Class Size and Student Achievement

It  is well known that…

…reduced class size increases students’ achievement.

Let me present you some American research supporting the above statement.

Interest in class size in America blossomed in the late 1970s. Since then there were two big studies presented around the country.

First study - Gene Glass and Mary Lee Smith consolidated prior years of class-size research using meta-analysis to calculate the effects of many studies and pool the results. Indiana's statewide Prime Time project (1981) initially reduced class size in grades 1 and 2, and later expanded to include reductions in kindergarten and grade 3 reductions that could involve teacher aides, a PTR intervention. Texas passed House Bill (H.B.) 72 in 1984 to limit class size in grades K-2 to 22 and added grades 3 and 4 and a 20 student limit in 1986.

The reasons for reducing class sizes included providing better instruction, more individual attention to students, and accommodating the growing diversity in public schooling.

To read the whole report go to: 

http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/1837/Class-Size-Student-Learning.html#ixzz2DgAclieA

Second study - Tennessee, Project STAR (Student/Teacher Achievement Ratio) - It was a statewide, large-scale longitudinal (1985–1989) experiment of small-class effects on the achievement and development of pupils in grades K–3. STAR expanded into the Lasting Benefits Study, Project Challenge, the Enduring Effects Study, and STAR Follow-up Studies to track students through the grades. By 2001, analyses had been conducted on STAR students who graduated from high school in 1998, including college admissions test results analyzed by the size of the K–3 class that the students had attended.

From a review of this research, we can scientifically document several important findings about reduced class size:

• Smaller classes in the early grades (K-3) can boost student academic achievement;
• A class size of no more than 18 students per teacher is required to produce the greatest benefits;
• A program spanning grades K-3 will produce more benefits than a program that reaches students in only one or two of the primary grades;
• Minority and low-income students show even greater gains when placed in small classes in the primary grades;
• The experience and preparation of teachers is a critical factor in the success or failure of class size reduction programs;
• Reducing class size will have little effect without enough classrooms and well-qualified teachers; and
• Supports, such as professional development for teachers and a rigorous curriculum, enhance the effect of reduced class size on academic achievement.

The above findings come form:

http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/Main-Menu/Organizing-a-school/Class-size-and-student-achievement-At-a-glance/Class-size-and-student-achievement-Research-review.html

To read more go to: 

http://www.princeton.edu/futureofchildren/publications/docs/05_02_08.pdf http://www.aypf.org/publications/rmaa/pdfs/ClassSizeSTAR.pdf

To read about class sizes around the world go to:

http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/11/class-size-around-the-world/