CLASS SIZE MATTERS-Three sections of 3rd Grade at AES for 2018-19

We, the parents of the current second graders at Altamont Elementary School, would like to take a moment to address some concerns we have in regards to reducing the number of sections for 3rd grade at AES next year.

When our children were in kindergarten in 2015-16, there were only two sections therefore making the class sizes much larger than they currently are. It is our understanding that, based upon the needs of these students, the district made the decision to create three sections for 1st grade which continued into 2nd grade. The needs of these students still exist and we can only imagine that more needs have been identified since originally making the decision for three sections. Merging these students back into two sections and creating larger classes would be doing a disservice to our students and teachers. The difference 6-8 less students in a classroom makes is remarkable.

The transition to 3rd grade can be very difficult for children. The shift from the primary grades to the intermediate grades is marked by a need for greater independence and stamina. While all children are making progress and developing these skills, some require more adult support to meet the new expectations and demands. Larger classes make it difficult to meet the individual needs of some children. The progress these children have made based on their smaller class sizes could very well slow down by being a part of a class of 25. Many students have seen tremendous growth both socially and academically being part of a smaller class and we would hate to see that change due to being part of a larger class setting.

Third grade is also the first year of New York State testing. Preparing our youngest state test takers in large sections is far from ideal and once again, doing our children a disservice. Instead of reducing the amount of stress testing can put on a student, we fear we would only be magnifying that fact.

At Altamont, students are mainstreamed into the General Education setting from our self-contained classrooms. These students may not be a part of the data for class sizes since they are not part of the class for a full day. This is a very important factor and needs to be considered when making decisions to decrease the number of sections for a particular grade level.

Altamont does not currently have a full-time social worker. Days when this level of support is not available to our students, the classroom teacher needs to provide that support. Many of us have experienced this type of situation first hand and our hearts go out to the teacher and the additional strain it puts on their day. Once again, going back to the needs of this particular group of students, this can be even more of a negative impact on the students in a larger class.

The District and Board of Education have recognized that students who come to school, living in poverty, have greater challenges in school. Back in September, this factor was raised as a concern for the student population at AES when deciding to add a third section of kindergarten. AES was identified as having approximately 26% of its student population fall into this category. These challenges don't stop after kindergarten and continue to affect the our students on a daily basis across all grade levels.

Many of us were big advocates back in the fall for adding a third section of kindergarten and many of the points made in favor of that decision hold true for this scenario as well. We know you are student centered and care for our kids based on previous decisions so we hope these factors are once again taken into consideration when considering keeping our current three sections for these students. We are not asking to add a new section, simply keep what is currently in place.

Thank you for your time and consideration,