As a reform measure to improve student achievement, class size reduction has intuitive appeal and mounting support from research. Class size reduction is an initiative that reduces the number of students per teacher in a regular classroom on a daily basis. Parents and teachers like the idea, and policymakers are embracing it. Several states, including California, Florida, Indiana, Nevada, Tennessee, and Wisconsin, have launched class size reduction efforts in the early elementary grades (Egelson, Harman, & Achilles, 1996; Viadero, 1998).
Over the past two decades, studies have documented greater achievement gains for students in small classes compared to their peers in larger classes. In particular, members of minority groups and students in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas seem to benefit from class size reductions (Achilles & Finn, 2000; Molnar et al., 1999a, 1999b). Results from follow-up studies indicate lasting benefits for students who attended such small class programs as the Student/Teacher Achievement Ratio (STAR) program in Tennessee (Boyd-Zaharias & Pate-Bain, 2000).
Critics of class size reduction say that it is one of the most expensive reforms in education and question whether the benefits are worth the cost. Class size reduction policies compete with other educational reform measures, require a considerable commitment of funds, and influence the availability of qualified teachers (Hruz, 1998). The cost of reducing class sizes and the effects of the reductions on student achievement have received considerable attention, but little has been said about the learning experiences unique to small classes and the different ways of implementing class size reduction programs. At the school and classroom level, educators want to know what to expect from class size reduction and how to maximize the benefits of small classes.
The SAGE Project
Wisconsin's Student Achievement Guarantee in Education (SAGE) is a statewide effort initiated in 1996 to increase the academic achievement of students living in economically disadvantaged circumstances by reducing class size to 15 students per teacher in K–3. Classrooms achieve this ratio in several ways. Most SAGE classrooms have one teacher and 15 students. Some classrooms are organized into team-taught classes of two teachers with approximately 30 students or two teachers sharing a single classroom, each with 15 students.
The SAGE evaluation project is a quasi-controlled five-year study comparing small classes in 30 SAGE schools to larger classes in 14 to 17 comparison schools. The evaluation project analyzes the effects of small classes on student achievement. Over a period of one school year, we and other SAGE researchers studied different types of SAGE classrooms in three 1st grade, three 2nd grade, and three 3rd grade classrooms. We also looked at three case studies of the SAGE evaluation project (Molnar et al., 1999b), gathering data from teacher interviews, classroom observations, and teacher questionnaires.
What can teachers expect when teaching smaller classes? How should they prepare to teach smaller classes? Here is what we learned.
Fewer Discipline Problems
Teachers of smaller classes reported an overall reduction in discipline problems. In 15-to-1 ratio classrooms, discipline was less of a problem than in larger classes. Teachers said that they know their students better and can attend immediately to problems.
Teachers in team-taught classes stated that having two teachers in the room has influenced discipline in two significant ways. First, they can handle discipline in a more constructive, immediate, and positive way by having more options than sending the student out of the classroom. Second, teachers do not lose their momentum in the lesson—one teacher can continue with instruction and keep students on task while the other attends to the individual student.
Teachers in shared-space classrooms also noted an overall reduction in discipline problems. Students were more focused academically, and greater physical proximity to the teacher tended to stop behavior problems before they started. One teacher commented, "You're right there with all of the students. They aren't going to have a chance to act out."
More Time for Instruction
All SAGE teachers noted increased instructional time. Teachers in 15-to-1 classrooms, for example, observed that more time for instruction enables them to delve deeper into subject matter, which leads to higher achievement. One teacher stated,The children are achieving so much more than they have in the past with the old class size. As we developed our assessment strategies and looked at assessment as part of the learning cycle, we see how much learning goes on when we reduce the class size. For example, we are right now at or above the district average in our writing assessment.
Teachers in team-taught classes agreed that fewer discipline problems have a positive effect on instructional time. What teachers described as "not missing a beat" or being "able to continue with instruction" translates into better and increased learning opportunities for students.
Even in more crowded shared-space classrooms, teachers emphasized how much more they accomplish in a day. In one class, students typically showed the teacher their papers while she also conducted a reading group with a different set of students. Students tend to be actively engaged in learning activities for longer periods of time in smaller classes.
More Time for Individualization
All teachers noted that they had more time for working with individual students. As class size decreases, teachers get to know students better and faster. Fewer students also means increased opportunities for dialogue and critiques. Students can share their understandings more often and receive personalized feedback more frequently. As students display their knowledge, teachers can target their assistance (Zahorik, 1999).
In team-taught classes, knowledge of students' academic performance levels allowed teachers to target the strengths and needs of groups of students. One team described individualization as "tailoring instruction" to meet the needs of small groups of students.
Teachers in shared-space classrooms were unanimous: Individualization of instruction was the primary effect of small class size. Sometimes individualization meant working with students in small groups; other times it meant working one-on-one with students. In either case, individualization improved the level of student participation.
Teachers regarded one-on-one work as the most effective means of remediation. One teacher commented,I can get around to each child, even the children who are really quiet. Usually [in a large class], you have problems getting to them. . . . I try to read with each one individually for at least a few minutes a day. Another teacher made a habit of pulling up a chair next to any student who needed help while she also fielded questions from other students. A third teacher said, "I try to respond right away when students need help." Generally, small class size provides more opportunities for practice, questions, and feedback from the teacher.
Varied Instructional Strategies
Teachers noted that they now have more flexibility and can choose among instructional strategies that keep students actively engaged in learning. Teachers of team-taught classes reported that they are more likely to engage in hands-on activities. In a large classroom, for example, no sooner had a teacher passed out materials to her 30 students than she needed to collect them, and she had little time to monitor learning. With two teachers in the room, teachers can set up hands-on activities, keep students on task, and monitor students' progress. Teachers in shared-space classrooms were enthusiastic about the variety of activities in their classrooms. One teacher said, "We use manipulatives every single day."
More Content and Depth
SAGE teachers in all three types of classrooms stated that class size reduction increases the likelihood of reaching grade-level objectives and covering the content in more depth. Teachers in team-taught classes indicated that they are more likely to cover the curriculum required by grade level, and, at times, to go beyond the required curriculum. Students had a better and deeper understanding of concepts because they had more opportunities for practice and feedback.
In shared-space classrooms, teachers also reported delving more deeply into content as a result of smaller class size. They finished projects faster and could plan additional activities, especially hands-on learning and reinforcement activities.
A teacher said that when she had a larger class, students copied from the chalkboard, filled in the blanks, and did busy work while she taught smaller reading groups. Noting the difference, she said, "Now they're really not doing any busy work; they're doing work to learn."
SAGE teachers reported that many students exceed grade-level requirements by the end of the year and appear more confident about learning. Because students often complete grade-level objectives sooner, teachers of smaller classes must anticipate a need for additional instructional plans and materials.
What Should Educators Expect?
Research findings and common sense suggest that smaller classes provide an environment conducive to improved student learning. Implementing smaller class sizes, however, does not guarantee higher student achievement (Smith & Kritek, 1999). Class size reductions not only provide opportunities but also pose challenges.
At the school level, implementation of shared-space or team-taught classrooms may create a change in climate and a need for targeted staff development. A principal of a SAGE school commented,One of the key problems is that some teachers don't want to give up their space to work with someone else. . . . But one of the greatest things I've found is that teachers come together more: they work collaboratively, they share, they help each other.
At the classroom level, teaching with a partner or in a shared space requires adjusting to less available space, working with someone else in the classroom, and establishing routines. One teacher team explained, "We moved two rooms into one. That was very traumatic—we got rid of a lot of things." In team-taught classrooms, teachers need to function more as partners than as individual teachers.
Classroom observations showed that teachers in team-taught classes often have a routine of "lead and support," where one teacher leads the lesson while the other provides support by monitoring students' progress and assisting students as needed. Teachers reported that they decide who leads the activity on the basis of their preferences and strengths in subject areas. But working as a team takes time to develop, and not all teams stay together.
Teachers in shared-space classrooms noted the advantages of having another teacher in the room to help with teaching techniques and teaming activities outside the classroom. Teachers said that they do not generally notice the confusion and noise from having two classes in one classroom.
More Research
There is more than one way to reduce class size and to teach in a smaller class, and we need to learn much more about the effects of class size reduction on classroom practices. Professional development may augment the positive effects of class size reduction efforts beyond the achievement gains generated by smaller class sizes alone. A principal at a SAGE school commented,We have to be careful when we talk about class size as being totally responsible or even mostly responsible for student achievement. The small class size is combined with staff development, which helps teachers know what to do in those smaller classes. People must teach in different ways to reap the benefits of class size reduction.
Reduced class size offers teachers opportunities to teach differently; however, we know little about what makes some teachers more effective than others in small classes. David Grissmer (1999) notes that ultimately our confidence in measurements of the effects of small class size will arise from knowledge of the specific processes used in these classrooms that foster student development and achievement. Now that we have a basis for the benefits of reduced class size, we need more descriptive accounts of what teachers do in smaller classes to maximize those benefits.
