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EDUCATION Enrollment up, but classes balanced ASD's largest elementary class is fifth grade Comment By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Oct. 4, 2015 at 4:23 PM Updated Oct 4, 2015 at 4:24 PM By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Oct. 4, 2015 at 4:23 PM Updated Oct 4, 2015 at 4:24 PM » Social News Enrollment is up, as predicted, but Ashland School District’s plan to even out class sizes hatched last spring appears to be working, according to a report released by the district. According to the most recent data, the district saw a 121-student increase this school year over last, with most of that influx occurring at Ashland High School. Enrollment at the high school has jumped by 69 students to 1,082. “That’s a lot for us,” ASD Superintendent Jay Hummel said while explaining the charts during a school board meeting Sept. 14. Total enrollment also increased at Helman Elementary and Walker Elementary, but class sizes are balanced throughout the district’s three publicly zoned elementary schools (John Muir School and Willow Wind Community Learning Center do not have zones). The fifth-grade classes at Walker, Helman and Bellview, though not the largest in total students, are the fullest, averaging about 28.5 students per classroom. There are 171 fifth-grade students at the three elementary schools, which each boast two fifth-grade classrooms. The largest single class in the district — 30 students — is Trish Dorr’s fifth-grade class at Helman. Two other fifth-grade classrooms have 29 students and two more 28. The numbers drop off sharply from fourth grade down. One-hundred and thirty-two fourth graders are divided into six classrooms at Walker, Helman and Bellview for a 22-students-per-classroom average. At third grade, there are 160 students in seven classrooms for a 22.9-students-per-classroom average. The Ashland School Board reviewed the numbers during its Sept. 14 meeting and was impressed. “I’m especially encouraged by the individual class sizes at each grade level,” board chair Jim Westrick said. “These are some of the best numbers I’ve seen anywhere in a long, long time.” The only elementary school class that comes close to the fifth-grade average is at second grade, where there are 146 students spread across six classrooms for a 24.3-per-class average. Ashland Middle School has 576 students, up from 569 last school year. The largest class, sixth grade, averages 30 students per room. John Muir School has 126 students (25.2 per classroom) and Willow Wind Community Learning Center 170 (18.8), plus 31 part-timers. The data was released roughly six months after the district altered its elementary school placement method. The new procedure, designed following a months-long examination of the district’s current and projected classroom sizes, allows for out-of-zone enrollment based on a set of priorities that prioritize classroom balance. Hummel said during the meeting that the changes appear to be working. “There was a concerted effort on the part of the board and the administration, working with our teacher association, to lower the class size ratios,” he said, “particularly in kindergarten through third grade. So if you sort of draw a line on that, we really came very close to that 20 to 23 range right straight through and even had a little bit of room in some of our schools.” Creating that balance hasn’t been easy, Hummel said, particularly for parents and students who’ve been redirected to a school out of their zone. “As additional students come we have (told) parents — as hard as that’s been — from one attendance zone that we will transport them to another school to try and balance those. It’s been tough. I still think it’s something we have to look at. It’s not something that’s an easy sell. And we reorganized. We put them on waiting lists. We don’t have a lot of students in that boat, but even one or two — if it’s your child that’s a difficult request. And then we try to get them back into that school when the numbers drop. Even if they drop by one, we offer that back.” As far as the big increase at the high school, which has seen some turnover with 14 new teachers, Hummel said it’s a work in progress. “We have talked to principals at length about those class sizes at all of our schools but certainly at the high school and the middle school,” he said, “and they’re monitoring it. And we really are monitoring it to ensure educational effectiveness, that students are learning and we’re not missing a group. And how do we identify that, and can we break it down at different times when it’s necessary to do that and catch up some of those students in different arrangements. That’ll be an ongoing process for us throughout the year.” Joe Zavala can be reached at 541-821-0829 or [email protected]. By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Oct. 4, 2015 at 4:23 PM Updated Oct 4, 2015 at 4:24 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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