Class Size

Research on Class Size

Class size is an interesting topic because typically as you go up in grade level the class size also increases, but what effect does this have on the students? Well there is plenty of research to look at that can support either side you choose whether it's in favor of bigger classes or smaller. I want to focus on the research done to support class size reduction and then my personal experience with class size and student achievement. In the state of Tennessee there was a study done in the 1980s placing students randomly in a small class (15 ish students) or a regular class ( 22 ish students). The results from this study show that the reduction in class size increased the student achievement the same as an additional 3 months of schooling would. This study is important to reference because it shows data that proves that the smaller the class the greater the achievement gains. 

Classroom full of students sitting at their
desks. 

Getting personal

I had the opportunity to teach a beginners Spanish class at a senior center in Knoxville. My class was capped at 21 students and I am so thankful this was the cap because if there were any more students allowed it would be significantly more difficult to cater to each student's needs. In my class I loved playing games to practice the new vocabulary I would introduce. This allowed me to also give special attention to students that may have been confused by the lesson while those who understood were able to practice with a game. If more students were allowed in my class then I would not be able to give this specialized attention to those struggling. I think class size should have more attention dedicated towards it because it majorly affects how students perform and therefore how they view the value of education. I understand there are effects of decreasing class sizes like having to hire more teachers, but teachers are the ones preparing students to be educated adults in this world so shouldn't we be advocating for the best and most specialized education? This specialized education starts with reducing the number of students in a classroom. This is only a glimpse of what effects class size can really have on education as a whole. By bringing more attention to this topic we can start to see real change in not only the quality of education, but also the attitude towards teachers around the world. It's time to start talking about class size. 

Standardized Testing and Non-native English Speakers

The basics of standardized testing:

Standardized testing has been a main form of testing in American school systems for quite some time, however since about the 2000's and later it has significantly altered the way children are now taught. Before getting into the affects of standardizing testing and consequently how these effects are more prevalent in the non-native english speaking students lets chat about what exactly standardized tests are.  Standardized tests are designed with the intentions of being able to measure education and gauge areas that need improvement. These tests are administered and graded in a uniform way in an attempt to provide results that can then be compared to other classes/districts/states/countries. Although the goal of standardized testing is great, in theory, there are faults with this as well including the affects diversity of students has on the results. 

The faults of standardized testing:

An image showing the answer bubbles of a 
standardized test

Even starting with just the name "standardized testing" there are faults. Students are not standard or uniform so how can we expect a test to grade all students equally? Each student learns in their own way and one test cannot encompass all the different ways a student's brain may operate. An interesting example of this is looking at students who fall under the category of having English as a second language. These students typically have an individualized educational plan (IEP) to aid in their proficiency in school, however despite this plan being made, these students are still expected to take the same standardized test as all other students (test would be administered in english). These scores for students with english as their second language are scored the same as students whose first language is English. This then alters the final results and skews them unfairly showing students as english as their second language lack knowledge in subject areas that they may know if the test was administered in their most proficient language. This past year I have had the opportunity to work as a Spanish translator for parent teacher conferences at elementary schools and have gotten to see first hand the effect of administering exams in English to Spanish speakers.  I had to communicate to parents that their child is failing in subject areas which would come as a shock to the parents. The parents would communicate to me that their child knows the information but they don't know the vocabulary because it is not administered in their native language. It is not fair to have to tell a parent that their child needs to repeat a grade or enter a different class because of their scores on a test knowing they know the material, they just don't know the language the questions are in proficiently enough. This is just one of the many aspects of standardized testing that proves how un-uniform and unfair the tests really are. By designing the test to the student instead of the students to the test we can begin to really see accurate and measurable results.