I have the largest 2nd grade class in the district.

Discussion in 'Elementary Education' started by DrivingPigeon, Aug 18, 2014.

  1. DrivingPigeon

    DrivingPigeon Phenom

    Joined:
    Jul 13, 2008
    Messages:
    4,212
    Likes Received:
    8

    Aug 18, 2014

    Lucky me!

    We have around 20 sections of 2nd grade in the district. I attended an in-service last week with teachers from other schools.

    School A: 18-19 kids per class
    School B: 17-18 kids per class
    Schools C and D: 21-22 kids per class
    My school: 23-25 kids per class

    I'm the lucky one with 25. How is it even fair that some schools have class sizes as low as 17, but I have 25? My class has 1/3 more kids! I was told the 2nd grade cap is 25.

    Do class sizes across one grade level vary this much in your district?
     
  2.  
  3. WindyCityGal606

    WindyCityGal606 Enthusiast

    Joined:
    Nov 18, 2006
    Messages:
    2,470
    Likes Received:
    13

    Aug 18, 2014

    Absolutely! my school has 37 1st graders in one room, 38 in the other. The second grades have 36 each, and we won't even mention the 35 kindergarteners in each room. Other schools in the immediate area have 22 in k, around 27 in the 1st and 2nds. Keep in mind we have around 400 elem schools in my district though so there's no way I know if we have the most in the district but it's a lot to our building!
     
  4. czacza

    czacza Multitudinous

    Joined:
    Sep 30, 2001
    Messages:
    24,956
    Likes Received:
    2,116

    Aug 18, 2014

    We have ONE elementary school with 5-6 sections of each grade level. Within grade levels, class sizes vary by only one or two students.
     
  5. DrivingPigeon

    DrivingPigeon Phenom

    Joined:
    Jul 13, 2008
    Messages:
    4,212
    Likes Received:
    8

    Aug 18, 2014

    Yikes, you must not have caps? I'm not sure about kindergarten , but the 1st grade cap is 24.
     
  6. MrsC

    MrsC Multitudinous

    Joined:
    Aug 8, 2005
    Messages:
    14,062
    Likes Received:
    1,881

    Aug 18, 2014

    We have close to 200 elementary schools, and class sizes in grades 4-8 may vary tremendously between schools, although within a school they are generally close. Grades 1-3 are hard-capped at 20 students (provincial mandate), so all classes will be within one or two students of this.
     
  7. Loveslabs

    Loveslabs Companion

    Joined:
    Sep 22, 2013
    Messages:
    200
    Likes Received:
    0

    Aug 18, 2014

    Welcome to my world. We are on a campus. The point of a campus was to prevent things like this from happening.
    My building has four second grade classes. Our numbers are 21, 23, 22, and 28.
    The building next to us has four second grade classes. Two classes have 19 and the other two have 21.
    The third building has four second grade classes. They range from 18 - 21 per class.
    I will give you one guess as to who has 28.... Yes, it is me! I think it is unfair since I have the special education children with little to no support from the special ed teacher. She has a bad habit of being very late or not showing up at all. Plus, two of my students are severe behavior!!
     
  8. MsMar

    MsMar Fanatic

    Joined:
    May 16, 2007
    Messages:
    2,771
    Likes Received:
    53

    Aug 18, 2014

    Yup, it definitely varies by school. My school generally has 24-29 in each class (every grade is about the same) and there are two schools that are usually 18-20. Ours used to be more like 20-23 but more kids have moved into our area. Last year we had 50 more students in the building than the year before.

    I believe our new superintendent wants to address the inequality throughout this year by redrawing the lines for the various schools (we have 10 elementary schools in our district) and have it be more equal starting next year. We did get a 6th teacher for 3rd grade this year so they'll have 25 per class instead of 30, last year they all had 29-30. We don't have an official cap in our contract but unofficially the district will keep all elementary classes at 30 or less. I've never heard of any classes at any of our schools going over 30.
     
  9. MsMar

    MsMar Fanatic

    Joined:
    May 16, 2007
    Messages:
    2,771
    Likes Received:
    53

    Aug 18, 2014

    That's nuts to have such a range in the same building. Has your principal given you any explanation as to why you don't all just have 23-24? I could see if the 21 was the special ed class, but you already said that's not the case.
     
  10. WindyCityGal606

    WindyCityGal606 Enthusiast

    Joined:
    Nov 18, 2006
    Messages:
    2,470
    Likes Received:
    13

    Aug 18, 2014

    Oh yes. We have caps but if we file a grievance, we run the risk of the board of ed satisfying us by opening a charter nearby and stealing our student body then closing us down for low numbers. So we keep quiet and deal with it.
     
  11. YoungTeacherGuy

    YoungTeacherGuy Phenom

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2007
    Messages:
    4,471
    Likes Received:
    1,497

    Aug 18, 2014

    Our cap in K-3 is 25 students.

    In my district, some classes have as few as 15 students and some have as many as 30 (in K-3).

    Over the next few weeks, kids will be shuffled around so everything is as equitable as possible.

    Today is the first day of school, so we will have kids enrolling and dropping all week long.
     
  12. myKroom

    myKroom Habitué

    Joined:
    Nov 6, 2006
    Messages:
    835
    Likes Received:
    0

    Aug 18, 2014

    Yes they do...it all depends on boundary lines for each building!
     
  13. DrivingPigeon

    DrivingPigeon Phenom

    Joined:
    Jul 13, 2008
    Messages:
    4,212
    Likes Received:
    8

    Aug 18, 2014

    The thing that irks me is that my school is the largest, and we're almost at our school-wide cap (I think it's 550). They built a new school 6 years ago, and changed the boundaries. They anticipated growth further north, but all of the growth is happening on the west side, which is where my school is. So, now the 2 schools that are on the north side of the village have tons of empty classrooms. (I believe the school where I used to work has 5.)

    They also let anyone open-enroll. I don't think they turn anyone away. You'd think they would place open-enroll kids at one of the schools with empty classrooms.
     
  14. BioAngel

    BioAngel Science Teacher - Grades 3-6

    Joined:
    Oct 11, 2007
    Messages:
    3,644
    Likes Received:
    108

    Aug 18, 2014

    I work at a private school, but we have capped the classroom to 20 tops- which is honestly A LOT for a private school. Our K-2 grades are smaller (13-15 students) and there's 2 sections of each grade.

    When I was student teaching in a middle school, I would have 40+ students in a classroom- and yes, we still did do experiments with the kids. I'm happy that I had experience and my heart goes out to teachers who have such large sets of students to teach.
     
  15. MzMooreTeaches

    MzMooreTeaches Cohort

    Joined:
    Jun 26, 2010
    Messages:
    537
    Likes Received:
    0

    Aug 18, 2014

    As a kindergarten teacher I would cry if I had 35 students... How do you teach 35 students???! You would have to have a ton of materials to support the small group and center time activity.

    With that said last year in kindergarten we had as low as 17 but by the end of the year had 20-21. We are in a highly transient area, they move in and out all the time.
     
  16. giraffe326

    giraffe326 Virtuoso

    Joined:
    Jan 2, 2006
    Messages:
    7,075
    Likes Received:
    15

    Aug 18, 2014

    My district only has two schools; K-6 and 7-8. We only have two teachers per grade level. I think the smallest classes are 27-28. The largest are 37 (3rd grade). Our union contract mentions that target class sizes are 25. I think I'd say something if I was teaching 3rd. 37 x 2 = 74. That is 25 per class!
     
  17. Tasha

    Tasha Phenom

    Joined:
    Feb 28, 2007
    Messages:
    4,390
    Likes Received:
    5

    Aug 18, 2014

    Ours varies between schools based on enrollment, they try to keep it even in each school- 6 classes per grade, but we can't really help where they are zoned.
     
  18. readingrules12

    readingrules12 Aficionado

    Joined:
    Jul 3, 2010
    Messages:
    3,439
    Likes Received:
    841

    Aug 18, 2014

    I have 30 students and the average class size I've probably had in my career is probably around 27. Your district must be incredible to average under 20 students and still make it.
     
  19. MissPapa

    MissPapa Comrade

    Joined:
    May 21, 2012
    Messages:
    375
    Likes Received:
    0

    Aug 19, 2014

    I've subbed in a class with 33 students before…NIGHTMARE!

    Hopefully my first year I don't get that many students!
     
  20. DrivingPigeon

    DrivingPigeon Phenom

    Joined:
    Jul 13, 2008
    Messages:
    4,212
    Likes Received:
    8

    Aug 19, 2014

    I wouldn't say incredible, but we only have 5 elementary schools, so we're fairly small. Last year they surveyed the public, and small class sizes was something that they really valued, so the have caps and stick to them. Administration watches enrollment very closely, and adds another teacher ASAP.

    I know 25 doesn't seem like a lot to some of you, but I've never seen a 2nd grade that high. I just wish there was some equality across the district. It doesn't seem fair that I have 8 more kids than some other 2nd grade teachers. That's 30% more report cards, conferences, supplies, etc. Oh, well...Unless we get 4 more 2nd graders in the next week they won't add another teacher, and that's highly unlikely.
     
  21. ktdclark

    ktdclark Comrade

    Joined:
    Dec 4, 2012
    Messages:
    255
    Likes Received:
    0

    Aug 19, 2014

    yes, our district varies by school. At my school, I have 25 while the other 2 classes have 22-23. Not a big deal in my book as they get all the new kids:)

    At other schools, I have heard they have up to 33-35 in the same grade level. Our district is TRYING to reduce to 25 but it is moving so SSSSSLLLLLLOOOOOOOWWWWWWLLLLYYYYY!

    Our kinders are at 37-38! CRAZY!!!
     
  22. Errrrrrrrrr!

    Errrrrrrrrr! Rookie

    Joined:
    Jun 12, 2014
    Messages:
    18
    Likes Received:
    0

    Aug 20, 2014

    In long beach we had 28 in 2nd grade. When they tested the five best students for gate it was great. Having the lower sizes make a huge difference.

    For my new class this year I will have 27 most likely, which will make for an odd group number.
     
  23. queenie

    queenie Groupie

    Joined:
    Feb 13, 2008
    Messages:
    1,392
    Likes Received:
    1

    Aug 20, 2014

    Most years I have between 16 - 22 students, but could have up to 25. This year I have ELEVEN. Can you even believe it??!!
     

Share This Page

Members Online Now

Total: 196 (members: 0, guests: 163, robots: 33)
test