My last post discussed my 2010-2011 classroom goals - go paperless, accelerate student achievement, and encourage students to become published writers. I read an interesting article about class size from the latest issue of NCTE Inbox, and I'd like to talk about this as it relates to accelerating student achievement.
So, how many is too many? According to the NCTE Class Size Guideline for secondary classrooms a maximum of 20 students per class and no more than 80 throughout the day. I realize districts are up against a wall when it comes to class size, finances, and staffing, but as a teacher I ask the question, can I truly accelerate student achievement with a class of 36? According to NCTE, no I cannot. However, they address the fact that a reduced class size isn't a complete fix to boost student achievement, effective ongoing professional development is necessary, too. I encourage anyone who reads this blog to take a look at the above link from NCTE. The state of Florida class size rule is pushing students towards on-line courses, in order to fulfill high school graduation requirements. Is that really the route we want to go? I understand this is not a problem unique to me, or my classroom, but the guidelines provided from the National Council of Teachers of English are a great starting point to begin to address this serious, but sometimes overlooked issue.
In closing, I could certainly handle those above recommedations quite nicely, and while I'm blogging, could I get a block of time (80-90 minutes) to teach English/Language Arts? I just thought I'd ask.
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