FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
     
    JIM HORNE
    Commissioner of Education
     
      
     
     
     
    STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
      
     
    F. PHILIP HANDY,
    Chairman
     
    T. WILLARD FAIR,
    Vice Chairman
     
     
    Members
     
     
    LINDA J. EADS, ED.D.
     
    CHARLES PATRICK GARCÍA
     
    JULIA L. JOHNSON
     
    WILLIAM L. PROCTOR, PH.D.
      
     
    MEMORANDUM
     
    DATE:
    December 17, 2003
     
    TO:
      
    District School Superintendents
     
    FROM:
    Jim Horne
     
    SUBJECT:
    Implementation of Class Size Reduction Requirements/2004 Compliance Calcul
    ation
    and Data Integrity Issues
     
    The Constitutional Amendment for class size reduction requires each district, beginning in the 2003-2004
    fiscal year, to reduce the average number of students in each classroom by at least two students per year
    until constitutionally required class size limits are reached, namely 18 students in Grades PK-3, 22
    students in Grades 4-8, and 25 students in Grades 9-12.
     
    The attached report provides district class size averages for 2003-2004 compared to 2003 baseline district
    class size averages, indicating district compliance with the required class size reduction for 2003-2004.
    Each district MIS Director has already received district class size averages for both years in individual
    district reports.
    The attached report summarizes this information. The report indicates that thirty-two
    districts did not comply with the class size reduction requirements for the 2003-2004 fiscal year and are
    now subject to a monetary penalty calculation. The timeline for the (1) penalty calculation, (2) process to
    submit data corrections, and (3) the appeal process will be provided next week. In the meantime, I
    encourage all districts to continue reviewing class size information for each school to determine if there
    are data errors and/or to identify factors that may have prevented you from complying with this
    requirement despite your appropriate efforts to do so.
     
    There has been concern expressed by some districts that the process and timelines for reporting class size
    information compro
    mised data integrity. I recognize the difficulty in implementing the large scale data
    reporting changes that were required to report individual class size information. As a result, Department
    staff worked with district MIS staff throughout the year to correct and update erroneous information used
    for this important calculation. The following summarizes the process that was available for all districts to
    use to review and update class size information.
     
     
    JEANINE BLOMBERG
    ASSISTANT DEPUTY COMMISSIONER
    ACCOUNTABILITY, RESEARCH, AND MEASUREMENT
     
     
    325 W. GAINES STREET • SUITE 1502 • TALLAHASSEE, FL 32399-0400 • (850) 245-0437 • www.fldoe.org
     

     
    MEMORANDUM
    District School Superintendents
    Page Two
     
     
    Please note that districts were provided six different opportunities to submit corrections for the calculation
    of district class size averages.
     
    2003 Baseline District Class Size Averages
     
    The original 2003 Baseline District Class Size Averages were released on May 12, 2003.
     
    Districts submitted corrections. Updated district class size averages were then reported to
    individual districts on June 2.
     
    Districts submitted corrections. Updated district class size averages were then reported to
    individual districts on September 2, 2003.
     
    Districts submitted corrections. Final 2003 Baseline District Class Size Averages were then
    reported to individual districts on September 19, 2003.
     
    2003-2004 District Class Size Averages
     
    Student survey period conducted during the week of October 13, 2003.
     
    District class size averages were reported to individual districts on November 7, 2003.
     
    Districts submitted corrections. Updated district class size averages were then reported to
    individual districts on November 14, 2003.
     
    Districts submitted corrections. Updated district class size averages were then reported to
    individual districts on November 20, 2003.
     
    Districts submitted corrections. Final District Class Size averages were then reported to
    individual districts on December 1, 2003.
     
    Throughout this process, detailed reports were available for districts to review which
    term/classroom/period combinations were included in the district class size averages, what scheduling
    methods were reported, and the number of unduplicated students included in the count. It was and
    continues to be important that districts access and study these detailed reports to assure that their
    classrooms were reported accurately and that no schools or classrooms were excluded from the averages,
    if they should have been included.
     
    If you have additional questions regarding the implementation of the class size reduction requirements,
    please contact Jeanine Blomberg, Assistant Deputy Commissioner, Accountability, Research and
    Measurement, at (850) 245-0437, or Jeanine.Blomberg@fldoe.org.
     
    Attachment
     
    cc:
    School District Finance Officers
    MIS
    Directors
     
      
     
     
    Page 2

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