Class Size Reduction

Class-Size Reduction in Grades 4-5

Due to the California Class-Size Reduction (CSR) Program established in 1996, LAUSD funds teachers for grades K-3 at an average class size of no more than 20 students.  The lower class size in these grades permits children to master reading and writing—skills they need to succeed in school as they get older.  Teachers also report spending more time working with individual students as a result of CSR, and fewer disruptions in the smaller classes.

This level of extra funding, however, disappears when children reach Grades 4-5, which LAUSD funds at an average class size of up of to 35 students.  In order to help re-duce class size in the upper grades, Friends of Marquez pays for three CSR teachers who work as a team with the regular grade-level teachers, taking about half the class at a time to teach certain core curriculum subjects like Language Arts, Math, Science and Writing.  These instructors, along with the other enrichment classes Friends provides, help reduce class size in the upper grades.