Class-size program Increases Student Achievement, Study Finds
Wisconsin's SAGE class-size reduction program increases the achievement
of low-income students in grades K-3, according to a new study.
The study by the Education Policy Research Unit at Arizona State University
compares the academic achievement of students in schools that participate
in the Student Achievement Guarantee in Education (SAGE) program to
that of students in non-SAGE comparison schools located in SAGE districts.
It concludes the SAGE program:
- Increases student achievement.
- Upholds gains through 3rd grade.
- Is most beneficial to African-American students.
- Narrows the achievement gap between African-American and white students.
- Compensates for poor attendance.
The study was conducted by Phil Smith, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee;
Alex Molnar, Arizona State University; and John Zahorik, UW-Milwaukee.
From 1971 to 2001, Molnar was on the faculty of the School of Education
at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he directed the Center
for Education Research, Analysis, and Innovation (CERAI) and the Center
for the Analysis of Commercialism in Education (CACE).
The SAGE program is designed to increase the academic achievement
of
low-income children in grades K-3 by reducing class size, reforming
the
curriculum, providing professional development for teachers, and opening
schools to morning and evening activities.
SAGE was created in 1995, based upon the work of a special task force
appointed by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction to study
the condition of urban education in Wisconsin. It is administered through
a program of five-year grants designed to promote academic achievement.
SAGE schools get state aid equal to $2,000 for each low-income child
in the grades served by the program. Participation has grown from 30
schools in 1996-97 to nearly 600 this year.
Schools participating in the SAGE program are required to:
- Reduce class size to 15 pupils.
- Keep the school open every day for extended hours and collaborate
with the community in educational, recreational, and social service
activities.
- Provide a rigorous academic curriculum designed to improve academic
achievement.
- Improve professional development programs and staff evaluation practices.
SAGE has been the subject of an ongoing evaluation, which was conducted
for the Department of Public Instruction from 1996 to 2001 by the University
of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Education. Those evaluations also have
found the program to be successful.
The
complete study
OnWEAC Resource Page on SAGE
Posted October 1, 2003