We all have been hearing the stories about class size and its impact on our schools. Many parents and students have experienced the changes BPS implemented to meet class size. These changes include multi-age classroom formation, dual certified exceptional education teacher to basic classroom (serving Exceptional Education students and basic students), increased numbers of students in all non-core academics and electives, and combining classes such as Chorus and Drama.
The Florida Department of Education has answered some commonly asked questions about class size reduction. For more information on class size reduction go to our web site at www.brevardschools.org.
Why are florida’s school districts required to reduce the number of students per classroom?
In November 2002, Florida’s voters approved a state constitutional amendment (Article IX, Section I) setting limits for the maximum number of students in a classroom by the start of the 2010-11 school year. These limits (class-size maximums) apply to individual classes, so that, by fall 2010, no classroom in which a core course is taught may contain more students than allowed by the constitutional limits. The class-size limits apply the following maximum to its core classes in three grade groupings as follows: K-3 is 18 students, 4-8 is 22 students and 9-12 is 25 students.
The full text of the Class Size Reduction amendment is provided at www.fldoe.org/ClassSize/pdf/amendment.pdf
In its 2010 session, the legislature proposed an amendment revising the existing class size amendment to make compliance with class size requirements more manageable for school districts. This proposal, Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 2 will be presented to Florida voters on the November 2010 ballot.
The full text of SJR 2 is provided at www.flsenate.gov/data/session/2010/Senate/bills/billtext/pdf/s0002er.pdf
How is “class” defined for purposes of calculating class size?
A class is identified as a course/section combination with one or more teachers scheduled in a particular room, in a particular school, in a specified term, and during a specific period and day of the week. The count of students meeting for that class section constitutes the class size.
What courses/classes are considered in the calculation of class size?
Courses in the following academic areas are core curricula classes included in the class-size calculation:Language Arts/Reading, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Foreign Languages, and Self-Contained (e.g., kindergarten, first grade) Exceptional Student Education English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)
Are exceptional student education (ESE) classes considered “core” classes?
Yes ESE courses are considered core curricula classes.
Does the class-size amendment pertain to both academic and elective courses?
The amendment pertains to core courses. Courses outside the core curriculum, such as physical education classes and fine arts classes, are not included. An elective course can be a core course if it falls under one of the classifications defined above.
Are charter schools subject to compliance with the class-size reduction law?
Yes. The 2010 legislature clarified that charter schools must comply with Section 1003.03, Florida Statutes, relating to maximum class size, except that the calculation for compliance is for the school average by grade, not by class as in other public schools.
How is class size calculated?
The steps for calculating class size are summarized as follows:
- Count the number of students in each class (course/section) for a room.
- For students reported multiple times in a single room/period combination, count each student only once. Students are occasionally assigned to more than one course for a class, e.g., ESE students enrolled in both an ESE course and mainstream course for a given class session.
- Determine the main grade and main course taught in each classroom based on how the majority of students are assigned.
- Determine whether the main course is a “core” course.
- Determine the numerator by compiling the total unduplicated count of students based on the main grade of each class for which the main course is “core,” then total these student counts for all classes.
- Determine the denominator by counting all classes in which the main course is “core.”
- Calculate the class size for each class in a grade range of the school (PK-3, 4-8, 9-12) by dividing the numerator (student count) by the denominator (class count).
How is the class–size calculation affected by multiple teachers in the same classroom?
If more than one teacher is responsible for all of the students in a classroom, the total number of students in the classroom is divided by the number of teachers assigned to these students to determine class size.
Does the number of teacher aides affect class-size calculations?
No. Teacher aides are not counted in the class-size calculation.
How is compliance with this amendment determined?
The Department of Education (DOE), in cooperation with the governor’s office and the legislature, works to ensure that districts have accurate information for implementation of the class-size reduction requirements. The DOE collects data and monitors the reporting of data to ensure a proper accounting of the status of each school district in relation to the class-size reduction requirement.
The monitoring activities are a cooperative process involving both the DOE’s Education Information and Accountability Services and local district Management Information Systems and facilities staff. Schools and classes are randomly selected, and districts are notified as to the selections. District staff are expected to provide documentation, such as class rosters, teachers’ grade books, and other such items to verify the accurate reporting of the student and teacher information used to calculate the class size. District staff are also expected to provide evidence that data on the assignment of students to particular classes is accurate; that is, that the students are taught in the classrooms for which they have been reported as enrolled.
How will changes in class size be determined at the classroom level?
Class-size data at the classroom level will be obtained using the same procedures that are used to compile data for the calculation of school and district average class size. Class-size counts will document classrooms in which the number of students exceeds the constitutional maximums and will include the number of students in excess of the constitutional maximums for each of these classes. Required progress for each school will be based on these counts.
What changes to the class size reduction constitutional provision have been passed by the 2010 Florida legislature?
The 2010 Florida Legislature passed Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 2, which will be on the ballot for the November 2010 general election. If approved by at least 60 percent of the voters, the 2002 constitutional provision for reducing class size will change as follows: For the 2010-11 school year, class-size reduction will continue to be measured at the school level, i.e., the average number of students assigned to a classroom in which a core course is taught. The maximum class-size averages by grade groupings will be 18 students for grades K-3, 22 students for grades 4-8, and 25 students for grades 9-12. The maximum number of students who may be assigned to an individual classroom in which a core course is taught, but not exceeding school-level averages, is 21 students in grades K-3, 27 students in grades 4-8, and 30 students in grades 9-12.