A REVIEW OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY
PUBLIC SCHOOLS' CLASS SIZE DATA
II. CLASS SIZE DATA
This chapter explains how Montgomery County Public Schools defines and uses the following guidelines and statistics related to class size:
The end of this chapter summarizes MCPS data on individual class sizes for the 1997-98 school year.
A. Average Class Size
1. What is average class size and how is it calculated?
Individuals frequently cite average class size data to describe and evaluate the County's school system. MCPS calculates average class size as the total regular student enrollment divided by the total number of classes. Technically, it is the "mean number" of students per class, calculated at a single point in time. Over time, as enrollment changes, the average class size statistic changes as well.
MCPS calculates systemwide average class size statistics at the elementary school level for:
Table I (page IO) shows the formula for calculating kindergarten and elementary school (grades 1-6) average class sizes. The table includes a sample calculation of average class size for kindergarten classes and for second grade classes.
At the middle and high school levels, MCPS calculates systemwide average class size statistics for:
Table 2 (page 11) shows the formulas that MCPS uses to calculate average class sizes at the middle and high school levels, including required English courses, academic courses, and non-academic courses. The table includes sample average class size calculations for middle school required English courses, all high school academic courses, and all high school non-academic courses.
While the average class size figure provides a valid overview of class size across the entire school system, additional information is needed to understand the sizes of individual classes and the instructional staff assigned to classrooms. For instance, average class size calculations reflect the number of students per class or classroom teacher, but do not indicate how many other instructional staff are assigned to the class. For example, when a classroom teacher and an instructional assistant are assigned to a classroom, only the teacher is reflected I the average class size data. The average class size does not account for the instructional assistant who also works in the classroom with the students.
Academic Course
The term "academic course," in the middle and high school formulas, refers to mathematics, foreign language, science, social studies, and required and non-required English courses. Required English courses are those required for graduation. All other English courses (e.g., advanced composition or Journalism) are considered non-required English courses. MCPS calculates the systemwide average class size for all academic courses as well as for each individual academic course.
All of the MCPS courses not listed as "academic courses" above are included in the "non-academic course" average class size calculations. Examples of non-academic courses include: studio art, word processing, technical drawing, and music theory and composition. MCPS calculates one average class size for all the non-academic courses together.
Regular Student Enrollment and Students Receiving Special Education Services
The average class size formulas use the term "regular student enrollment," which includes all regular education students and students receiving intensity one, two, and three special education services. The "regular student enrollment" does not include students receiving intensity four or five special education services.
MCPS defines intensity one, two, and three special education services as follows:
MCPS defines intensity four and five special education services as follows:
The Department of Special Education supports an "inclusion" model for educating these students. This means that the Department places the students receiving intensity four and five special education services in regular classrooms for portions of the school day, as appropriate. Special education staff accompany the mainstreamed students in the regular classrooms. The case studies in Chapter V of this report further describes the impact on class size of mainstreaming students who receive special education services.
Table 1: Kindergarten and Elementary School Average Class Size Calculations
Kindergarten Average Class Size
Regular Student Enrollment in Kindergarten
Number of Kindergarten Attendance Sections a
Example
On Oct. 31, 1997, there were 9,065 students enrolled in 425 MCPS kindergarten classes
or attendance sections. The kindergarten average class size was:
9,065/425 = 21.3
Elementary School Average Class Size
Regular Student Enrollment in Grade 1-6 b
Number of Elementary School Attendance Sections a
Example
On Oct. 31, 1997, there were 9,406 students in grade two in 384 classes or attendance
sections. The grade two average class size was:
9,406/384 = 24.5
a An attendance section is equivalent to a class.
b Fifteen elementary schools and all of the Countv's 30 middle schools contain sixth grade classes. For
this reason, the sixth grade appears in both the elementary and middle school average class size formulas.
Table 2: Middle and High School Average Class Size Calculations
Middle and High School Average Class Size for Required English Courses
Regular Student Enrollment in Grade 6-8 Required English Courses
Number of Required English Classes
or
Regular Student Enrollment in Grade 9-12 Required English Courses
Number of Required English Classes
Example
On October 31, 1997, there were 25,493 students enrolled in middle school required
English courses in 1,059 classes. The average class size was:
25,493/1059 = 24.1
Middle and High School Average Class Size for Academic Courses
Regular Student Enrollment in Grade 6-8 Academic Courses
Number of Academic Classes
or
Regular Student Enrollment in Grade 9-12 Academic Courses
Number of Academic Classes
Example
On Oct. 31, 1997, there were 129,135 students enrolled in high school academic courses
(includes mathematics, science, social studies, foreign language, and required and non-
required English) in 5,136 different classes. The average class size was:
129,135/5136 = 25.1
Middle and High School Average Class Size for Non-Academic Courses
Regular Student Enrollment in Grade 6-8 Non-Academic Courses
Number of Non-Academic Classes
or
Regular Student Enrollment in Grade 9-12 Non-Academic Courses
Number of Non-Academic Classes
Example
On Oct. 31, 1997, there were 54,055 students enrolled in high school non-academic
courses in 1,795 different classes. The average class size was:
54,055/1,795 = 30.1
What average class size data does MCPS routinely publish?
The Board of Education's annual requested and approved operating budget documents include systemwide average class size data for kindergarten classes, elementary school classes (grades 1-6), middle school academic classes, and high school academic classes.
Every November, MCPS' Department of Educational Accountability publishes the Official Elementary and Secondary Class Size Report for the Board of Education. Appendix A includes a copy of the November 21, 1997 report. For the elementary level, the report includes the systemwide average class size data for:
For the middle and high school levels, the report presents the systemwide average class size for:
Table 3 lists the average class sizes published in the November 1997 Official Elementary and Secondary Class Size Report.
Table 3: Systemwide Average Class Size Data - 1997-98 School Year
Classes Average
Class Size
Kindergarten 21.3
Grades 1-6 (includes combination classes) 24.2
Middle School - Required English 24.1
Middle School - All Academic 25.1
Middle School - Non-Academic 30.1
High School - Required English 25.4
High School - All Academic 26.5
High School - Non-Academic 27.5
MCPS' Department of Educational Accountability publishes the average class size by school annually in a document titled Schools at a Glance. For each elementary school, Schools at a Glance publishes the average class size for kindergarten classes and all grades 1-6 classes. For each secondary school, it includes the average class size of all the required English classes and of all the "other academic courses" (mathematics, science, social studies, and foreign language). Schools at a Glance also publishes systemwide average class size data.
B. Maximum Class Size Guidelines
One of the Board of Education's stated goals is to reduce the number of MCPS classes that exceed the Board's adopted maximum class size guidelines. The maximum class size guidelines indicate the Board of Education's target class sizes for different MCPS courses and grade levels. MCPS tracks the number of classes that are above and below the guidelines to get a picture of class sizes across the school system and to identify where class sizes should be changed.
Table 4 (page 14) lists the Board's maximum class size guidelines. The table also summarizes information on the number of classes above the maximum class size guidelines for the 1997-98 school year. These data are from MCPS' November 1997 class size report found in Appendix A. That report also shows the number of classes above the Board's maximum class size guidelines during the 1995-96 and 1996-97 school years.
Table 4: Maximum Class Size Guidelines - 1997-98 School Year
Class Maximum Class Classes Over Percent of Total
Size Guideline Guideline Classes
Elementary School
Kindergarten 24a 0 0%
Grades 1-3 28 50 4%
Grades 4-6 30 23 3%
Middle School
Required English 28 160 15%
Other Academic b 32 189 5%
High School
Required English 28 233 19%
Other Academic b 32 561 11%
a Maximum class size guideline for kindergarten classes with an aide is 30.
b Other Academic includes Science, Mathematics, Social Studies, Foreign Language, and
non-required English courses.
C. Student/Professional Staff Ratio
In addition to average class size data, the Department of Educational Accountability's Schools at a Glance contains each school's student/professional staff ratio. The student/professional staff ratio is the number of students per professional staff member in a school. MCPS defines professional staff positions to include: principals, assistant principals, certified teachers, counselors, media specialists, and positions for professional special education related services. MCPS does not include instructional support, building services positions, and other non-professional positions in the student/professional staff ratio.
Table 5 (table 15) shows how MCPS calculates the ratio. The denominator only includes the school staff classified as "professional." The formula uses half of the Head Start and kindergarten enrollment because the majority of those classes last for half of a school day.
MCPS most recently published the student/professional ratio for the 1996-97 school year. The data indicated that the student/professional ratio ranged from:
Table 5: Student/Professional Staff Ratio Calculation
1/2 of Head Start enrollment+ 1/2 of kindergarten enrollment+total glade I- 12 enrollment
Number of professional staff
Example
The student/professional staff ratio in an elementary school with 22.8 professional staff
and the following enrollment is:
Head Start enrollment = 19
Kindergarten enrollment = 88
Grade 1-5 enrollment = 244
(9.5+44+244)/22.8 =13.03
D. Service Ratio
MCPS staff also calculate a statistic known as the service ratio. MCPS does not publish the service ratios in Schools at a Glance or the MCPS budget. MCPS staff use the service ratio internally to verify that they allocated special support teachers appropriately. MCPS allocates special support teachers in addition to regular classroom teachers to serve a particular need or program area in a school. Special support teachers include:
MCPS staff calculate the service ratio by dividing the school enrollment by the number of special support teacher positions in the school. In general, the service ratio is lower (more special support teachers per student) in schools with high Educational Load calculations. For the 1997-98 school year, MCPS defines Educational Load as the percentage of students in the school who currently or ever participated in the Free or
Reduced-priced Meals System. The service ratio is also generally lower in schools with lower standardized test scores and in schools with special magnet programs. The service ratios vary widely across the school system.
E. Individual Class Sizes
Individual classes across the school system are either larger, smaller, or equal to the average class size. Information on individual class sizes provides a more detailed picture of actual class sizes throughout the school system.
MCPS' Official Elementary and Secondary Class Size Report shows the number of classes by different class size ranges. The charts and graphs on pages 17 through 24 summarize these data (as of October 31, 1997). They display the number of classes in the different class sizes ranges for the following classes:
The 1997-98 school year data indicate that the majority of kindergarten and elementary level classes contain between 21 and 26 students. For academic classes at the middle and high school level, approximately one quarter of the classes fell into each of the following ranges: 21 to 25 students, 26 to 28 students, and 29 to 32 students. The majority of the middle and high school non-academic classes fell in the top two ranges: 29- 32 students and more than 32 students.
Individual Class Size Data
1997-98 School Year
Distribution of Kindergarten Class Sizes
Fewer than 16-20 21-26 27-28 29-30 More than
16 students students students students students 30 students Total
# of Kindergarten Classes 12 143 263 7 0 0 425
% of Kindergarten Classes 2.8%. 33.6%. 61.9%. 1.6%. 0%. 0%. 100.0%
THERE IS A PIE CHART AT THIS POINT IN THE ORIGINAL WHICH IS NOT REPRODUCED HERE
- More than half of the MPCS kindergarten classes contain betweeen 21 and 26 students. - Approximately one third of the classes contain between 16 and 20 students. - No kindergarten classes contain more than 28 students. >
Distribution of Grades 1-3 Class Sizes
Fewer than 16-20 21-26 27-28 29-30 More than
16 students students students students students 30 students Total
# of Grade 1-3 Classes 1 67 852 194 42 8 1164
% of Grade 1-3 Classes 0. 1% 5.8% 73.2% 16.7% 3.6% 0.7% 100.0%
Does not include combination classes
THERE IS A PIE CHART AT THIS POINT IN THE ORIGINAL WHICH IS NOT REPRODUCED HERE
Almost 75% of the grades I through 3 classes contain between 21 and 26 students.
Another 17% of the classes contain between 27 and 28 students.
Approximately 5% of the grades I through 3 classes contain more students than the Board's maximum class size guideline of 28 students.
Distribution of Grade 4-5* Class Sizes
Fewer than 16-20 21-26 27-28 29-30 More than
16 students students students students students 30 students Total
# of Grade 4-5 Classes 0 27 454 157 76 23 737
% of Grade 4-5 Classes 0.0% 3.7% 61.6% 21.3% 10.3% 3.1% 100.0%
Includes all grade 4 and 5 classes, plus the 17 sixth grade classes housed in elementary schools.
Does not include combination classes
THERE IS A PIE CHART AT THIS POINT IN THE ORIGINAL WHICH IS NOT REPRODUCED HERE
- Approximately 60% of these classes contain between 21 and 26 students.
- Approximately 30% of the classes contain between 27 and 30 students.
- Only 3% of the classes are larger than the Board's guidelines of 30 students.
Distribution of Grade 1-6 Combination Class Sizes
Fewer than 16-20 21-26 27-28 29-30 More than
16 students students students students students 30 students Total
# of Combination Classes 0 7 61 9 3 0 80
% of Combination Classes 0.0% 8.8% 76.3% 11.3% 3.8% 0.0% 100.0%
THERE IS A PIE CHART AT THIS POINT IN THE ORIGINAL WHICH IS NOT REPRODUCED HERE
- Nine percent of the combination classes contain between 16 and 20 students. - Approximately 75% of the combination classes contain between 21 and 26 students. - The remaining 15% of the classes contain between 27 and 30 students.
Distribution of Middle School Academic Class Sizes*
Fewer than 16-20 21-25 26-28 29-32 33-35 More than
16 students students students students students students 35 students Total
# of Middle School
Academic Classes 353 520 1455 1277 1339 182 10 5136
% of Middle School
Academic Classes 6.9% 10.1% 28.3% 24.9% 26.1% 3.5%1 0.2%1 100.0%1
* Includes Foreign Lang., Social Studies, Mathematics, Science, and required and non-required English classes
NOTE: MCPS uses diferent class size ranges to describe the middle and high school class sizes.
THERE IS A PIE CHART AT THIS POINT IN THE ORIGINAL WHICH IS NOT REPRODUCED HERE
- Approximately one fourth of the classes fall into each of the following categories: 21-25 students, 26-28 students, and 29-32 students.
- The Board's maximum class size guideline for middle school academic classes (other than required English) is 32 students. Approximately 4% percent of the middle school academic classes contain more than 32 students.
Distribution of Middle School Non-Academic Class Sizes
Fewer than 16-20 21-25 26-28 29-32 33-35 More than
16 students students students students students students 35 students Total
# of Middle School
Non-Academic Classes 88 78 268 321 481 262 297 1795
% of Middle School
Non-Academic Classes 4.9% 4.3% 14.9% 17.9% 26.8% 14.6% 16.5% 100.0%
THERE IS A PIE CHART AT THIS POINT IN THE ORIGINAL WHICH IS NOT REPRODUCED HERE
- Approximately 9% of the classes contain 20 or fewer students.
- Approximately 15% contain between 21 and 25 students.
- Another 18% and 27% of the middle school non-academic classes contain between 26-28 students and 29-32 students respectively.
- About 30% of the classes contain more than 32 students.
Distribution of High School Academic Class Sizes
Fewer than 16-20 21-25 26-28 29-32 33-35 More than
16 students students students students students students 35 students Total
# of High School
Academic Classes 314 535 1286 1464 2024 509 62 6194
% of High School
Academic Classes 5.1% 8.6% 20.8% 23.6% 32.7% 8.2% 1.O% 100.0%
Includes Foreign Lang., Social Studies, Mathematics, Science and required and non-required English classes
THERE IS A PIE CHART AT THIS POINT IN THE ORIGINAL WHICH IS NOT REPRODUCED HERE
- Forty five percent of the high school academic classes contain between 21 and 28 students.
- Another 33% of the classes contain between 29 and 32 students.
- Fourteen percent of the classes contain 20 or fewer students.
- Nine percent of the classes contain more than 32 students, the Board's maximum class size guideline for high school academic classes (except required English.)
Distribution of High School Non-Academic Class Sizes
Fewer than 16-20 21-25 26-28 29-32 33-35 More than
16 students students students students students students 35 students Total
# of high School
Non-Academic Classes 173 169. 302 323 588. 217. 181. 1953
% of High School
Non-Academic Classes 8.9% 8.7% 15.5% 16.5% 30.1% 11.1% 9.3% 100.0%
THERE IS A PIE CHART AT THIS POINT IN THE ORIGINAL WHICH IS NOT REPRODUCED HERE
- Approximately 30% of the high school non-academic classes contain between 21 and 28 students .
- Thirty percent of the classes contain between 29 and 32 students.
- Twenty percent of the classes contain more than 32 students.
- Approximately 18% contain 20 or fewer students.