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Facts about Class sizes available for the first time ever
Minister of Education
By Shirley Bond
Everyone agrees that class size is important to helping students learn. But until last week, no one had the facts on class size in B.C.'s public schools. Now, thanks to the most comprehensive report ever produced by the Ministry of Education, we have the facts.
Nearly nine out of 10 classes have 30 or fewer students, and more than half have 26 or fewer. Almost 15,000 classes - or more than one out of every five - have 20 or fewer students. It means hundreds of thousands of students are in classes with fewer than 20 students.
The report also indicates that 15 school districts are not in compliance with provincial average class-size legislation. This is unacceptable. I will be requiring these school boards to report on how they intend to meet the legislated class-size limits, and Ministry of Education staff will be working closely with districts to ensure compliance.
Facilitator Vince Ready has recommended that the School Act be amended to include a mechanism to enforce legislated class-size limits. Mr. Ready will be discussing the issue with the parties involved, and recommending an appropriate mechanism for government to consider.
Now that we know how many students are in each of the more than 67,000 classes in B.C. public schools, the Learning Roundtable will be using that information as a baseline for discussions about class size and composition. The roundtable members, who represent the provincial government, teachers, parents, school trustees, superintendents and principals, are continuing to work together to find ways to improve classroom conditions and help B.C. students reach their full potential.
The Province is also going to be taking a closer look at how school districts make decisions around class size, starting with a pilot review ,in the Langley school district. The review will help us understand how classes are structured, who is involved in decision-making, how teachers are involved and how well the system is working. We will use this information as we work with our education partners at the Learning Roundtable to improve public education in B.C.
The class-size report shows that we are making progress. That's because we continue to add more teachers while student enrolment declines. This year, school boards hired an additional 1,177 full-time equivalent teachers while there are nearly 6,400 fewer students. It means this year there is an average of about 16 students for every educator in B.C. - the lowest since we began reporting that statistic.
While class-size ratios, averages and numbers are important, they are only one of many factors that influence student learning. We know, for example, that a good teacher can have a huge effect on student performance. Recent research indicates that compared to a poor teacher, a good teacher can improve a student's mark by one or two letter grades.
The bottom line is that we want our students to receive the best education possible - and that's happening in all regions of the province, in classes of all shapes and sizes. The ideal class size and composition depends on the teacher at the front of the class, the additional resources that might be available to assist that teacher, the students in the class, and the subject matter being taught. There is no magic number, because each class is unique. While respecting overall class-size limits, school boards and school staff have the flexibility to make decisions that meet the needs of their students.
We have a world-class education system in B.C., and we can make it even better. Our government will continue to work with school boards and the mLearning Roundtable to find ways to improve the achievement of all students in British Columbia.
By Shirley Bond
Everyone agrees that class size is important to helping students learn. But until last week, no one had the facts on class size in B.C.'s public schools. Now, thanks to the most comprehensive report ever produced by the Ministry of Education, we have the facts.
Nearly nine out of 10 classes have 30 or fewer students, and more than half have 26 or fewer. Almost 15,000 classes - or more than one out of every five - have 20 or fewer students. It means hundreds of thousands of students are in classes with fewer than 20 students.
The report also indicates that 15 school districts are not in compliance with provincial average class-size legislation. This is unacceptable. I will be requiring these school boards to report on how they intend to meet the legislated class-size limits, and Ministry of Education staff will be working closely with districts to ensure compliance.
Facilitator Vince Ready has recommended that the School Act be amended to include a mechanism to enforce legislated class-size limits. Mr. Ready will be discussing the issue with the parties involved, and recommending an appropriate mechanism for government to consider.
Now that we know how many students are in each of the more than 67,000 classes in B.C. public schools, the Learning Roundtable will be using that information as a baseline for discussions about class size and composition. The roundtable members, who represent the provincial government, teachers, parents, school trustees, superintendents and principals, are continuing to work together to find ways to improve classroom conditions and help B.C. students reach their full potential.
The Province is also going to be taking a closer look at how school districts make decisions around class size, starting with a pilot review ,in the Langley school district. The review will help us understand how classes are structured, who is involved in decision-making, how teachers are involved and how well the system is working. We will use this information as we work with our education partners at the Learning Roundtable to improve public education in B.C.
The class-size report shows that we are making progress. That's because we continue to add more teachers while student enrolment declines. This year, school boards hired an additional 1,177 full-time equivalent teachers while there are nearly 6,400 fewer students. It means this year there is an average of about 16 students for every educator in B.C. - the lowest since we began reporting that statistic.
While class-size ratios, averages and numbers are important, they are only one of many factors that influence student learning. We know, for example, that a good teacher can have a huge effect on student performance. Recent research indicates that compared to a poor teacher, a good teacher can improve a student's mark by one or two letter grades.
The bottom line is that we want our students to receive the best education possible - and that's happening in all regions of the province, in classes of all shapes and sizes. The ideal class size and composition depends on the teacher at the front of the class, the additional resources that might be available to assist that teacher, the students in the class, and the subject matter being taught. There is no magic number, because each class is unique. While respecting overall class-size limits, school boards and school staff have the flexibility to make decisions that meet the needs of their students.
We have a world-class education system in B.C., and we can make it even better. Our government will continue to work with school boards and the mLearning Roundtable to find ways to improve the achievement of all students in British Columbia.
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