"The Citizens Budget FY 1999"
Published by Montgomery County Public Schools
March 1998
Reduce Class Size
The Board of Education's FY 1999 Operating Budget Re- quest proposes to reduce class size over a multiyear period in a way that maximizes the impact of lower class size on student achievement. It proposes to continue the second year of its three-year class-size reduction initiative approved in the FY 1998 budget by adding 41.2 classroom teacher positions at a cost of $1.6 million (see Figure 5). In order to complete the Board of Education's three-year initiative, an- other 41.2 classroom teacher positions will be added in FY 2000.
In addition, the Board of Education is recommending a special initiative to add 1 96.8 classroom teacher positions in FY 1999 at a cost of $7.7 million to target additional re- sources at a significant improvement of elementary school reading performance and secondary school mathematics achievement. In FY 2000 and FY 2001, an additional 52.0 classroom teachers at an annual cost of $2.0 million would be needed each year to implement fully the elementary school reading initiative. The Board of Education's goals are (1) to ensure that every child will be able to read on grade level by Grade 3 and (2) to increase student success in algebra by the end of Grade 9. These additional teachers will substantially reduce the student/teacher ratio in elementary school reading classes to 1 5:1 for Grades I and 2 and will reduce mathematics class sizes to ensure that all students will be able to complete Algebra I successfully by the end of ninth grade, a key to successful preparation for college. The Board will focus additional resources on improving the per- formance of low achieving students, many of whom come from low-income families, have suffered because of high mobility, or who have limited-English proficiency. The Board's plan will accomplish this goal by directing added resources initially at those schools with high num- bers of students in those at-risk groups.
During recent years, parent and staff concern about large classes has inten- sified nationally as well as in Mont- gomery County. Since 1995, when the Board of Education's operating budget request was reduced by $1 5.3 million and 1 23.8 classroom teacher positions were eliminated from the budget, av- erage class size and the number of classes beyond the maximum class size guidelines have increased. Classes at all levels have been impacted. The loss of these classroom teacher positions has resulted in a greater number of combination grade classes at the el- ementary level and a larger number of classes exceeding the class size guide- lines. The greatest impact on large class sizes has occurred in secondary schools (see Figure 6). However, teachers at all levels have expressed concerns about their ability to meet the needs of a diverse student population, including students with limited English proficiency and those special education students being mainstreamed into regular education classes.
Figure 5
FY 1999 ESSENTIAL RESOURCES
FOR MAINTAINING EXCELLENCE IN MCPS
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(millions of dollars)
INITIATIVE AMOUNT
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Reduce class size
Return schools to FY 95 K-12 staffing ratios $1.6
Lower reading classes to 15:1 in Grades 1&2 4.0
Lower math class size for pre-algebra Grade 7 1.4
Reduce Grades 9-12 oversize classes
and complete algebra by Grade 9 2.3
Primary reading systems development 0.5
Instructional assistants, Grades K-3 0.2
Special education resource room teachers 0.5
Gifted/talented support 0.2
Alternative programs for disruptive youth 0.3
Signature high school programs 0.2
Skills for Lifetime Success 0.1
Student support specialists for secondary schools 0.3
Elementary instructional support teachers 0.3
Elementary local school improvement plans 0.2 Student Assessments 0.2
Student assessments 0.2
Global Access implementation 0.3
Classroom environmental health 0.1
Facilities maintenance 0.3
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TOTAL INITIATIVES $13.0
(AT THIS POINT THERE IS A GRAPH OF "CLASSES ABOVE MAXIMUM CLASS SIZE GUIDELINES". IT CAN BE FOUND AS A LINK ON THE HOME PAGE)
Current Actions to Reduce Class Size
The FY 1998 budget began a three-year initiative to re- store the 1 23.8 classroom teacher positions that were elimi- nated in 1995. For FY 1998, 41.2 classroom teachers (I 8.3 elementary, 9.1 middle, and 13.8 high school teacher posi- tions) costing almost $1.6 million were added to the budget to reduce the total number of oversized classes. in addition, principals were given more flexibility in allocating resources to address more effectively the needs of their communities. other available resources were used to mitigate the effect of large classes. In Title I schools that serve a disproportionate number of children from low-income families, additional funding received from the federal government because of the growing concentration of poor children in our commu- nity was used in part to provide reading literacy assistance to children in Grades 1-3. More instructional assistants were added for early childhood grades to support teachers' work with students who require extra assistance. in middle schools, additional reading teachers were added to the budget. In these ways more professionals have been added to class- rooms to supplement the regular classroom teacher. The positive results of each of these steps indicate that adding professionals to the classroom in a carefully targeted way with continuous evaluation can make a significant difference in student achievement, particularly for at-risk students. These additional resources also provide principals with flex- ibility to meet the needs of individual students while ensur- ing an equitable distribution of resources throughout the school system.
Research on the Importance of Reducing Class Size
Recent research on the effects of class size confirms the value of the MCPS approach andjustifies the effectiveness of additional resources. Research conducted in a variety of educational environments shows that teachers and students tend to be more successful in small classes. However, stu- dent performance has improved significantly only when class sizes have been reduced below the 1 7 to 20 level. These gains are effective mainly in the primary grades. A major study conducted in Tennessee found that significant benefits are gained from small classes in the 1 5 to 1 7 student range, that the effect of small classes in the primary grades persisted through eighth grade, and that smaller classes could reduce the number of referrals to special education. Teacher morale also rose because teachers found more time to plan, could provide more individual attention to students, and were more satisfied with their performance. The re- search implies, therefore, that reducing class size matters most when classes can be reduced below 20 students, that the reduction benefits diverse student populations and the primary grades, and that teachers must be trained to deal effectively with greater diversity in today's classrooms and to take full advantage of the more individualized instruction made possible with smaller classes.