Comments

1
So I keep hearing that its not class size that matters rather the quality of the teach that is important. I had class sizes of about 30, and not sure how much would have changed if 15-20.
2
Superintendent Banda said in a letter last week that he was seeking to implement the "Danielson framework" for teacher evaluations, which in his mind emphasize test scores. But Charlotte Danielson herself has said "using standardized test scores to asses… Of course, using test scores is great if you are a fan of rampant teaching and of kids not actually getting a real education.
3
Argh, the system cut off the key part of the quote. Danielson said "using standardized test scores to assess teachers is indefensible."
4
Time for a state income tax.
5
Seattle 14, I have a hard time believing you're a teacher if you would not see the difference between a class of 30 and a class of 15. Please.

To note, the article makes it sound like there is no art or PE or music in SPS. There is but the issue is that it really varies from school to school (and it's a lot about PTA fundraising).

The caseload issue is really big as we are talking about the professionals - nurses, speech therapists, etc - who help students with medical issues. A caseload of up to 100 students is wrong.

The teacher evaluation point is also valid. Nearly the entire country will be switching to new assessments (based on the national standards - likely to be a disaster - called Common Core). It is a waste of time and money to based the teachers evaluations on one test this year and a difference test the next year (with all the work it entails on both sides). The teachers have NO problem being evaluated but it has to be fair.
6
@4 time for a law limiting classroom size.
7
The average class sizes in the USA are

Elementary: 20.3
Secondary: 18.6

The average class sizes in WA are:

Elementary: 22.3 (+9.85% over US average)
Secondary: 30.8 (+65.5% over US average)

Make the law peg the maximum to the last year's national average and be done with it.

http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/sass/tables/s…
8
Cue the race to the bottom trolls angry that some asshole with book learnin' is makin' more money than they are.
9
Man I hate it when teachers demand the right to teach. It's so old-school.
10
@7 Not to defend WA class size, but some states/districts calculate class size differently. They count all teachers (including PE, Music, Library), then divide the kids to to get their average ratio, and that's what they report to the state, which then goes to the Feds. Other states/districts only count the classroom teachers, then divide up the kids, and get a more accurate count. In generally, if it looks pretty small, they're probably doing the former (unless they're in the outer reaches of Alaska). Given what I've seen around the country, most states have relatively similar class sizes, with a few exceptions (Utah - extra large, some of the inner city urban districts are extra large), but most range on average from 25-32 kids per class, maybe a little lower in K-1 and a few higher in secondary.

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