
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, June 25, 1993                   TAG: 9306250279
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND                                LENGTH: Medium

REPORT: CLASS SIZES NEED TO BE LIMITED

Teachers of kindergarten through third grade spend several hours of their own time trying to keep up with classes considered too large for quality education, according to a report released Thursday.

Because research shows a correlation between smaller classes and better learning during the first four years a child is in school, the state Department of Education is recommending that the student-teacher ratio be lowered to 18-to-1. The proposal would mean hiring 4,200 more teachers by 1996 at a cost of $113 million.

Joseph A. Spagnolo Jr., state superintendent of public instruction, said reducing class size in the first four years of school is a priority.

"It's an important thing to do," he said. "Even if we have to make some trade-offs in other areas, it's well worth doing."

Only 11 percent of the teachers surveyed for the report said they had a full-time aide, most of them in kindergarten. Forty percent had part-time aides.

Fewer students in kindergarten through third grade means higher test scores and fewer failures, according to the report.

Virginia now allows as many as 30 students per classroom in those grades, with a teacher's aide required for kindergarten classes with more than 25 students. The study found that the average class size is 21 to 23 students. Only 15 percent of the 492 teachers surveyed had 18 or fewer students.

Teachers with the smallest classes spend about 30 minutes more a day with their students, the study found.

Although local contracts generally commit teachers to a seven-hour day, the study found that on average, teachers work nine hours a day plus five hours on the weekend. Eighty-nine percent of the teachers surveyed reported working weekends planning and evaluating students.

The report also said the teachers spend about half their time in activities traditionally considered teaching. The rest of the time they spend preparing lessons and doing nonacademic and administrative tasks.

Because the proposal excludes money for additional rooms that would be needed to serve smaller groups of students, the department is recommending an exemption for divisions that are unable to find more space. Classes could have up to 25 students if teacher aides are hired, according to the proposal.

The Board of Education will consider the class-size recommendations along with other budget proposals when it meets today.

by CNB