Student Achievement

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Recommended: Pros and cons of smaller class sizes

Student Achievement

This is a research paper I did to see if class size is related to student achievement.

I used two studies to see if class size was related to student achievement. When you read my paper you will gain the knowledge of how controversial this issue is. It shows the actual findings of two studies. My paper shows how younger kids are benefiting from the smaller classes. There is still ongoing research to really decide if smaller really is better.

Many parents and teachers desire smaller classes for their children. However, are smaller classes necessarily increasing student achievement? It has been an assumption that if a student is in a small class setting, there are fewer distractions and the learning experience is greater. People feel children have more individualized attention, which may lead young students towards greater academic success. Research has been conducted across the country to see if smaller class size is really better.

The number of students in a classroom recently became a controversial issue. There has been research that shows that class size depends on many variables. Some of these variables include the age level of students, subject matter taught, and instructional methods used. “Recent statistical syntheses of this research reveal that the instructional benefits of smaller classes are most significant for classes numbering under twenty students; in those with twenty five to forty students class size has little overall effect on educational quality” (Ellis, 1984, p.1). The benefits of a smaller class include increased one-on-one learning between the student and the teacher. This also allows the teacher to ascertain a student’s learning ability. If there are fewer stude...

... middle of paper ...

..., Smith, P, Zahorik, J, Halbach, A, Ehrle, K, Hoffman, L, & Cross, B. (2001). 2000-2001 Evaluation results of the student achievement guarantee in education (SAGE) program. Retrieved April 28, 2003 from the World Wide Web at http://www.asu.edu/educ/epsl/SAGE/annual_reports/2000-2001%20Evaluation/epru-0201-104.htm#overview

“Sage Initiative Evaluation”. (February 2002). Sage and direct instruction projects. Retrieved April 28, 2003 from the World Wide Web at http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/CERAI/sage.html.

This website was about Project SAGE. It explained exactly what the study intended to do. For example, it planned to: Reduce the student-teacher ratio in their classrooms to 15:1 in grades K-3; Stay open extended hours (creating "lighted schoolhouses"); Develop rigorous academic curriculums; and, Implement plans for staff development and professional accountability.

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