Class Size and Achievement
- on 07.19.05
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Does class size really make a difference in student achievement? Let’s start with these 2 studies:
- BEYOND SMOKE AND IRRORS: A Critical Look at Smaller Class Sizes
- The Effects of Class Size on Attainment and Classroom Processes in English Primary Schools
Both of these studies show that reducing class size is only helpful in the first year or two of school. After that there is a dimishing return up to fourth grade. The upper elementary classes actually show no improvement with reduced class sizes.
| 1Smaller classes may very well make it easier for teachers to do their job. But the relevant question to policy makers is not simply if class size reduction increases student achievement. What must be asked is if the necessary investment to decrease class sizes – to the point at which the effect of those reductions produce the results desired – could be better spent on other education initiatives. This tradeoff is the nexus of public policy decisions, and it is high time the class size debate takes up this important form of analysis. |
Are there more effective ways than reducing class sizes to obtain an achievement increase?
| 1One recent study has shown that when measuring the effect of a $500 investment per student, spending on teacher education had the greatest impact on student achievement, while lowering the student-teacher ratio was found to have a smaller effect than increasing teacher education, teacher experience, and teacher salaries. |
Below is a synopsis of what happens when class size is reduced (from the Illinois Loop):
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Effects of Reducing Class Size
* No clear evidence of improved learning |
This leads me on to another example of what is actually more important in student achievement across more grades, including high school. It even reduces the dropout rate. What is this you ask? It’s school size (from the Illinois Loop).
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While newspapers spend copious space on class size — an issue promoted by education unions wishing to expand membership — research indicates that the more significant issue is school size. Education writer David W. Kirkpatrick discusses this dilemma:
We seem unable to learn from experience. This is particularly amazing in education/schooling which, of all fields of endeavor, is the one that professes to teach critical thinking and problem solving. Yet it seems unable to think critically and solve its own problems. For example, class size. As has often been stated, class size does matter, but it depends on many variables – subject matter, type of students, teacher skills, teaching method, etc. The only guaranteed effect of smaller class sizes set at some arbitrary number regardless of all the variables is greatly increased costs. Unfortunately almost everyone buys into it, including parents, taxpayers and the general public. One review of 152 studies on class size found a handful, about fourteen, showed minor gains. About the same number showed negative results, while the great majority, about 125, found no difference. On the other hand, literally hundreds of studies have shown that school size does make a difference with larger schools being less effective and efficient than smaller ones. For example, one study found that the average dropout rate for high schools with 2,000 pupils is twice that for schools of 600. At their annual conference some years ago, the National Association of Secondary School Principals adopted a resolution that secondary schools should not be larger than 600 pupils. Yet the public school establishment continues to build and maintain huge schools, some with as many as 5,000 pupils, with correspondingly weaker results. |
I won’t point out all the studies about this research. The Illinois Loop has a long list below this quote. If you scroll all the way down there are even articles on why smaller school districts are better than larger ones.
All this information leads me to some conclusions. First, reduced class size is not the holy grail of student achievement. Second, we need to reduce the size of schools and the size of districts.
The second item leads me again to funding the child. This allows the parents the choice of the school their child will attend. They can choose a smaller school. This option would also allow more schools to be started, since the State would fund the student and not the district. This could be charter schools, public schools or even private schools. All the news schools can reduce the school sizes over all and yet support them all because of the new funding model.
As a side note, none of these studies came from District 46. Yes, they still apply. Since our district is having financial problems maybe, just maybe, we should find a cheaper alternative than the extremely costly and disproven method of reducing class size.
Lisa said,
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This post relating to smaller class sizes being ineffectual really fries me. You can find, as I did, other research to support small classrooms. Lennie, I have to wonder how much time you have ever spent in an elementary classroom… actually teaching lessons and witnessing your effectiveness in front of 30 eight year olds of varying abilities..??? The make up of today’s classrooms is tremendously different than it was in the times when many of us attended elementary school. Sadly, parental involvement, which is vitally important to student success, is a great deal diminished … it is truly sad to note how many parents are sending their children to school with the assumption that they can have a “hands off” approach in their child’s education… Children return to empty homes, watch tv for hours and have little stimulating conversation … Before you jump all over my vast generalization, I can acknowledge that there are many, as well, who value education and are involved with their children, but those parents are dropping in numbers. Sadly, there was a time when teachers felt supported by their students’ families but they have been cast as “whiny” employees and respect has fallen.
In addition, classrooms are comprised of a tremendous variety of ability levels at this time. I am neither condoning nor condemning inclusion, but it is a factor in the effectiveness of the classroom environment. To have 30, even more than 20, children in a classroom, along with a child who has outbursts, is prone to running away, cannot handle slight changes in noise, etc…. creates an atmosphere of disruption that is not conducive to learning for anyone. If anything, we are understaffed with regard to these children with special needs and the classroom teacher more often than not, must deal with the needs of everyone. There is not “cookie cutter” child out there… some are more able in one area than others and classroom teachers recognize that and plan lessons accordingly to meet everyone’s needs… this is next to impossible in large classes and teaching turns into behavior management.
Observe, please, the gains made when children are pulled in small groups for extra help… it works!
I have no doubt that you can find “research” to support any opinion you have of education… but until you walk in the shoes of the classroom teacher, and truly spend years doing the job, you have no credibility! “
Select Releases 2005 Releases 2004 Releases 2003 Releases 2002 Releases 2001 Releases 2000 Releases 1999 Releases
Date: May 8, 2005
Contact: David Partenheimer
Public Affairs Office
(202) 336-5706
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SEVERAL YEARS IN SMALL CLASSES IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL YIELDS BIG REWARDS AT GRADUATION TIME – ESPECIALLY FOR AT-RISK STUDENTS, ACCORDING TO STUDY
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WASHINGTON — It is well established that small class size in the early elementary grades boosts student achievement in those grades and allows students to be more engaged in learning than they are in larger classes. But there has been little research on the long-term effects of small class size. A new study involving a large sample of students followed for 13 years shows that four or more years in small classes in elementary school significantly increases the likelihood of graduating from high school, especially for students from low-income homes. The study is reported on in the May issue of the Journal of Educational Psychology, published by the American Psychological Association (APA).
Study authors Jeremy D. Finn, Ph.D., and Susan B. Gerber, Ph.D., of the University at Buffalo-The State University of New York and Jayne Boyd-Zaharias, Ed.D., of HEROS, Inc., tracked nearly 5,000 students from kindergarten through the 12th grade in 165 schools in connection with Tennessee’s class-size experiment of the 1980’s. The experiment, known as Project STAR, involved randomly assigning students entering kindergarten to a small class (13-17 students), to a full-size class (22-26 students), or to a full-size class with a full-time teacher aide within each participating school. The class size was maintained throughout the day and all year long. Students were kept in the same class arrangement for up to four years, with a new teacher assigned at random to the class each year.
Results show that for all students combined, four years in a small class in K-3 were associated with an 11.5 percent increase in high school graduation rates. This effect was even greater for low socio-economic students (students who were receiving free lunches). In fact, after four years in a small class, the graduation rate for free-lunch students was as great as or greater than that for non-free lunch students (more than doubling the odds of graduating). The study also revealed a strong relationship between mathematics and reading achievement in K-3 and graduation from high school.
“Our results contradict arguments that just one year in a small class is enough to reap long-term academic benefits,†says Dr. Finn. “Three or four years of small classes are needed to affect graduation rates, and three or four years have been found necessary to sustain long-term achievement gains.â€
Future research is needed, according to the authors, to more fully understand the processes that connect early school experiences with long-term benefits. “The long-term effects of small classes on dropout rates were not explained entirely by improvements in academic performance, even if the improvements carried through later grades. Other dynamics must have been occurring as well, for example, effects on students’ attitudes and motivation, students’ pro- or antisocial behavior, or students’ learning behavior,†add the researchers.
Article: “Small Classes in the Early Grades, Academic Achievement, and Graduating From High School,” Jeremy D. Finn and Susan B. Gerber, University at Buffalo – The State University of New York, and Jayne Boyd-Zaharias, HEROS, Inc.; Journal of Educational Psychology, Vol. 97, No. 2.
Full text of the article is available from the APA Public Affairs Office or at http://www.apa.org/journals/releases/edu972214.pdf
Reporters: Lead author Dr. Jeremy Finn is currently on sabbatical at Stanford University and can be reached at (650) 856-1940 or at his University at Buffalo Email.
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The American Psychological Association (APA), in Washington, DC, is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world’s largest association of psychologists. APA’s membership includes more than 150,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 53 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance psychology as a science, as a profession and as a means of promoting health, education and human welfare.
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First, in regards to special needs kids. Stop mainstreaming them so the other kids can learn. The special needs kids can also learn better when they are in an environment where they get attention and instruction conducive to their learning style. Again, my brother is autistic, so I have experience with this.
As for my experience in the classroom, I was a substitute teacher for a while during my college days. I have also been to my children’s classroom for visits and to do presentations to the kids. My wife has more experience than me in this area. She was constantly volunteering in classes for both our children when they were in public school and private school. She subbed as well in the private school occasionally. Before you ask, this was not in D46, but all my subbing was here in Illinois schools.
It only took 1 response to get the STAR report mentioned. That is exactly what BEYOND SMOKE AND IRRORS: A Critical Look at Smaller Class Sizes said would be the most actively used report. I left out the mention of it just to see if someone would start reacting without reading the studies first. Of course, they did.
Quote from 1â€It is nearly impossible to discuss the effects of class size reduction without referencing the STAR results and the conclusions generated from them. At least that is certainly the case for reduction promoters. STAR is the absolute boon to advocates of smaller classes.â€
Below is the truth about the results. It’s exactly what I stated in my post, “reducing class size is only helpful in the first year or two of school.“
Quote from 1â€
TABLE 2 Lessons from Project STAR
Peabody Journal of Education
1. The maximum effect of reducing class size is in kindergarten and first grade. The effect on achievement levels off and declines in second and third grade even when students remain in smaller classes.
2. The achievement advantage of small class students dropped about 50% the first year after they were back in regular sized classes (21-28 students) in the fourth grade.
3. Class size reduction appears to be very expensive. The cost of reducing class size is proportional to the size of the reduction: i.e. a one-third reduction in class size will increase per pupil costs about onethird.
4. The high costs of substantial reduction in class size and the modest achievement gains that can be expected, even in kindergarten and first grade, suggest that less expensive targeted reductions should be tried.
5. The most important lesson may be that just changing class size without changing what is taught or how it is taught will probably have modest results, because the various factors all influence achievement.
Source: Folger, John. Lessons from Class Size Policy and Research. Peabody Journal of Education, Vol. 67, No. 1,
Fall 1989.â€
The facts of the STAR report are exaggerated to make a point.
Quote from 1â€Additionally, there seems to be a lamentable level of exaggeration used while reporting of the magnitude of the STAR achievement results, especially by its most vehement supporters. Repeatedly heard are claims that students in the small STAR classes outperformed students in regular sized class by “significant†margins. In these comments, the reference is to the idea of statistical significance. The interpretation of statistical significance is clear, but unfortunately its relevance can be easily presented to the public in a disingenuous manner. Statistical significance simply means that some difference, no matter how small in magnitude, can be expected to exist in reality to a high probability. But differences that are statistically “significant†to the mathematician can easily be insignificant to the common understanding of the term. This is the case with the STAR data, where the actual size of the effects ranges from minimal to small, depending on the test and subject.12â€
The researchers will not even release the data for further critical analysis. If this study can be debunked so easily, it is now wonder they won’t release the actual data.
Quote from 1†One review of 152 studies on class size found a handful, about fourteen, showed minor gains. About the same number showed negative results, while the great majority, about 125, found no difference.â€
The above quote was in my original post. For all the people that keep talking about getting all the facts when something does not go their way, they seem to focus on just one study that agrees with them this time and ignore the rest of the facts that prove them wrong. Think about it, they quote STAR, which has been debunked with only the data the researchers reveal and not the full set to analyze.
Let’s look at these studies different way to help explain this better:
That’s a huge percentage that shows no gains at all. I repeat, there are other methods that are much more cost effective and show better results.
[...] Ellen has done a lot of research. [Class discussion on my site earlier this year] [...]
I am a teacher. I cannot understand the opinions of the non-teacher and with the studies that are not taken in the same exact situations. First of
all, changing the classroom size is important. But, remember, that the reason to have smaller class sizes is to give more attention to each child.
What I mean, is that a teacher is aware of a child that is getting lost before they teach the next lesson. All students learn differently. A teacher must teach to the audio learner, visual learner, kinetic learner, etc. Observing and knowing when to re-teach, give peer tutoring, or the teacher’s
one-on-one explanation is better implemented with fewer students. So, a teacher who lectures, and there are many, will not have a change whether the class is large or small. The teacher who lectures, and uses cooperative learning, and discovery learning, and physical and project learning, will best influence most children. There is a difference.
As far as inclusion is concerned, the special education practices are great for all students. We need help from the special ed. teachers, even when there are not enough of them to stay in your class all day. Collaborate with them. Special ed. teachers attend all general ed. professional
development classes. General ed teachers should attend some of the special ed. professional development classes. This helps a great deal.
Special ed. teachers have very little problems with general ed. students because of their extensive training; including teaching practices as well as behavioral situations. These practices help all teachers and students.
I have an idea. Let’s fund each child regardless of it they go to Private or Publics schools. This would create more private schools lowering the burden and the class size in public schools.