Procedure:  Course Offerings and Class-size Guidelines
File Code: D6-R1
Revised 9/22/17

Standards Grades 9-12:

The District will adhere to the Vermont State Board of Education Manual of Rules and Practices 2121.2. Staff as it relates to maximum class-sizes.  Namely, the class-size average for grades 9-12 when taken together shall be less than 25 students. 

Definitions: 

For purposes of this procedure, the following definitions shall apply to 9-12 Courses:

• Class – A teaching section (i.e., group of students being taught by a teacher during the same period/block) at the 9-12 level
• Course – All classes with the same title as listed within the Program of Studies (e.g., Grade 9 English, Earth Science, Geometry A, U.S. History, etc.)
• Content Area – A group of courses within a specific licensing endorsement area (e.g., English, Social Studies, Science, Math, Art, Music, French, Spanish, PE, etc.)
• Grade Level – The individual grade at the elementary level (e.g., Kindergarten, grade 1, grade 2, etc.)
• Singleton Course – Course in which only one class is offered
• New Course – A singleton course in its first or second year of existence
• Advanced Course – Advanced placement, honors, or other advanced level course
• Core Course – A specific course that is required of all students in which students do not have a choice of options available other than level.
• Elective Course – Those courses that students have a menu of options available to take in order to meet the graduation requirement, and those classes that are offered as an elective.
• Terminal Course – A course that is the most advanced course in a particular sequence of academically oriented courses. For example, in the French language sequence beginning with French 1 and ending with Advanced Placement French, the terminal course would be Advanced Placement French.
• Learning Labs – Additional instructional support time allocated for students struggling within a particular content area(s). This may include summer school support, after school support, and additional learning opportunities during the regular student day.  However, this would not include courses that are offered over an extended period of time for all students taking the course (e.g., Algebra 1B).

9-12 Governing Rules:

1. The minimum, optimal, and maximum enrollment numbers specified above is the average of all classes within the particular content area (or course for singleton, new, advanced, terminal or core courses). This means that some classes or courses may exceed the stated maximum.
2. If a course meets the minimum enrollment average enrollment stated in the chart, there is no guarantee that the course will continue to be offered. Courses and/or sections may be dropped as a result of program changes or budget restrictions as well a student registration outcomes.
3. Staffing levels during the budgeting process shall typically be done at or around the optimal level for each content area based on anticipated enrollment. Staffing allocation or reallocation between content areas may be necessary as a result of student registration outcomes.  In some cases the registration for singleton, new, advanced, or terminal courses may need to be higher than the minimum depending on the history of drops/adds for the course in order to run the course.
4. For purposes of considering class reductions, the maximum number of empty seats per advanced, terminal or core course shall be equal to the maximum average for the course. If the maximum number of seats is met or exceeded, the number of sections/classes shall be considered for reduction.
5. The Principal or his/her designee has the discretion of how many sections of each course to offer within each content area provided the overall staffing levels are within the budgetary constraints. However, Core Courses shall be given precedence over Elective Courses when it comes to section distribution.
6. The Board shall be informed in advance of the elimination of a content area, advance course or terminal course.
7. When two or more courses are offered in one class, the total enrollment for all the courses will considered for minimum, optimal and maximum class-size.
8. When two teachers co-teach one class, the class will be counted as two classes for the purpose of determining class size averages.
9. Proposed new courses must minimally be recommended for approval by the Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment prior to being considered for approval by Principal. The Principal’s decision to approve or not approve a new course shall be final provided the provisions of this procedure are adhered to.  No more than one new course per content area shall be permitted at any one time unless the enrollment for all but one of the new courses is at or above the minimum level for the content area (e.g., above 18 if an Art course).  Requests for new courses must be received by November 15^th, with final approval no later than December 1^st (prior to the development of the Program of Studies for the corresponding school year).
10. Increasing the number of classes offered of a new, advanced, or terminal course will not be considered unless the Maximum average is exceeded for the corresponding course.
11. In the event a singleton, new, advanced, or terminal course falls below the minimum, the course may be offered every-other year at the principal’s discretion.
12. In the event the enrollment for a singleton course falls below the minimum for two consecutive offerings, the course will be dropped from the offerings in the course of study.
13. Courses tentatively offered for a subsequent school year will be published in the annual Program of Studies, with the understanding that some courses may not be offered due to insufficient enrollment, budgetary constraints, staffing changes, or other administrative reasons. Furthermore, it may not be possible to schedule students for all courses sought, nor are there guarantees that schedule changes may accommodate students' changes in course selections or levels once met.
14. Due to the specialized programming requirements, unique nature of student needs, and/or federal and/or state laws or regulations, the following classes will not be subject to class-size averages not considered when determined class-size averages for courses or within content areas: Special Education classes (e.g., Resource Room), ELL classes, Reading/Math support labs, Alternative Education classes, and Drivers Education classes.

Technical Center Standards:

Career and Technical Education (CTE) class size is primarily driven by factors related to course expectations, safety considerations, and space constraints. These factors, which drive maximum class size, may also impact minimum class size decisions, and must be evaluated in the context of guidelines specific to the course and equipment under consideration.  As such, CTE courses are excluded from the average minimum, optimal, and maximum class size or course/content area enrollment parameters contained under 9-12 above.  Instead, the following shall be used:

Definitions:

• Hazardous Occupations Programs – Technical Center programs defined as hazardous programs by the Department of Labor Child Labor Bulletin 101 (e.g., Automotive, Building Technology, Professional Foods, Natural Resources, Dental and Cosmetology (clinical portions only), Pre-Tech and Intro courses aligned with those programs, etc.)

Technical Center Governing Rules:

1. Programs that run at or below the minimum staffing ratio for three years shall be considered for elimination.  Those with a staffing ratio of 1:8 or fewer students shall be considered for elimination in the following school year.  However, this does not preclude the elimination of programs that are above the minimum, or those that are at or below the minimum for less than three years.
2. Academic courses offered at the Technical Center are done so to meet the individual graduation requirements of students enrolled in the technical programs.  By not offering these academic courses, many students would not be able to participate in the technical programs resulting in a loss of revenues for the center.  As such, these academic courses do not have a specific class-size minimum.  Instead, academic courses will only be offered when it is cost effective to do so.
3. Due to the specialized programming requirements, unique nature of student needs, and/or federal and/or state laws or regulations, the following classes will not be subject to class-size averages:  Special Education classes (e.g., Resource Room), ELL classes, Drivers Education classes.