranteed. They requested one last year and were given a teacher at about 2 hours a week even after the school was written in the paper for having 37 children in a class. I don't want to play class size lottery every year with this staffing reserve and don't want to have to depend on a principal to advocate for teachers. I want it to work from the beginning. There is no reason a 1-3 grade class should have to start with 27-30 children per class every year just because FCPS wants to take required state teachers away from these students and give them to ESL and FRM students instead.

[Anonymous]

12:00 Just about all LLIV schools are already not self contained. Are you suggesting that centers not be self contained? I would agree that it's unfair that centers might get an additional teacher because they are self contained when they already get bussing, however many people still advocate for self contained classes at the center school level.

[Anonymous]

Yes, the self-contained center classes make it difficult to staff the schools properly. It is also one reason that some schools are so terribly overcrowded.

[Anonymous]

Have neighborhood schools and get rid of magnet schools and special programs (except ED and severe need special ed.). Draw boundaries so that school size is reasonable.