09.28.12 Tatum Weekly Report
This blog is intendend to provide additional information or discussion on content listed in the TISD weekly report or request a topic to be reported. Provide your thoughts, questions, comments or request for additional topics below. Thanks.
I am glad that the state sets a teacher to student ratio of 1:22, but I am concerned that the cap ends at 4th grade (by the state’s standard). I have no problem with one or two classes going a couple of students over the ratio, but I have a problem with classes 5th through 8th grade that have high numbers of student to teacher ratios. Just because the state does not require a teacher to student ratio past the 4th grade, does not mean that Tatum should not. Tatum has always taken grade pride in our academics. I noticed that 4th, 6th and 7th grades have record high numbers of attendance at Tatum, but there has not been additional teaching staff to accommodate the surplus of students. Some of these core classes have 30 to almost 40 students per class. I do not feel that this is the best learning environment for our students. As a taxpayer, I would like to see more teachers hired rather than spending $1.8 million on a new field house out of the general fund account. I feel that academics should come before athletics and our last year’s EOC results and 2011 TAKS scores speak for itself.
ReplyDeleteThe secondary, above grade 5, staffing ratio standard for TISD is 24/1.
ReplyDeleteThere are 61 sections of 5th and 6th grade core classes and 7 or 11% exceed 24/1 ratio. Of the 7 sections, 5 are at 25/1, 1 is at 26/1 and 1 at 27/1.
The overall core average for 5th and 6th grade is 22/1.
TMS has 21 of 54 core sections or 39% exceeding a 24/1 ratio. The highest ratios is in Social Studies 28/1.
The overall core average at TMS is 22/1 and greater than 24/1 in social studies, 7th science and 7th reading.
The TISD Program Evaluation report for the month of October is Faculty and Staff. A final report on the current staffing will be available later in the week. The report will indicate the need for additional staffing in various areas for 2013-14 in the same manner that the 11-12 analysis indicated additional staffing that was hired for this year.
The TES & TMS raw data (as of the print date) can be found at https://dl.dropbox.com/u/37139098/Program%20Evaluation/2012-13%20Reporting%20Year/TMS%20%26%20TES_Course%20Master.pdf
Additional information on TMS sections above 24: one at 35, two at 34, two at 33, two at 32, one at 30, two at 29, three at 28, three at 27, four at 26 and one at 25.
DeleteWow, I did not realize that so many classes were over crowded in the middle school. That is a total of 99 students over the 24:1 TISD standard. I can understand a couple of classes being 1 or 2 students over, but 21 classes out 54 is not acceptable. This is not the best learning environment for our students. I understand that next year this will be evaluated, but what about this year. Our students deserve better than this and Tatum has the money to do something about it this year. What is our Administration going to do about it this year?
DeleteStaffing 'standards' are administrative guidelines and apply to the average class size. The average TMS class size in the core academic areas are 21.9 in ELA, 17.6 in Math, 27.7 in Social Studies and 22.6 in Science. Social studies is the only area outside of the 'standard.'
DeleteSocial Studies has been outside of 24/1 since 09-10: 25.9 in 09-10, 25.3 in 10-11 and 24.8 in 11-12. The corresponding TAKS passing results for 8th grade SS for 09-10 was 97% and in 10-11 was 98%. The 2011-12 STAAR passing standards will not be released until January 2013.
There are numerous considerations in making staffing decisions, with the final analysis based on core averages and maintaining a variance close to the 'standard.' Adding another staff member to the ELA staff would reduce the ELA ratio to 16.2/1, Science to 14.6/1 and Social Studies to 16.6/1. These numbers are well below the 'standard' of 24:1 and maintaining fiscal responsibility.
As in most cases with educational issues, there is no easy answer. The 2012-13 year has been staffed to the 24:1 average as in years past, meeting the 24:1 standard for 12-13 except for social studies (where we've been above the standard for several years with high student achievement as measured on TAKS).
So you are saying that having 8 class with over 30 students is not an issue that needs to be addressed this year.
ReplyDeleteThis blog is intended to provide information to questions and comments, not handle complaints. You have been provided information on the number of students in each class, the staffing rationale based on average class size and indications for staffing in 12-13.
ReplyDeleteThe handling of complaints are governed by Board policy based on the complainant being either an employee (DGBA), a student or parent (FNG) or public (GF). The Board policy can be found at http://pol.tasb.org/Home/Index/1042.