Hi Everyone,
Kathleen MacLeod and I were chosen to represent the parents and families on the School Board’s Class Size Committee.
Our first meeting in June brought the following charge:
To establish comprehensive guidelines for determining class size at RES and RJH, considering staffing to efficiently maximize student learning.
Our next meeting is this coming Tuesday, July 9th at 8AM. If you have any opinions or concerns regarding class size at RES or RJH, please contact either Kathleen at: [email protected] or me at: [email protected] so we can share them with the committee.
Please feel free to forward this message on to anyone else who may be interested. Most families that have kids entering 4th and 7th grades are included on this email.
For those interested in reading more:
Also sitting on the committee are classroom teachers and special teachers from the elementary school and junior high, the principals from the schools, 2 representatives from the school board and the assistant superintendent Mary Lyons. The goal of the committee is to have recommendations for the school board on October 1st.
Loose policy in place:
K-2: 15-18 kids (early intervention is easier to identify/enact)
3-5: 16-20 kids
6-8: nothing current
Some considerations from the meeting in June:
Is there currently a written policy in place?
What is the grade level of the class?
What are the characteristics of the class? Student characteristics, special needs/coded students, diversity of learning styles
As a class size gets larger, how does the school board support the classroom teachers?
Can supplemental teachers make a difference? For example, math/reading specialists to assist in activities
What is the classroom teacher’s experience?
Retain ability for school board to keep flexibility and not be locked down by rules
Survey other schools/districts and Rye teachers
Best Regards,
Kathleen MacLeod and Karen Allen
