Back to Policy Manual index

Barre Town Supervisory District Policy Manual

TITLE: Class Size     CODE: IIB

 

The Barre Town Board of School Directors recognizes the correlation between class sizes and student achievement. The Board also recognizes its responsibility to ensure that class-size guidelines do not impose an unreasonable financial burden on the community or have an adverse impact on other educational programs and operational functions at the Barre Town School. The Board acknowledges the distribution of students among teachers rarely makes it possible to implement an exact numerical class size at any particular grade level.
In setting these guidelines, the Board recognizes that such guidelines must be flexible and incorporate additional factors in making decisions about class size, which, among others include the unique needs of class or grade-level populations of students, curricular structure, physical plant, and staff training.
The Barre Town School ideal class-sizes are as follows:

Grade Ideal Size When taken together by grade level
the average shall be no higher than:
Kindergarten 16 18
First 18 20
Second 18 20
Third 18 20
Fourth 20 22
Fifth 20 22
Sixth 20 22
Seventh 23 25
Eighth 23 25

The Barre Town Board of School Directors will not exceed the Vermont Department of Education School Quality Standards for student/staff ratios.

1st Reading: 2/1/06
2nd Reading: 2/15/06
Legal Reference(s): Vermont Department of Education Rules 2120.8.2(b)
Cross-References: Tennessee STAR (Student Teacher Achievement Ratio) Study 1985 Work Products and Minutes of 2005-06 Class Size Committee