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EDUCATION Bursting at the seams Medford mulls ways to reduce class sizes after enrollment exceeds expectations Comment Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Follow @@teresathomas_MT MailTribune.com Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Follow @@teresathomas_MT Posted Nov. 18, 2015 at 12:01 AM Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Follow @@teresathomas_MT Posted Nov. 18, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News Increased enrollment and limited space contributed to larger-than-expected class sizes at some schools in the Medford School District this year. As of October, there were 7,716 elementary students enrolled in the district, compared with 7,489 in October 2014, an increase of 3 percent. Last year, Medford's and Central Point’s median class size — 26 and 28, respectively — not only exceeded that of neighboring districts but also the state’s median class size of 25, according to a recent report by Oregon Department of Education. In an effort to reduce class sizes, Medford added 16 teaching positions in August and, because of higher-than-projected enrollment, hired another six teachers in September. Oregon does not have class-size requirements, said Oregon Department of Education spokeswoman Crystal Greene. However, according to the 2014 Quality Education Commission Report, the average class size in a fully funded “prototype” school would be 20 students in kindergarten and first grade, 23 students in second and third grades, 24 students in the fourth and fifth grades, and no more than 29 students in middle school and high school. Medford aims at keeping kindergarten and first-grade classes under 22, second- and third-grade classes under 27, and fourth- through sixth-grade classes under 32. Last year, the median class size at eight of the district’s 14 elementary schools exceeded that target range in the first grade, and half of the elementary schools’ median class sizes exceeded the target range in the third and fifth grades. Average class sizes exceeded targets in nearly a quarter of Medford's 98 classes of kindergarten through sixth grade. One of Jacksonville Elementary School’s fifth-grade classes had 38 students. And this year, class sizes at the school range from 24 to 33 students, said Principal Joe Frazier. “Parents don’t like to see 30 kids shoved in a classroom any more than I do,” Frazier said. Enrollment at the school jumped from about 420 students last year to about 490 this year, which includes students served by the Southern Oregon Education Service District in the STEPS program who meet in the school, so the district provided one additional full-time and part-time teacher, as well as four additional full-time educational support staff. But without additional classroom space, the school can’t add any more teachers, Frazier said. There currently is one second-grade class that meets in the school’s music room Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and on the school’s stage Tuesdays and Thursdays when music classes are in session. “We were so desperate (for space), we thought about turning our staff room into a classroom,” Frazier said, adding that they also considered having a class meet in the library. Frazier said district officials are studying a variety of possible, more permanent solutions for next year, including moving boundary lines, relocating the MAPS (Multi-Age Positive Support) and STEPS programs that are currently housed in the building, and moving sixth-graders into the middle schools. Chief Academic Officer Michelle Zundel and a team of nearly 50 teachers, parents and administrators are researching the academic and developmental impact of moving sixth-graders into the middle schools. Parents and community members are invited to voice their opinions on this topic at a public forum to be held at the beginning of December, the date and time of which will be posted on the district's website. The team will make its recommendation to the Medford School Board at the Dec. 14 meeting. “Teachers were very happy for the extra support, but obviously they would like the classes to be smaller,” said Frazier. “And there is excitement for next year because the district has committed to making things better for us here at Jacksonville.” This year, Medford Education Association President and Jefferson Elementary School teacher Dan Jones is teaching a fifth-grade class with 27 students, which he says is “wonderful.” For the last eight or nine years, Jones has taught fourth-grade at Jefferson and never had fewer than 30 students in his class. The district added a fourth-grade teacher at the school this year, bringing fourth-grade classes down to about 23 or 24 students, and it offered to provide another teacher to teach a blended classroom with second- and third-graders. However, teachers chose to have larger class sizes in lieu of having a blended class, Jones said. “Blends are hard to do because you’re essentially teaching two different curricula and standards,” he said. Large class sizes require more classroom management by the teacher, leave little room for kids to move around in the classroom, increase the amount of time teachers spend grading and preparing lessons, and mean students are getting less one-on-one time from their teachers, Jones said. It’s “more challenging than it looks on paper,” and even walking down the hall with that many kids is difficult, he said. Jones acknowledged that space, although not as tight as at Jacksonville Elementary, is still a problem at Jefferson. “Even if we got all the teachers we wanted, we’d have nowhere to put them,” he said. “At Jefferson, we’ve filled every room at the school this year, whereas in the past we had one or two empty classrooms.” The MEA and district officials worked to come up with a formula to determine where to allocate educational support staff based on several factors, including class size and whether it’s a blended class, Jones said. Support staff run small groups, answer individual questions, make copies, tie shoes and help out the teacher in a variety of other ways. However, teachers still want time with each student, not only to provide academic support but also to address issues that stem from challenges in their home life, Jones said. “Class sizes are definitely still a challenge for educators,” he said. “We need more teachers. We need more space. “What the district has done this year is a great start, but it’s still not optimal,” he added. ODE's 2014-15 class size report is available at www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?id=5399 . The report contains data not included in past reports, including the median class size by school and district, the median class size by academic subjects, and the number of certified teachers assigned to a class. Reach education reporter Teresa Thomas at 541-776-4497 or [email protected] . Follow her at www.twitter.com/teresathomas_mt . Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Follow @@teresathomas_MT MailTribune.com Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Follow @@teresathomas_MT Posted Nov. 18, 2015 at 12:01 AM » 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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