IS THERE AN IDEAL CLASS SIZE?

Smaller Class Sizes Give Students Hands-on Classroom Opportunities

   Class sizes have been increasing throughout the Region 15 School District and school administrators fear that overcrowded classrooms will weaken the district’s instructional program. In order to maintain quality teaching and learning, the number of students in a classroom should not exceed the levels recommended by the Region 15 Board of Education six years ago.

   The Pomperaug Regional School District 15 Board of Education adopted and approved a Class Size Resolution in 1999, which specified goals for optimal class size for regular education classes in kindergarten through grade twelve.

Kindergarten & Grade One: 18
Grades Two & Three: 21
Grades Four – Six: 23
Grades Seven & Eight: 24
Grades Nine – Twelve: Varies depending upon academic level, lab and writing opportunities.

   Smaller classes offer benefits to staff and students, including a greater in-depth coverage of content, enhanced learning and stronger engagement, more personalized relationships, safer schools, and fewer disciplinary problems. Research further shows that the younger the students and the longer the students are in smaller classes, the greater the benefits.

   “Five years ago, about twenty percent of our classes were above the optimal class size level,” said James Agostine, principal of Pomperaug High School. “Now, every day, over half of our high school classes run above the 1999 Board of Education Class Size Resolution guidelines—and I’m not talking one or two students above, I’m saying that some classes have many more students than there should be.”

   At Pomperaug High School, the average number of students in the majority of classrooms is 22, and the average is 16 students in core level classes. Besides the obvious benefit to students, the lower class sizes at the high school are imperative due to the small footprint of an average PHS room. A typical high school classroom is about one-third the size of an average room in the elementary and middle schools.

   “Sometimes we’re our own worst enemy,” stated James Agostine. “Our teachers and students teach and learn in overcrowded classrooms, but they all do superlative work in this less than ideal situation. Therefore, the public doesn’t fully appreciate the class size problem because our staff and students pull up their bootstraps and rise to the occasion. We still hold high expectations for learning by our students and they are meeting and, often, are exceeding those expectations,” added Mr. Agostine.

   District administrators are recommending to the Region 15 Board of Education to add staff in the 2005-06 school budget to alleviate classroom overcrowding, particularly at Pomperaug High School.

   “Beyond the foundational level allocations needed to operate the school system, my budget recommendation for 2005-06 will focus on class size and its impact on existing programs,” said Dr. Frank Sippy, Region 15 school superintendent. “With the addition of nearly 100 more high school students, we need to dedicate additional resources to sustain the quality of instruction.”

  The Region 15 curriculum promotes an inquiry-based, hands-on learning approach where students perform experiments and use educational materials in a classroom or lab. Instead of the teacher standing up in the front of the class lecturing, students explore, ask questions, and find answers by doing. Smaller classes give students ample time for hands-on opportunities and discussion, therefore developing an enduring understanding of a topic.

  “Higher class sizes have an immediate impact on the learning activities a teacher can allow kids to participate in, on the amount of time a teacher has to individualize instruction, and on how effectively our curriculum can be implemented,” said Dr. Lois Lanning, assistant superintendent for curriculum. “The problem is not as much a shortage of books and resources when class sizes are large, as it is the difficulty individualizing instruction, giving students the personalized feedback that we know makes a significant difference in learning, and providing hands-on experiences.” 

   Sixteen members of the school and town communities volunteered their time to participate in the Class Size Task Force last year. This committee, made up of principals, teachers, parents, Board of Education members, town officials, and a member of the Taxpayers Alliance, concluded that maintaining class sizes below the 1999 Board of Education Class Size Resolution guidelines would be ideal and could help the district address all of the students’ needs.

   “I was on the Pomperaug High School team that physically visited the classrooms to see the number of students with my own eyes,” said Eugene H. Kaplan, member of the Class Size Task Force and the Southbury Board of Finance. “Some classrooms, including laboratories, needed to have the lower class sizes so the students could have access to the equipment and teachers could have enough time to check each student’s work. As a result of being on the Task Force, I believe that what the Board of Education had approved was about right.”