Care to share which school? Because I think it may be mine. The K classes now have 30 kids in them because they never did hire that 4th teacher they were so excited about when I went to register my daughter 3 weeks before schools started (we moved into our house just before school started). They told me their limit was 28, but then they went over after school started (actually, I think the other 2 classes were over when school started).

That said, I am happy with the school and my daughter's teachers have all been amazing. She's a challenging child, but they have made progress with her. Do I wish the class sizes were smaller? Absolutely. But I don't think that is a good enough reason to discount a school or shell out college tuition type money for the chance of smaller classes.

Why is it that some MOCO Ks have aids in the classroom and some don't? My DD will start in the fall at a school where there are currently going to be 3 K classes of 21 children each (IF no other children register over the summer. so I assume the number will go up a few). Anyway, each class is 1 teacher and no aid. There is also no floating aid. PPL have told me that the teachers are all excellent and having no aid will be a non-issue. I hope their right. But, I'm wondering how aid placement is determined county-wide for K. Is it the principal's decision or a school board decision based on class size or something else?

And I wanted to add -- ask to observe a K class, if they'll let you. I have been surprised at how different my daughter's school is run than the elementary school I went to. We sat at assigned desks pretty much all day in a class of 18-20 kids. My daughter's classroom is much larger, with lots of "centers," and for much of the time, the kids move from project to project, around the classroom, to different "centers" -- reading, math, things that involve arts and crafts and physical movement and fine motor skills. That's another reason that, from my perspective, the class size isn't as important.

Anonymous wrote:My son's K class has 26 student. 1 teacher, 1 full-time IA.

Honestly, I can't believe how well organized and well run that classroom is. The reality is that this has everything to do with the teacher and really not much to do with the class size.

Would I have preferred a few less students in the class? Yes, at least initially. But having seen firsthand how great my son's K experience has been, I'm much less worried about class sizes than I was at the start of the school year, and much much more concerned about quality of teaching.

I could have written this post, except that my daughter's K (in MoCo) has 24 students, 1 teacher, and a part-time aide. I was not pleased, especially because for years, until last summer, the K classes at this school had maxed out at 16. They lost that funding (not Title IV, but similar), and all of a sudden we'd committed to a school that was going to have up to 26 kids instead of 16. But I have been so, so impressed with how well things function there. The teacher is (and all the K teachers seem) wonderful -- I can't believe how well she has that classroom running. The kids often work in small groups, taking turns doing things independently and with the teacher (reading groups are small, for example -- they seem to be 1-5 kids with one teacher). I think if it's a well-run school with involved parents and a good teaching staff, class size is far from the most important factor.

Anonymous wrote:Completely agree with PP. It all depends on the teachers and how well they can educate and manage the kids! ~28 kids in K with one teacher and 1 aide is pretty standard in our FCPS pyramid.

Complete BS that counties feed to justify cutting costs. Imagine how much a great teacher could teach 18 kids vs 10 more. Yes--a good teacher may be able to handle it---but what even greater things would go on in that classroom with a much smaller ratio. It is very important in early education.

Completely agree with PP. It all depends on the teachers and how well they can educate and manage the kids! ~28 kids in K with one teacher and 1 aide is pretty standard in our FCPS pyramid.

My son's K class has 26 student. 1 teacher, 1 full-time IA.

Honestly, I can't believe how well organized and well run that classroom is. The reality is that this has everything to do with the teacher and really not much to do with the class size.

Would I have preferred a few less students in the class? Yes, at least initially. But having seen firsthand how great my son's K experience has been, I'm much less worried about class sizes than I was at the start of the school year, and much much more concerned about quality of teaching.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:28 is not "outrageous". Good lord, what decade was it when you were in school???

Oh, wow. Your standards are so low it's frightening. 28 children in an elementary class is both outrageous and unacceptable!

Would 14 kids in a class be outrageous and unacceptable?

Because if there are two adults, the kids effectively have a 1:14 ratio.

My family was talking about this recently. I had 22 kids in my kindergarten class...but no aide. My father had 53 kids in his elementary school class in Boston. So I'm not sure posters who said that all the classes used to be smaller are universally right.

There is a huge difference between 14 kids in a class with 1 teacher and 28 in a class with 2 teachers. It is class size, not ratio, that is the important metric. On the other hand, a good teacher can overcome many problems.

Why is class size a more important metric than ratio?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:28 is not "outrageous". Good lord, what decade was it when you were in school???

Oh, wow. Your standards are so low it's frightening. 28 children in an elementary class is both outrageous and unacceptable!

Would 14 kids in a class be outrageous and unacceptable?

Because if there are two adults, the kids effectively have a 1:14 ratio.

My family was talking about this recently. I had 22 kids in my kindergarten class...but no aide. My father had 53 kids in his elementary school class in Boston. So I'm not sure posters who said that all the classes used to be smaller are universally right.

There is a huge difference between 14 kids in a class with 1 teacher and 28 in a class with 2 teachers. It is class size, not ratio, that is the important metric. On the other hand, a good teacher can overcome many problems.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:28 is not "outrageous". Good lord, what decade was it when you were in school???

Oh, wow. Your standards are so low it's frightening. 28 children in an elementary class is both outrageous and unacceptable!

Would 14 kids in a class be outrageous and unacceptable?

Because if there are two adults, the kids effectively have a 1:14 ratio.

My family was talking about this recently. I had 22 kids in my kindergarten class...but no aide. My father had 53 kids in his elementary school class in Boston. So I'm not sure posters who said that all the classes used to be smaller are universally right.

Anonymous wrote:28 is not "outrageous". Good lord, what decade was it when you were in school???

Oh, wow. Your standards are so low it's frightening. 28 children in an elementary class is both outrageous and unacceptable!

Anonymous wrote:Folks, this is not rural Virginia in the 1960's and 1970's. Population is different now and the schools have not kept pace with that. The utopian class sizes you all remember in public schools are just not realistic unless the county invests more in the schools- BUILDING new schools. And, I don't care what Miss-We'll Squash It- Arlington has to say. Arlington is in the same boat and will be facing the same constraints in coming years.
Fairfax and other area schools are the tops in the country. The kids and teachers do fine with the class sizes as is. Is it ideal? No. But, for crying out loud, this is not a tragedy. Additionally, kids are not always going to be in situations with small, intimate attention. Better get used to it early.

Yes, I agree. The principal at my son's N. Arlington school told me the other week that there will only be 4 2nd grade classes next year, not 5 like there are currently in 1st grade. Because the number of classes have increased each year, there is simply not room in the school to make yet another classroom (we already have trailers). The classes will be bigger (24 per class), and they will hire a 5th teacher who will float between the 4 classes and help with reading and math.

Anonymous wrote:Are there ratio rules in MoCo? Our K said that they weren't sure if there was goign to be another K class added, it depended how many kids registered this summer -- sounded like they were near some threshold & i can't figure out what it was (didnt ask)

The threshold for K in MoCo is 26, but I believe the average is more like 20 county-wide. We are at one of the larger elementary schools, and we have five K classes with 22-23 kids per class. The teachers are all pretty good, so no problems.

Just by going private doesn't mean smaller class sizes. I visited a very well run Catholic school that is well respected, and it had 25-30 kids per class.

Anonymous wrote:Are there ratio rules in MoCo? Our K said that they weren't sure if there was goign to be another K class added, it depended how many kids registered this summer -- sounded like they were near some threshold & i can't figure out what it was (didnt ask)

I am sure there are. Ask your principal. Different school systems allow for different ratios.

To that other woman---it's not get used to it. There are towns in the US that can't even fill a school and teachers are getting laid off. Even this area is predicted to be a bomb then decline. It matters too what you are starting with. In a place with already 28 seats in a K class- class size increase is a much bigger deal than a place with 10 less kids per class.