MSTA proposes class size legislation Senate Bill 478/House Bill 439 urges “concrete definition” for class size
| MSTA testimony, Senate Bill 478, February 28, 2007 |
| Diana Saquella, MSTA Government Relations |
| Cheryl Bost, President, Teachers Association of Baltimore County |
MSTA's New Business Item 6 (NBI-6), passed by the 2006 Representative Assembly, requested the Association to pursue legislation that would make class size a permissive topic of bargaining under Maryland education law. If passed, a new law would allow Local Associations and boards of education to treat class size as a basic working condition, if both agreed to do so.
Meaningful legislation will require that accurate and consistent class size data, such as that requested in Senate Bill 478/House Bill 439, be collected by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) and reported to the Maryland General Assembly each year.
Such data would show the actual class size, which is the number of students who regularly appear in a teacher's classroom and for whom that teacher is primarily responsible and accountable. Current class size data is misleading because it simply reflects the number of teachers and the number of students in a school.
Educators know that class size is at the very top of the list of working conditions and has a crucial impact on student success—small class sizes allow both students and educators to work to their potential.
| Highlights from MSTA's proposed legislation:
… MSDE shall devise uniform data collection to collect the number of students who regularly appear in a teacher's classroom … Data shall reflect the number in each class as of September 30 of each year. Total teachers counted must not include curriculum specialists, guidance counselors, librarians, media specialists, instructional aides, attendance personnel, health services personnel, psychologists, social workers, clerical personnel, community college staff, or persons … who are not responsible for the day-to-day teaching of the same group of pupils. MSDE should report this information to the General Assembly no later than November 1 of each year. |
Fast facts:
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There is strong support among the public and a demonstrated effectiveness of smaller classes on student achievement, particularly on closing the achievement gap among minority students. However, until we have accurate data we will continue to be guessing on whether funding is effectively reducing class size in Maryland schools.
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Currently MSDE does not collect class size data. MSDE publishes a pupil–teacher ratio (PTR) that compares the total number of teachers to the total number of students and provides no information about the range of class sizes.
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MSTA believes gathering accurate data is the first step to determining actual class size and identifying whether local school boards are reducing class size.
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The 1998 Maryland General Assembly established the Special Committee to Examine Issues Related to Class Size Reduction. The Committee recommended the Maryland State Department of Education collect data that show the actual number of students in each class in Maryland. This recommendation was never acted on.
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In 1999, the Maryland General Assembly established a class size reduction initiative that was funded from 2000 to 2003. In Fiscal Year 2004, funding was folded into the Bridge to Excellence Act foundation amount. The Bridge to Excellence Act requires local school system master plans to account for efforts to reduce class size. Without accurate data on actual class size, it is unclear whether progress is occurring.
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In the fall of 2003, NEA began requesting class size information from state departments of education. To collect, store and disseminate “actual” class size data — not just misleading pupil–teacher ratios—NEA recommended state boards of education and legislatures enact requirements to collect “actual” class size.
