Legal classroom ratios in elementary school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What's a focus school? Why are their class sizes so small and how can I turn our regular mcps into a focus?

Focus schools are not quite needy enough to be Title 1, but still draw from enough of a low SES population to have reduced class size for K-2. You can't just "turn your regular mcps into a focus."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What's a focus school? Why are their class sizes so small and how can I turn our regular mcps into a focus?

Encourage affluent parents to move out and low-income parents to move in -- but just some of each, not too many, because if you are too successful, your school will be a Title I school, not a focus school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Not cut...increased. It used to be 25...it has been steadily raised over the past years. We are now up to 28. While this used to be the maximum, in over-crowded schools, it is the expected number. Often more.

Class size and school capacity are separate issues. It is possible to have small classes in schools that are way over capacity, and it is also possible to have large classes in schools that are way under.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's a focus school? Why are their class sizes so small and how can I turn our regular mcps into a focus?

Focus schools are not quite needy enough to be Title 1, but still draw from enough of a low SES population to have reduced class size for K-2. You can't just "turn your regular mcps into a focus."

It's not based on SES. It's based on just plain income.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But its not just 1 adult all day is it? There are aides and specialists and volunteers.

Also a good teacher can manage 35 kids. Its about the effectiveness of the teacher, not the number of students, in reality.

Do you really, truly believe that is true?

I do. Teacher quality matters MUCH more than class size.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow, this is nuts. Glad I did not move out of DCPS for this.

Well, DCPS has other issues. But, I don't think fcps is really any better, tbh. Just read some of those threads on class sizes. Seems like every school district has some issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But its not just 1 adult all day is it? There are aides and specialists and volunteers.

Also a good teacher can manage 35 kids. Its about the effectiveness of the teacher, not the number of students, in reality.

Do you really, truly believe that is true?

I do. Teacher quality matters MUCH more than class size.

My DD's 1st grade class had 29 kids with a gem of a teacher. Would not have moved her if you had offered me 10 kids with 2 aides... Best year in ES.

[Anonymous]

I firmly believe that the span of abilities of the kids in the class matters a great deal. If there are 5 reading groups in the classroom, that means on average, 20% of the teacher's time for teaching reading is directed at each group. Except, in reality, the kids at the top end don't get that much time because the kids who don't read as well need more support. This in-class differentiation is ill-conceived, IMHO.

Good teacher or not, more kids is harder for the teacher, even just administratively, even if all the kids are little angels with no out of the ordinary needs. I wouldn't want to be a teacher. You couldn't pay me enough, and certainly at this stage, good teachers don't get paid nearly what they are worth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But its not just 1 adult all day is it? There are aides and specialists and volunteers.

Also a good teacher can manage 35 kids. Its about the effectiveness of the teacher, not the number of students, in reality.

Do you really, truly believe that is true?

I do. Teacher quality matters MUCH more than class size.

My DD's 1st grade class had 29 kids with a gem of a teacher. Would not have moved her if you had offered me 10 kids with 2 aides... Best year in ES.

I am the poster who originally said a good teacher can manage 35 kids. Of course I believe it I have seen it with my own eyes in my own children's schools, plus, I have lived it too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's a focus school? Why are their class sizes so small and how can I turn our regular mcps into a focus ?

Encourage affluent parents to move out and low-income parents to move in -- but just some of each, not too many, because if you are too successful, your school will be a Title I school, not a focus school.

"How can I turn our regular school into a focus?" -- I'm dying over here....

[Anonymous]

They may be able to manage 35 kids, but do you really want you kid getting an average of less then 2 minutes per hour of attention?

Of course, other option you could have selected to live near a school with a much lower ratio (DD is 16:1 I believe this year.)

Anonymous wrote:But its not just 1 adult all day is it? There are aides and specialists and volunteers.

Also a good teacher can manage 35 kids. Its about the effectiveness of the teacher, not the number of students, in reality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They may be able to manage 35 kids, but do you really want you kid getting an average of less then 2 minutes per hour of attention?

Of course, other option you could have selected to live near a school with a much lower ratio (DD is 16:1 I believe this year.)

Anonymous wrote:But its not just 1 adult all day is it? There are aides and specialists and volunteers.

Also a good teacher can manage 35 kids. Its about the effectiveness of the teacher, not the number of students, in reality.

I don't think I've ever seen a classroom where the teacher paid attention to each child individually, two minutes (or whatever) at a time, and then went on to the next child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For 2016: http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/departments/budget/fy2016/superintendent/AppendixC.pdf

27 or less for Gr 1 to 3
29 or less for gr 4 and 5

K - These positions are allocated on a ratio of one teacher for every 26 students and one for every 18 students at the focus schools

Sorry but this is PC bullshit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But its not just 1 adult all day is it? There are aides and specialists and volunteers.

Also a good teacher can manage 35 kids. Its about the effectiveness of the teacher, not the number of students, in reality.

Do you really, truly believe that is true?

I do. Teacher quality matters MUCH more than class size.

I believe good teachers can help but there are more reading groups which mean less time each group meets. Less time to help individually. And we all know how many kids come into ES not speaking English. The ratios are ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

My daughter in public has 26 kids in her K class.

My other daughter is in private and has between 11-14 in her class, 8 grade.

It is horrible. Really hoping to send the youngest by 3rd grade.