Is it common to have 30+ kids in class in MCPS ES?

[Anonymous]

My daughter's first grade year we started the year with 4 classrooms of 28-29 kids each and then added kids during the year. By mid-year all were at least at 29. It was a rough, rough year.

This year our fifth grade is 29 per class. We are commonly 28-29 but I don't think I've seen 30 yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes our school had this in the first grade. MCPS response - doesn't matter kids are already testing above grade level before the start day one so there can be no adverse effect. MCPS central office also claimed that the "cap" is a guideline and not a hard cut off so for some schools they go over. It gets worse because staffing increases don't happen during the year - or so they said. So when new kids joined the class size became even bigger.

same here at our whitman pyramid ES. plus K was 28, but "that's OK for you guys since your pARCC and MAPs are so good at showing proficiency."

Personally I think K-3 class sizes should all have aides in order to get each kid on the right start and track.
grades 4-12 class size and overcrowding issues do not make my Top 10 list. Technology overuse, Poor curriculum, Behavior issues in classrooms, and Lack of breadth of subject matter does. How is my kid supposed to learn science or history is even a basic subject when it's only trickled in during reading modules. And don't get started on 30 min or barely any PE units in K-5 and BOOM, 6th grade go change in the locker room 3-4 times a week and pretend to play v-ball. Half the kids who are in outside sports FREAK OUT and get silly doctor notes they are now scared of gym class! Does not bode well for America.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter's first grade year we started the year with 4 classrooms of 28-29 kids each and then added kids during the year. By mid-year all were at least at 29. It was a rough, rough year.

This year our fifth grade is 29 per class. We are commonly 28-29 but I don't think I've seen 30 yet.

Yikes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Its common in Potomac ES schools where the over all enrollment is low and the scores are off the charts - the lowest reading group is a year above grade level, less than 5% of the kids get under 90% on MAP tests etc. MCPS doesn't care about these kids, in fact they hurt the achievement gap numbers for performing so well.

Principals don't want to make requests or "rock the boat" with "demands" either. If you're not Title 1 or Focus School you really have little recourse regarding everything from safety cameras to fulltime art teachers to add'l teachers or classes per grade. On and on. our principal always sighs when common sense questions are asked, well, we probably won't get that.

Just juicing the pension years while her kids graduate through catholic HS downtown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

What do the classes in the other grade levels look like? Did the principal decide to make class sizes in other grade levels smaller? That would be pretty much the only reason why central office wouldn't approve an additional allocation. That, or there is literally no space in the building.

Parents really complain about combining different grades even if it gets to a smaller class size. Its often easier for a principal to just throw up there hands that they can't get more staff than face the angry complaints from parents of the older kids in a combined class.

In reality, for the high performing schools those kids are all already easily working 2 years above grade and the curriculum only goes so far. From a teaching perspective, its much easier to teach a combined 1st-2nd grade class in a high performing school where there is less academic range than in a smaller focus classroom with kids several years behind grade level and kids above grade level. However, this argument doesn't go over well with parents who are frustrated that the system has achievement capped so low.

what? so MCPS does nothing with kids who have mastered their slowly presented material. WHy isn't WaPo called about this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not sure if it's common, but it does happen.

I think it's too big. But, I also think 27 kids in K with no aide is ridiculous. And, MCPS disagrees.

Remember, MCPS goals are to close the achievement gap between hispanics/blacks and whites/asians, and have everyone graduate at a level of proficiency to be able to go to community college.
If you have other goals, do them yourself. They will use the $2.2B budget to pay themselves, their benefits and help the bottom with food, healthcare, english, childcare, reading and math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not in Title I or Focus schools. Everybody else, common in 3th or 5th, not the lower grades. Ours is a big/overcrowded school, and that is the norm, not the exception. But, usually not until mid-year, not at the start of the year!

Let me guess, one of the many new Principals who does what MCPS tells them and doesn't know how to finesse the system to get what they need?

OP here- Yes, new principal this year, but this isn't the first time MCPS has refused staffing requests for this school. In second grade, my child was in a class that started at 29 students and went over 30 students during the school year. They added an extra teacher for third grade, which improved things considerably. Now we are losing a teacher again for fourth grade. In a small school that has a good reputation, but when you are packing 30+ students in a classroom with one teacher, it's not ideal for the teacher or the students. Ugh, any advice on what to do to address this at the parent level? (sending letters/emails to MCPS has gotten nothing but radio silence)

[Anonymous]

call you your nearby parochial schools. what size are those classrooms?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:call you your nearby parochial schools. what size are those classrooms?

True. Perhaps some of your neighbors will pull their kids out for private school. I know of at least 2 families that pulled their kid after our crazy overcrowded first grade year I posted about above. We did get an extra teacher for 2nd grade after the crazy 1st grade class sizes, but I think the principal did without a reading specialist in order to do it. And the class sizes for that cohort have not increased as they age up, since they already had barely missed the cut-off for an extra class. The same numbers are a lot more manageable in 3-5 than in 1st grade. But I definitely know families that left because of class size. And it did make a difference to the class sizes going forward for those who stayed.

[Anonymous]

Anyone else just sick at the sheer amount of parent involvement required to make improvements in MCPS or to aid your children's education?

I mean, ignorance is bliss, but it is tough to ignore the ridiculous class sizes, erroneous worksheet materials, and class schedules consisting of only math and reading 3 hours a day. I'd like to take that "Oh well, at least he's learning something and has good friends" approach but it's all relative in the real world. Learning something....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone else just sick at the sheer amount of parent involvement required to make improvements in MCPS or to aid your children's education?

I mean, ignorance is bliss, but it is tough to ignore the ridiculous class sizes, erroneous worksheet materials, and class schedules consisting of only math and reading 3 hours a day. I'd like to take that "Oh well, at least he's learning something and has good friends" approach but it's all relative in the real world. Learning something....

Yes, and disgusted that we moved here years ago thinking this was one of best school systems in the country and this is what we are dealing with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone else just sick at the sheer amount of parent involvement required to make improvements in MCPS or to aid your children's education?

I mean, ignorance is bliss, but it is tough to ignore the ridiculous class sizes, erroneous worksheet materials, and class schedules consisting of only math and reading 3 hours a day. I'd like to take that "Oh well, at least he's learning something and has good friends" approach but it's all relative in the real world. Learning something....

You're complaining that 3 hours a day of math and reading is too much?

[Anonymous]

We're lucky if our 2nd grader gets 2 hours of reading a week. The teacher spends all their time with kids who are struggling. This leaves little for those who are not.

[Anonymous]

MCPS is bad because there's too much testing. Also because they got rid of testing.

MCPS is bad because there's too much reading and math instruction. Also because there isn't enough reading and math instruction.

MCPS is bad because individual schools don't have enough freedom for their own policies and practices. Also because they have too much freedom for their own policies and practices.

Anything else?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone else just sick at the sheer amount of parent involvement required to make improvements in MCPS or to aid your children's education?

I mean, ignorance is bliss, but it is tough to ignore the ridiculous class sizes, erroneous worksheet materials, and class schedules consisting of only math and reading 3 hours a day. I'd like to take that "Oh well, at least he's learning something and has good friends" approach but it's all relative in the real world. Learning something....

You're complaining that 3 hours a day of math and reading is too much?

Not the poster, but I assumed what they meant is that long blocks of math and reading leaves little time for other subjects like science, social studies, arts, etc.