| Great Schools Issue Paper Reduced Class Size
Research continues to show that class-size reduction in the early elementary
grades can produce significant improvements in student achievement that
last over a child’s entire education. For this to happen, however,
teachers must design their instruction to take advantage of the smaller
numbers. Some research suggests that smaller classes also can have a similar effect
on older students. However, this evidence is less conclusive (see Educational
Testing Service study below that shows positive results for smaller classes
at the eighth grade level). The discussion that follows considers four of these studies: Project
STAR, the Lasting Benefits Study, Research by Educational Testing Service
on the effects of class size reductions on student achievement, and the
Student Achievement Guarantee in Education (SAGE) Program. This is followed by summaries of three WEAC studies: Statewide Study
of Elementary Class Sizes, Grades K-3; 1998 Study of Elementary Schools
in Milwaukee, Grades K-5; and 1998 Intermediate and Secondary Class Sizes
and Class Assignments in Wisconsin’s Public Schools. In reading about these studies, keep in mind that a 1998 study by Education
Week awarded Wisconsin’s public schools a grade of “C-”
for “school climate,” essentially because so many elementary
teachers have classes of 25 or more. Another reason for the C- was due
to more than half of high school English teachers teaching 80 or more
students a day (Quality Counts, 1997). Significant Research
on Class Size Project STAR: Tennessee’s Project STAR,
a four-year study of class-size effect, has produced the most compelling
data yet on class size, effective teaching strategies, and the sustainability
of early student achievement gains. The longitudinal study followed students
from kindergarten in 1985-86 through the third grade in 1988-89. An additional
study of the long-term effects of smaller classes was released in early
1999 (Pate-Bain, et al.). This study showed that the positive effects
of smaller classes in the early elementary grades carried through high
school. Project STAR, authorized by the Tennessee Legislature, studied student
achievement in three types of K-3 classes: small classes (13-17
students per teacher), regular classes (22-25 students per teacher), and
regular classes (22-25 students) with a teacher and a full-time teacher
aide (Word, et al., 1990). The project included 17 inner city, 16 suburban, eight urban, and 39
rural schools and involved 6,500 students in 330 classrooms. Students
and teachers were randomly assigned to class types. Student achievement effects were measured with three standardized instruments.
By the end of the first grade, STAR students in small classes were outperforming
students in regular and regular/aide classes by a wide margin. By grade
three, the pattern established in the first grade had become firmly fixed.
A strong class-size effect was evident in all school locations (urban,
rural, inner-city and suburban) and for all students (Word, pp. 10-13). Lasting Benefits Study: The Lasting Benefits Study (LBS)
has continued to track students who participated in Project STAR from
1985-89 in order to determine whether the achievement advantages of students
from the small classes were maintained after these students returned to
regular-sized classes in the fourth grade. Data from 1990-1994
show that students who were originally in smaller classes continued to
perform better than the students from regular-sized classes, with or without
a teacher’s aide (Mosteller, 1995, p. 125). As noted above,
these benefits continue throughout high school. Achilles (1996) argues that smaller classes may be cheaper in the long
run because of the following: fewer students held back, fewer discipline
problems, less need for remediation, higher levels of achievement (which
last over time ), and better attitudes on the part of teachers. Educational Testing Service Study: In 1997, Educational
Testing Service published a research study completed by Harold Wenglinsky
in which he studied the relationship between spending and student achievement
by analyzing data from three separate sources: National Assessment of
Educational Progress, the Common Core of Data, and the Teacher’s
Cost Index of the National Center for Education Statistics. In all, he
created data bases for 203 fourth grade districts and 182 eighth grade
districts. Wenglinsky’s research shows that increased spending for smaller
classes has a direct positive effect on student achievement for fourth
grade students. Among eighth graders, the relationship is somewhat more
complex, in that reduced class sizes improve the social environment leading
to fewer problems and improved student achievement. The SAGE Program: In June, 1995, the Student Achievement
Guarantee in Education (SAGE) program was signed into law as a five-year
pilot program. Participating districts receive $2,000 per student and
are required to meet specific “contractual” requirements with
the Department of Public Instruction and also to take part in an extensive
evaluation of the program conducted by the Center for Urban Initiatives
and Research at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The program is intended to improve education by reducing class sizes
in grades K-3 to no more than 15 students (in grades K-1 during 1996-97,
grades K-2 in 1997-98, and grades K-3 in 1998-1999 through 2000-2001).
In addition, districts had to agree to turn schools into “lighted
schoolhouses” that are open for extended hours, to develop rigorous
academic programs, and to establish and implement plans for staff development
and accountability. In order to participate, a school had to serve high percentages of low
income children. The specific requirements for eligibility are defined
in the State Statutes (s. 118.43 (2). During the 1996-97 school year,
30 schools from 21 school districts participated in the SAGE program.
During the second year, 80 schools participated. Legislation to expand
the program in the 1999-2000 school year is likely to pass. Evaluation of the first two years of the program showed that students
in the SAGE schools scored significantly higher than students in the comparison
schools in reading, language arts, and mathematics (see DPI Web site at:
www.dpi.state.wi.us/. For additional information, contact Professor Alex
Molnar, SAGE Evaluation Office, School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee,
P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee, WI 53201, (414) 229-2220. WEAC Class Size
Studies Statewide Study of Elementary Classes, Grades K-6 A study completed in 1997 of K-6 class sizes in Wisconsin’s public
schools had three noteworthy findings: - Ninety-two percent of Wisconsin’s kindergarten classrooms currently
exceed the standard established by Project STAR of 15 or fewer students.
Statewide, classes at this level average 20-21 students. Twenty-seven
percent of kindergarten teachers report classes of 25 or more.
- For teachers in grades 1-6, the average class size is 22 students.
In addition, the typical classroom has between five and six students
who are classified as EEN (Exceptional Educational Needs) or ESL (English
as a Second Language).Ninety-four percent of the self-contained classrooms
exceed a 15 student maximum. Among teachers who meet with multiple classes
each day, one-fourth meet with more than 125 students daily.
- Class-size policies have been established by approximately 39 percent
of Wisconsin’s school districts. However, in 77 percent of the
cases, 25 or more students are allowed in a classroom.
Study of Elementary Schools in Milwaukee, Grades K-5 In the spring of 1998, a study of K-5 classes in Milwaukee Public Schools
(MPS) collected baseline data on class size and related issues from teachers
of self-contained classrooms, kindergarten through fifth grade.(1) Excluded
from the study were three categories of teachers: teachers in the SAGE
schools, teachers of students with Exceptional Educational Needs (who
typically meet with small groups of students), and teachers who meet with
multiple groups of students during the school day (e.g., teachers of art,
music, or physical education). Keep in mind that even though Exceptional Educational Needs teachers
are not included in this study, most teachers who returned a questionnaire
indicated that their classes include several students who are classified
as EEN or ESL (English as a Second Language). The most significant findings of this study are as follows: - Compared with the State of Wisconsin, MPS classes in grades K-5 are
significantly higher. On average, MPS kindergarten classes average four
to five more students than classes elsewhere in the state, while for
grades one through five, classes in MPS are five students greater.
- Among kindergarten teachers, the average class has approximately
25 students. (Statewide, the average class has approximately
21 students (mean = 21.7, median = 20/21, mode = 20).
- For teachers in grades 1-5, the average MPS class has 27 students
(mean = 27, median = 27, mode = 25). (Statewide, the average first
through fifth grade, self-contained classroom has 22 students. Compared
with the rest of Wisconsin, MPS first through fifth grade classrooms
have an average of five more students).
- MPS teachers feel their classes are far too large. They indicated
that the maximum number of students in a class should be no greater
than about 20 students. The ideal class size was targeted at 15-16 students
among kindergarten teachers and 17-18 students for the other teachers.
Few classes in MPS are this small.
- Nine in ten teachers said they had too many students. In response
to the question, “In terms of meeting the individual needs of all
students, how do you feel about the number of students you currently
teach?”, not a single respondent said he or she had too few students.
1998 Intermediate and Secondary Class Sizes and Class Assignments
in Wisconsin’s Public Schools At the end of the 1997-98 school year, 1,588 teacher members of WEAC
participated in a study of intermediate and secondary class sizes. The
most significant findings: - The typical teacher (excluding Exceptional Education Needs teachers)
met with five classes of 23 students each day. There is considerable
variation in average class sizes across subject areas: art = 34, business
education = 22, computer science = 21, English/language arts = 23, health/wellness
= 27, home economics = 24, foreign language = 24, mathematics = 21,
music = 35, physical education = 35, science = 22, social studies =
23, technology = 26, “other” = 22.
- The typical regular education teacher evaluated approximately 110
students during the second semester. The median number evaluated by
subject area varies across subject areas: Art = 174, business education
= 103, computer science = 103, english/language Arts = 108, foreign
language = 112, health/wellness =83, home economics/family living =
114, mathematics = 101, music = 160, physical education = 165, science
= 120, technology = 110.
- One-fourth of teachers say they have “too many students.”
A nearly equal proportion (27%) say they have “just about the right
number,” while only 2% say they have too few students. The remainder
(47%) say that in some classes they have too many students while in
other classes they have about the right number.
- Forty-three percent of teachers report that over the last three years
their class sizes have increased. A slightly larger percent (48%) say
classes have “stayed about the same.” The remainder (9%) say
class sizes have decreased.
- Teachers in small schools (with fewer than 400 students) tend to evaluate
significantly fewer students than do teachers in larger schools. Their
classes also tend to be significantly smaller.
- The average teacher has approximately one unscheduled hour at school
each day. This same teacher spends six to ten hours outside of school
each week in preparation for teaching.
Conclusion Research shows that small classes at the early elementary grades can
make a significant and long lasting difference in student achievement.
This is the conclusion of those who evaluated the effects of Project STAR,
a study that Frederick Mosteller, professor emeritus of mathematical statistics
at Harvard University, has described as one of the most important educational
investigations ever done (Mosteller, 1995, p. 113). Although Project STAR showed significant positive effects for students
in grades K-3, this does not mean that smaller classes might not have
similar benefits at other grade levels. We simply don’t know. What
we do know is that much of the research at other grade levels on the effects
of class size has not made use of classic, experimental designs, as was
done with Project STAR). In addition, the studies usually have been of
short duration and did not did not consider the effects of very small
class sizes (13-17 students), as was done in the Tennessee research. —WEAC Division for Instruction and Professional Development Sources Achilles, Charles M. “Students Achieve More in Smaller Classes.”
Educational Leadership (February, 1996): 76-77. Allen, Russ and Kickbusch, Ken. Intermediate and Secondary Class Sizes
and Class Assignments in Wisconsin’s Public Schools. Madison: Wisconsin
Education Association Council, 1998. Allen, Russ. K-5 Class Sizes in Milwaukee Public Schools. Madison: Wisconsin
Education Association Council, 1998. Allen, Russ and Kickbusch, Ken. Reducing K-3 Class Sizes. Madison: Wisconsin
Education Association Council, 1998. Mosteller, Frederick. “The Tennessee Study of Class Size in the
Early School Grades.” The Future of Children 5 (Summer/Fall 1995):
113-127. Bain- Pate, Helen; Fulton, B. DeWayne; and Boyd-Zaharias. Effects of
Class-Size Reduction in the Early Grades (K-3) on High School Performance.
Nashville, Tennessee: Tennessee Department of Education, 1999. Available
from HEROS (e-mail: heros@telalink.net). Quality Counts: A Report Card on the Condition of Public Education in
the 50 States. Bethesda, Maryland: Education Week, January, 1997. Wenglinsky, Harold. When Money Matters. Princeton, New Jersey: Educational
Testing Service, 1997. Word, Elizabeth, et al. Student/Teacher Achievement Ratio: Tennessee’s
K-3.
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