Class sizes NOT reduced to low enough levels at Renewal schools: my testimony today

Update: It was mostly a love fest yesterday at the City Council hearings on Renewal schools, though Council Member Danny Dromm, the chair of the Education Committee, asked good questions and Jumaane Williams said he thought class size was more important than Common Core. (Yay!) 

The UFT sent the VP of  middle schools, Rich Mantell, and two teachers from Renewal schools extolling the virtues of the program, though one of the teachers at a school in District 9 admitted to Dromm she still had classes of 30 – with many high needs students, including homeless children from shelters. 

She bewailed the fact that the school was co-located with a charter and squeezed for space.  See more news coverage of the hearings at Schoolbook/WNYC and Chalkbeat.

Testimony of Leonie Haimson before the NYC Council Education Committee

On the Renewal Schools

November 23, 2015

Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today.  My name is Leonie Haimson; I run Class Size Matters, a citywide advocacy group devoted to providing information on the benefits of smaller classes to NYC parents and concerned citizens nationwide.

Since last year, the Department of Education has repeatedly claimed in their Contract for Excellence presentations that they would focus their state-mandated efforts to reduce class size on the 94 Renewal Schools.  This claim was made in December 2014, in their response to public comments to last year’s (2014-2015) Contract for Excellence plan,  and in two presentations, in the spring of 2015 and this fall, for this year’s (2015-2016) C4E plan, posted online and provided at borough hearings and Community Education Council meetings.

 “To better align with the Chancellor’s priorities, C4E’s class size reduction plan will now focus on the 94 schools in the School Renewal Program. For more information and for a list of Renewal Schools please visit: http://schools.nyc.gov/AboutUs/schools/RenewalSchool. [1]

A link is provided to the School Renewal page where no mention of class size can be found.[2] 

This fall I received complaints from parents and CEC members about the increase in class sizes at their schools, including PS 111, a Renewal school in District 30 Queens where Kindergarten class sizes increased to 27 and first grade class sizes to 31.  Though the CEC co-chair communicated with the Aimee Horowitz about this, the Executive Superintendent of the Renewal Schools, Ms. Horowitz refused to express any view or to take any action to lower them. [3] On October 19, the UFT also reported that there were hundreds of classes in Renewal schools that violated the union contractual limit of 34 students per class in high schools, and 30 in Title I middle schools. [4]

This fall, Class Size Matters and parents have repeatedly asked DOE officials at CEC meetings and by email for the list of Renewal Schools in which class size has been lowered, what funds are being used to accomplish this goal, and what oversight DOE is exercising to see that this goal is accomplished.[5]

On November 12, I attended an hour long briefing at City Hall by Ms. Horowitz about the various programs the DOE was implementing in the Renewal schools.  She made no mention of class size.  When I asked her specifically which Renewal schools had reduced class size, and what funding and strategies were employed to accomplish this, she said that all 94 Renewal schools were expected to have “proper” class sizes through the use of their additional Fair Student Funding. [6] When I followed up with an email asking what the definition of “proper” class sizes was, I received no response.

After the DOE released their annual class size reports on November 15, we analyzed the average class sizes at the 94 Renewal schools this year compared to last year. We found that 36 out of 94 schools (about 38 percent) did NOT reduce average class size this year.[7]  The highest rates of non-compliance were in Queens, where 50 percent of Renewal schools failed to reduce class size, and in the Bronx, where 40 percent of schools failed to reduce class size.We further found that 56 schools (about 60 percent) had at least some classes at 30 or more, and only seven schools  (about 7 percent) capped class sizes at the C4E goals of 20 students per class in grades K-3, 23 per class in grades 4-8, and 25 in core high school classes.[8] 

In June 2003, in the Campaign for Fiscal Equity case, the state’s highest court wrote that “[T]ens of thousands of students are placed in overcrowded classrooms … and provided with inadequate facilities and equipment. The number of children in these straits is large enough to represent a systemic failure.” [9]  The Court of Appeals said that our students were deprived of their constitutional right to a sound basic education because their class sizes were too large, and yet class sizes have not decreased significantly since then. 

 In fact, class sizes in grades K-3 have significantly increased since 2003 – and are more than 14 percent larger than when that decision was written. This year there are over 48,000 K-3 students in classes of 30 or more, and more than 351,776 students in classes that large overall – more than one third of all NYC public school students in general education, inclusion and gifted classes.[10]  

Though all students need and deserve smaller classes, students in the struggling schools should receive them first.[11]  We strongly urge the DOE to adhere to their promises to parents and the state, and ensure that students in the Renewal schools receive the support they need to succeed by capping class sizes at C4E levels.  There is no other education reform that has as strong an evidence base as class size reduction, which has been shown not only lead to better grades, higher test scores, more student engagement and improved graduation rates, but fewer student disciplinary referrals and lower teacher attrition rates as well.[12]

Thank you for your time.

---

[1] NYC DOE Assessment 2014-2015 Contracts for Excellence Public Comment, December 30, 2014, p. 4 at: 
http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/AF304521-9C1E-4EA6-B694-5F9CC80487E9/175614/C4EPublicCommentAssessment20142015FINAL.pdf 

See also DOE Contracts for Excellence Proposed FY 2016 Citywide Plan – (Borough Wide Presentation), July 2015, slide 14 at: http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/26881653-C4C8-4ACC-AD13-537D6B93B486/184676
/2016C4EBoroughPresentation071515FINAL.pdf and DOE Contracts for Excellence Proposed FY 2016 Plan (CEC presentation),  July 2015, slide 14 at: http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/26881653-C4C8-4ACC-AD13-537D6B93B486/187463/2016C4ECECPresentation.pptx

[2] http://schools.nyc.gov/AboutUs/schools/RenewalSchool
 

[3] Letter from Aimee Horowitz to Valerie Lamour, October 07, 2015.

[4] See http://nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com/2015/10/are-5485-classes-this-fall-that-violate.html and the list of Renewal schools with the most class size violations as of October 19 below.

[5] See http://www.classsizematters.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/C4E-questions-10.12.151.pdf

[6] For more on this see,  http://nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com/2015/11/my-frustrating-thursday-does-evasions.html

[7] DOE data for school specific class sizes as of Oct. 30, 2015 by grade and subject area can be found here: http://schools.nyc.gov/AboutUs/schools/data/classsize/classsize.htm   We averaged the sizes of general education, inclusion and gifted classes at each school. As middle schools report class size two ways, by grade and subject area, we averaged the schoolwide data across both those categories.

[8] The DOE does not report on the distribution of class sizes at individual schools, only the largest class sizes, so we cannot ascertain through the data alone how many classes of 30 or more are at the Renewal schools.

[9] Court of Appeals decision, Campaign for Fiscal Equity, Inc., et al. v. State of New York, et al., 100 N.Y.2d 893, 911-12, June 2003.

[10] Class Size Matters, “Summary of 2015 Class Size data,” Nov. 16, 2015, at https://shar.es/1cpXyu See also: Ben Chapman and Lisa Colangelo, “More NYC public elementary school students in overcrowded classes, study reveals”, NY Daily News, Nov. 21, 2015.

[11] Leonie Haimson, “Real Solutions to the Scandal of Struggling Schools,” Gotham Gazette, Aug 17, 2015.

[12] Institute of Education Sciences., Identifying and Implementing Educational Practices Supported by Rigorous Evidence: A User Friendly Guide, 2003.  See also fact sheets at http://www.classsizematters.org/fact-sheets-on-the-benefits-of-class-size/

NY Chief Privacy Officer makes illegal threat to charge parent to access her child's data

This letter,  sent today to Tina Sciochetti, NYS Chief Interim Privacy Officer, is reprinted with Allison White's permission.  Allison's testimony to the Cuomo Common Core Task Force on the need to protect student privacy is posted here.  Our column on the voluminous personal student data being collected in state longitudinal databases was recently published by the Washington Post here. 

It is a shame that NYSED still does not have a permanent Chief Privacy Officer or a Parent Bill of Rights developed with parent input, more than 16 months past the legal deadline. Clearly the temporary CPO in this position, with no expertise in either privacy law or civil liberties, is unqualified and incapable of of performing her critical responsibilities under the law.

Tina Sciocchetti, Chief Interim Privacy Officer

New York State Education Department

Date: November 19, 2015

via email:  CPO@nysed.gov

Dear Ms. Sciocchetti:

As you know, on June 26, 2015, I made a formal FERPA request to inspect and review (“view”) my child’s personally identifiable information (PII) data contained in the New York State Longitudinal Database. It is every parent’s right under the federal law known as FERPA, as well as the New York State Personal Privacy Protection Law, passed in 1984, to be able to inspect and review this data, and to challenge and amend it if it is erroneous. Nearly one month later, on July 20, 2015, you responded by asking me to complete a notarized verification form, which I did, and which I immediately sent back to your office .

Finally, on September 25, 2015, after much emailing back and forth and a full two months after my initial request, I received a letter from you stating that if I wanted to view my child’s PII data, I would be charged an unspecified amount. You wrote:

“Collecting all of the separate data related to a single student from the Department’s various files is a lengthy process and, under state law, the requestor bears the cost of reproducing the records (see Public Officers Law §§ 87[1][c] and 95[1][c]). If you would like an estimate of the cost of this search, please let me know.”

Please note that I am requesting the opportunity to inspect and review only my own child’s records.  FERPA puts the burden squarely on the State, as the repository of my child’s data, to make my child’s data accessible to me in a format that is readable and reviewable, free of charge.

Dale King, Director of the U.S. Department of Education’s Family Policy Compliance Office, made this clear when he recently ruled that a state is not permitted to charge parents any fee for accessing and reviewing their children’s data in its state longitudinal database.  Director King wrote:

“….educational agencies and institutions, as well as SEAs [State educational agencies] may not charge a fee for search and retrieval of education records. See § 99.ll(b)” [1] 

Please let me know when my request -- originally made nearly six months ago -- will be fulfilled.  If you are unwilling to abide by the ruling of the Family Policy Compliance Office by affording me meaningful access to my child’s PII data without fee, I will have no choice but to file a FERPA complaint with the U.S. Department of Education.

Sincerely,

Allison White  

[1] Letter from Dale King, US Dept of Education to Dale A.R. Erquiaga, Nevada Superintendent of Public Instruction, July 28, 2014 at: http://familypolicy.ed.gov/sites/fpco.ed.gov/files/Letter%20to%20Erquiaga%20072814.pdf  See also: Dad told seeing state’s records  on his kids will cost him $10 grand+,  Nevada Journal, April 24, 2014 at: http://nevadajournal.com/2014/04/24/dad-told-seeing-states-records-his-kids-will-cost-him-10-grand/  and: Federal education officials: Nevada can’t charge dad to look at children’s records; Dozens of mistakes identified in now-viewable records, , Nevada Journal, Dec.30, 2014 at: http://nevadajournal.com/2014/12/30/federal-education-officials-nevada-cant-charge-dad-look-childrens-records/

CC: MaryBeth Elia, New York State Commissioner of Education

New York Board of Regents

Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan, Chair, New York State Assembly Education Committee

Senator Carl Marcellino, Chair, New York State Senate Education Committee

Senator George Latimer, New York State Senate

Assemblyman Edward Ra, New York State Assembly

Assemblywoman Michelle Schimel, New York State Assembly

Senator Jack Martins, New York State Senate

Robert J. Freeman, Executive Director, New York State Committee on Open Government

Leonie Haimson, Executive Director, Class Size Matters; co-chair Parent Coalition for Student Privacy

Yet another unconvincing report on the results of Bloomberg's school closure policies

Update: the Research Alliance tweeted that discharge rates were decreasing over this period; though this is not what our discharge report found according to DOE data between 2000-2007, see Figure 2.  Another issue ignored by their report; the well-documented use of sub-standard credit recovery to boost graduate rates in the closing schools of over 10%. 

Yesterday, another dubious report was released by the Research Alliance, claiming better outcomes for students as a result of Bloomberg's draconian school closure policy.  A major problem with the study is that it doesn't examine the well-documented destabilizing impact of closing these schools on other large high schools nearby, as discussed in this New School report.

Nor does the report mention the issue of soaring discharge rates at the closing schools.  In fact, the word "discharge" is never used in either the report or the technical appendix.

In the report Jennifer Jennings and I wrote on the DOE's rising discharge rate between 2000 and 2007, we found this problem especially evident at the closing schools, with rates as high as 50% for the last two graduating classes at closing schools.  See this graph :

Theoretically, these students were supposed to have transferred into another high school or GED program program outside the NYC public school system, and thus were not counted as dropouts -- but probably should have been.  Indeed, a subsequent audit from the NYS Comptroller's office revealed that 15% of general ed students reported by the DOE as discharges should have been categorized as dropouts, and 20% of special ed students.  Probably an even larger percentage from the closing schools were really dropouts.

The Research Alliance was founded with $3 million in Gates Foundation funds and is maintained with Carnegie Corporation funding, which help pay for this report.  These two foundations promoted and helped subsidize the closing of large schools and their replacement with small schools; although the Gates Foundation has now renounced the efficacy of this policy.  Michele Cahill, for many years the Vice President of the Carnegie Corporation, led this effort when she worked at DOE.

The Research Alliance has also been staffed with an abundance of former DOE employees from the Bloomberg era.  In the acknowledgements, the author of this new study, Jim Kemple, effusively thanks one such individual,  Saskia Levy Thompson:

The author is especially grateful for the innumerable discussions with Saskia Levy Thompson about the broader context of high school reform in New York City over the past decade.  Saskia's extraordinary insights were drawn from her more than 15 years of work with the City's schools as a practitioner at the Urban Assembly, a Research Fellow at MDRC, a Deputy Chancellor at the Department of Education and Deputy Director for the Research Alliance. 

Levy Thompson was Executive Director of the Urban Assembly, which supplied many of the small schools that replaced the large schools, leading to better outcomes according to this report -- though one of these schools, the Urban Assembly for Civic Engagement, is now on the Renewal list.

After she left Urban Assembly, Levy Thompson  joined MDRC as a "Research Fellow," despite the fact that her LinkedIn profile indicates no relevant academic background or research skills.  At MRDC, she "helped lead a study on the effectiveness of NYC’s small high schools," confirming  the efficacy of some of the very schools that she helped start.  Here is the first of the controversial MRDC studies she co-authored in 2010, funded by the Gates Foundation, that unsurprisingly found improved outcomes at the small schools.  Here is my critique of the follow-up MRDC report.

In 2010, Levy Thompson left MRDC to head the DOE Portfolio Planning office, tasked with creating more small schools and finding space for them within existing buildings, which required that the large schools contract or better yet, close.

And where is she now?  Starting Oct. 5, Saskia Levy Thompson now runs the Carnegie Corporation's Program for "New Designs for Schools and Systems," under LaVerne Evans Srinivasan, another former DOE Deputy Chancellor from the Bloomberg era  Here is the press release from Carnegie's President, Vartan Gregorian:

 We are delighted that Saskia, who has played an important role in reforming America’s largest school system, is now joining the outstanding leader of Carnegie Corporation’s Education Program, LaVerne Evans Srinivasan, in overseeing our many investments in U.S. urban education.

How cozy! In this way, a revolving door ensures that the very same DOE officials who helped close these schools continue to control the narrative, enabling them to fund -- and even staff -- the organizations that produce the reports that retroactively justify and help them perpetuate their policies. 

2015 NYC Class Size still increasing, says DOE

For immediate release

November 16, 2015

For more information, contact Leonie Haimson, leoniehaimson@gmail.com; 917-435-9329

NYC Class Size data released; average class sizes still increasing according to DOE

Number of K-3 students in classes of 30 or more risen sharply since 2011

On Friday, DOE released the latest class size data as of Oct. 31, 2015, citywide, by borough, district and by school.  According to the DOE’s summary, “Average class size grew by 0.1 from 26.4 students per class in 2015.” They calculated that elementary and middle school class sizes remained flat, and high school class sizes increased slightly: http://tinyurl.com/ppxy8m8

Most worrisome, according to our analysis, the number of students in classes of 30 or more increased, especially in grades K-3, continuing the trend of the last few years. (In 2011, the DOE stopped complying with a side agreement to cap class sizes at 28 in grades 1-3, leading to sharp increases in these grades to 30 or more.)

According to our calculations, average class size in grades K-3 (GenEd, ICT and G&T) dropped slightly from the year before, but at this rate, it would take 47 years to reach the DOE’s original Contracts for Excellence goal of 19.9 students per class.  (During his campaign, the Mayor promised to reduce class sizes to C4E levels and if necessary, raise revenue to fund this.  See the filled out forms from a Mayoral forum at Murry Bergtraum HS in June 2013 and the NYC KidsPAC candidate survey from July 2013.)

In grades 4-8, average class size remained at 26.7, the same on average as the year before.

In high school core classes, we found that average class size dropped slightly by one tenth of a student per class, from Oct. 31, 2014 to Oct. 31, 2015, but at a rate that it would take 23 years to reach the C4E goal of 24.5 students per class.

By borough, the largest average class sizes for grades K-3 are in Queens (25.7), and in Staten Island for grades 4-8 (28.7) and high school (29.7).

We also took a look at which schools have the largest class sizes.

The largest Kindergarten classes, all averaging 30 students per class or more,  far above the UFT cap of 25, are at PS 308 Clara Cardwell in D16 Brooklyn (ICT at 33);  PS 181 (ICT at 33) and PS 191 Paul Robeson (GenEd at 31) both in D17 Brooklyn; PS 43 in D27 in Queens (ICT at 31); PS 73 in D9 Bronx (GenEd at 30); PS 57 Crescent in D12 Bronx (ICT at 30); PS 006 in D17 Brooklyn (ICT at 30); and PS 116 in D32 Brooklyn (ICT at 30).

K	16	K308	P.S. 308 CLARA CARDWELL	0K	ICT	33.00
K	17	K181	P.S. 181 BROOKLYN	0K	ICT	33.00
K	17	K191	P.S. 191 PAUL ROBESON	0K	GEN ED	31.00
Q	27	Q043	P.S. 043	0K	ICT	31.00
X	09	X073	P.S. 073 BRONX	0K	GEN ED	30.00
X	12	X057	P.S. 057 CRESCENT	0K	ICT	30.00
K	17	K006	P.S. 006	0K	ICT	30.00
K	32	K116	P.S. 116 ELIZABETH L FARRELL	0K	ICT	30.00

The largest 1^st grade classes, all averaging above 32 students per class  (the UFT cap in this grade), are at PS 305 Dr. Peter Ray in D13 Brooklyn (ICT at 34); PS 193 Alfred J. Kennedy in D25 Queens (GenEd at 34); PS 48 William C. Wilcox (ICT at 33 and GenEd at 32.5) in D 31 Staten Island; Staten Island School of Civic Leadership, D31 Staten Island (ICT at33); PS 19 Judith K. Weiss in D11 Bronx (GenEd at 32.50);  PS 238 Anne Sullivan in D 21 Brooklyn (GenEd at 32.5); PS 54 Charles W. Leng in D31 Staten Island (GenEd at 32.5); PS 100 The Coney Island School in D21 Brooklyn (GenEd at 32.33) and PS 22 Graniteville in D31 Staten Island (GenEd at 32.25).

K	13	K305	P.S. 305 DR. PETER RAY	01	ICT	34.00
Q	25	Q193	P.S. 193 ALFRED J. KENNEDY	01	GEN ED	34.00
R	31	R048	P.S. 048 WILLIAM C. WILCOX	01	ICT	33.00
R	31	R861	Staten Island School of Civic Leadership	01	ICT	33.00
X	11	X019	P.S. 019 JUDITH K. WEISS	01	GEN ED	32.50
K	21	K238	P.S. 238 ANNE SULLIVAN	01	GEN ED	32.50
R	31	R048	P.S. 048 WILLIAM C. WILCOX	01	GEN ED	32.50
R	31	R054	P.S. 054 CHARLES W. LENG	01	GEN ED	32.50
K	21	K100	P.S. 100 THE CONEY ISLAND SCHOOL	01	GEN ED	32.33
R	31	R022	P.S. 022 GRANITEVILLE	01	GEN ED	32.25

The largest average 2^nd grade classes,  all above the union contractual cap of 32 students per class, are at:  PS 156 Waverly in D23 Brooklyn; (ICT at 35);  PS 100 The Coney Island School in D21 Brooklyn (ICT at 34); IS 119 The Glendale in D24 Queens (ICT at 34); PS 21 Margaret Emery-Elm Park in D31 Staten Island (ICT at 34); PS 2013 The School for Future Leaders in D22 Brooklyn (GenEd at 33.33);  PS 84 Lillian Weber in D3 Manhattan (ICT at 33); PS 282 Park Slope in D13 Brooklyn (ICT at 33); PS 193 Alfred J. Kennedy in D25 Queens (GenEd at 33); PS 46 Alley Pond in D26 Queens (GenDd And ICT at 33); PS 99 Kew Gardens in D28 Queens (ICT at 33); PS 52 D29 Queens (ICT, 33); PS 48 William Wilcox D31 Staten Island (ICT, 33 and GenEd 32.5); PS 53 Bay Terrace, D31 Staten Island (ICT, 33);  Staten Island School of Civic Leadership, Brooklyn (GenEd, 32.33).

K	23	K156	P.S. 156 WAVERLY	02	ICT	35.00
K	21	K100	P.S. 100 THE CONEY ISLAND SCHOOL	02	ICT	34.00
Q	24	Q119	I.S. 119 THE GLENDALE	02	ICT	34.00
R	31	R021	P.S. 21 MARGARET EMERY-ELM PARK	02	ICT	34.00
K	22	K203	P.S. 203 The School for Future Leaders	02	GEN ED	33.33
M	03	M084	P.S. 084 LILLIAN WEBER	02	ICT	33.00
K	13	K282	P.S. 282 PARK SLOPE	02	ICT	33.00
Q	25	Q193	P.S. 193 ALFRED J. KENNEDY	02	GEN ED	33.00
Q	26	Q046	P.S. 046 ALLEY POND	02	GEN ED	33.00
Q	26	Q046	P.S. 046 ALLEY POND	02	ICT	33.00
Q	28	Q099	P.S. 099 KEW GARDENS	02	ICT	33.00
Q	29	Q052	P.S. 052 QUEENS	02	ICT	33.00
R	31	R048	P.S. 048 WILLIAM C. WILCOX	02	ICT	33.00
R	31	R053	P.S. 053 BAY TERRACE	02	G&T	33.00
R	31	R861	Staten Island School of Civic Leadership	02	ICT	33.00
K	22	K255	P.S. 255 BARBARA REING SCHOOL	02	GEN ED	32.67
K	23	K156	P.S. 156 WAVERLY	02	GEN ED	32.67
Q	26	Q162	P.S. 162 JOHN GOLDEN	02	GEN ED	32.67
Q	26	Q188	P.S. 188 KINGSBURY	02	G&T	32.50
R	31	R048	P.S. 048 WILLIAM C. WILCOX	02	GEN ED	32.50
R	31	R861	Staten Island School of Civic Leadership	02	GEN ED	32.50
X	10	X032	P.S. 032 BELMONT	02	GEN ED	32.33
K	20	K229	P.S. 229 DYKER	02	GEN ED	32.33

The largest average 3^rd grade classes, all above the union contractual cap of 32, are at PS 21 Philip H. Sheridan in D11 Bronx (GenEd ,34.67); PS 176 Cambria Heights in D29 Queens (G&T at 34.5); The Bellaire School in D29 Queens (GenEd at 33.75); PS 140 Nathan Straus in D1 Manhattan (GenEd at 33); PS 212 Midtown West in D2 Manhattan (ICT at 33); PS 20 P.O. George J. Werdan III in D10 Bronx (GenEd and ICT, 33); Luisa Piñeiro Fuentes School of Science and Discovery in D10 Bronx (GenEd, 33); PS 115 Glen Oaks in D26 in Queens (G&T, 33); and Staten Island School of Civic Leadership, D31 Staten Island (GenEd, 33).

X	11	X021	P.S. 021 Philip H. Sheridan	03	GEN ED	34.67
Q	29	Q176	P.S. 176 CAMBRIA HEIGHTS	03	G&T	34.50
Q	29	Q135	THE BELLAIRE SCHOOL	03	GEN ED	33.75
M	01	M140	P.S. 140 NATHAN STRAUS	03	GEN ED	33.00
M	02	M212	P.S. 212 MIDTOWN WEST	03	ICT	33.00
X	10	X020	P.S. 20 P.O.GEORGE J. WERDAN III	03	GEN ED	33.00
X	10	X020	P.S. 20 P.O.GEORGE J. WERDAN III	03	ICT	33.00
X	10	X307	Luisa Piñeiro Fuentes School of Science and Discovery	03	GEN ED	33.00
Q	26	Q115	P.S. 115 GLEN OAKS	03	G&T	33.00
R	31	R861	Staten Island School of Civic Leadership	03	GEN ED	33.00

The largest average 4^th grade classes, all far above the UFT cap of 32, are at: PS 221 Toussaint L'Ouverture, in D17 Brooklyn (ICT, 39 and GenEd, 37); PS 96 in D27 Queens (GenEd, 37); PS 195 Manhattan Beach in D22 Brooklyn  (G&T, 36); PS 21 Philip H. Sheridan in D11 Bronx (GenEd, 35.5); PS 9 Teunis Gl Bergen in D13 Brooklyn (ICT, 35); PS 195 Manhattan Beach in D22 Brooklyn (GenEd, 35), and PS 86 in D28 Queens (ICT, 35).

K	17	K221	P.S. 221 Toussaint L'Ouverture	04	ICT	39.00
K	17	K221	P.S. 221 Toussaint L'Ouverture	04	GEN ED	37.00
Q	27	Q096	P.S. 096	04	GEN ED	37.00
K	22	K195	P.S. 195 MANHATTAN BEACH	04	G&T	36.00
X	11	X021	P.S. 021 Philip H. Sheridan	04	GEN ED	35.50
K	13	K009	P.S. 009 TEUNIS G. BERGEN	04	ICT	35.00
K	22	K195	P.S. 195 MANHATTAN BEACH	04	GEN ED	35.00
Q	28	Q086	P.S. Q086	04	ICT	35.00

The largest 5^th grade classes, all far above the union cap of 32, are at PS 269 Nostrand in D22 Brooklyn (ICT, 37); PS 20 Port Richmond in D31 Staten Island (GenEd and ICT, 35); PS 133 Fred R. Moore in D5 Manhattan (ICT , 34); PS 20 P.O. George J. Werdan III in D10 Bronx (GenEd 34); PS 26 in D16 Brooklyn, GenEd 34); PS 56 Harry Eichler in D27 Queens (GenEd, 34); PS 144 Col. Jeromus Remsen (GenEd, 34); PS/MS 147 Ronald McNair in D29 Queens ( ICT, 34).

K	22	K269	P.S. 269 NOSTRAND	05	ICT	37.00
R	31	R020	P.S. 020 PORT RICHMOND	05	GEN ED	35.00
R	31	R020	P.S. 020 PORT RICHMOND	05	ICT	35.00
M	05	M133	P.S. 133 FRED R MOORE	05	ICT	34.00
X	10	X020	P.S. 20 P.O.GEORGE J. WERDAN III	05	GEN ED	34.00
K	16	K026	P.S. 026 JESSE OWENS	05	GEN ED	34.00
Q	27	Q056	P.S. 056 HARRY EICHLER	05	GEN ED	34.00
Q	28	Q144	P.S. 144 COL JEROMUS REMSEN	05	GEN ED	34.00
Q	29	Q147	PS/MS 147 Ronald McNair	05	ICT	34.00

According to DOE data, the largest 6^th grade classes, all far above the union cap of 33 for non-Title I schools (30 in Title I), are all in the Bronx: the Urban Assembly School for Applied Math and Science in D9 (ICT at 85); Antonia Pantoja Preparatory Academy: A College Board School in D11 (ICT, 57); Pelham Academy Of Academics And Community Engagement in D11 (GenEd, 37.5);  and MS 180 Dr. Daniel Hale Williams in D11 (ICT, 35).

X	09	X241	Urban Assembly School for Applied Math and Science, The	06	ICT	-	85.00
X	08	X376	Antonia Pantoja Preparatory Academy: A College Board School	06	ICT	-	57.00
X	11	X468	PELHAM ACADEMY OF ACADEMICS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT	06	GEN ED	-	37.50
X	11	X180	M.S. 180 Dr. Daniel Hale Williams	06	ICT	-	35.00

The largest 7^th grade classes, all far above the UFT cap of 33 for non-Title I schools (30 in Title I) are:  Antonia Pantoja Preparatory Academy: A College Board School (D8 Bronx (ICT, 73); Urban Assembly School for Applied Math and Science in D9 Bronx (ICT, 69); Robert F. Wagner, Jr. Secondary School for Arts and Technology in D24 Queens (GenEd, 42); Mark Twain I.S. 239 For The Gifted & Talented in D21 Brooklyn (ICT, 39.5); Creston Academy in D10 Bronx (ICT, 35.5); Conselyea Preparatory School in D14 Brooklyn (GenEd, 35.25); and PS 171 Patrick Henry in D4 Manhattan (GenEd,35).

X	08	X376	Antonia Pantoja Preparatory Academy: A College Board School	07	ICT	73.00
X	09	X241	Urban Assembly School for Applied Math and Science, The	07	ICT	69.00
Q	24	Q560	Robert F. Wagner, Jr. Secondary School for Arts and Technology	07	GEN ED	42.00
K	21	K239	MARK TWAIN I.S. 239 FOR THE GIFTED & TALENTED	07	ICT	39.50
X	10	X447	CRESTON ACADEMY	07	ICT	35.50
K	14	K577	CONSELYEA PREPARATORY SCHOOL	07	GEN ED	35.25
M	04	M171	P.S. 171 PATRICK HENRY	07	GEN ED	35.00

The schools with the largest 8^th grade class sizes, according to DOE data, are Antonia Pantoja Preparatory Academy: A College Board School (ICT, 72); Robert F. Wagner, Jr. Secondary School for Arts and Technology in D24 Queens (GenEd, 54); MS 301 Paul L. Dunbar in D8 Bronx (GenEd, 36); Conselyea Preparatory School in D14 Brooklyn (ICT, 36); and MS 180 Dr. Daniel Hale Williams in D11 Bronx (ICT, 35).

X	08	X376	Antonia Pantoja Preparatory Academy: A College Board School	08	ICT	72.00
Q	24	Q560	Robert F. Wagner, Jr. Secondary School for Arts and Technology	08	GEN ED	54.00
X	08	X301	M.S. 301 PAUL L. DUNBAR	08	GEN ED	36.00
K	14	K577	CONSELYEA PREPARATORY SCHOOL	08	ICT	36.00
X	11	X180	M.S. 180 Dr. Daniel Hale Williams	08	ICT	35.00

There are 73 NYC high schools, according to DOE data, that have programs/courses that average above the UFT cap of 34.  

The ones with the largest average class sizes of 40 or more in various courses include the NYC iSchool in Manhattan, Sheepshead Bay HS in Brooklyn; Curtis HS in Staten Island; Crotona International High School in the Bronx; and Bayside HS in Queens.

M	02	M376	NYC iSchool	09-12	ICT	United States History Accelerated	-	70.00
M	02	M376	NYC iSchool	09-12	ICT	MS English Core	-	62.50
M	02	M376	NYC iSchool	09-12	GEN ED	Algebra 2/Trig	-	59.50
M	02	M376	NYC iSchool	09-12	ICT	Other Science	-	59.00
M	02	M376	NYC iSchool	09-12	GEN ED	Integrated Algebra	-	58.00
M	02	M376	NYC iSchool	09-12	GEN ED	Chemistry	-	56.00
K	22	K495	SHEEPSHEAD BAY HIGH SCHOOL	09-12	GEN ED	Integrated Algebra	-	55.00
M	02	M376	NYC iSchool	09-12	GEN ED	Geometry	-	53.50
R	31	R450	CURTIS HIGH SCHOOL	09-12	ICT	MS English Core	-	50.00
M	02	M376	NYC iSchool	09-12	GEN ED	Other Science	-	48.00
M	02	M376	NYC iSchool	09-12	GEN ED	Global History	-	47.50
X	10	X524	Crotona International High School	09-12	GEN ED	Other Science	-	46.50
M	02	M376	NYC iSchool	09-12	GEN ED	Economics	-	43.00
M	02	M376	NYC iSchool	09-12	ICT	Global History	-	42.00
Q	26	Q495	BAYSIDE HIGH SCHOOL	09-12	ICT	Other Social Studies	-	41.79
K	22	K495	SHEEPSHEAD BAY HIGH SCHOOL	09-12	GEN ED	English 9	-	40.00

Smaller classes are the top priority of NYC parents to improve their schools according to the DOE’s Learning Environment Survey every year 2007-2014; until 2015, when this question was omitted from the DOE Survey.

This year’s class size data, by school, district, borough, and citywide, are posted at http://schools.nyc.gov/AboutUs/schools/data/classsize/classsize.htm.  All our calculations are done by comparing the reported October 31 class size data, released each year by the DOE on November 15, from year to year. The original Contract for Excellence goals adopted by the city and approved by the state in 2007 are posted here: http://tinyurl.com/kbyv4pm

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