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Fingertip Facts

Goal

The goal of the K-3 Class Size Reduction (CSR) Program is to increase student achievement, particularly in reading and mathematics, by decreasing the size of K-3 classes to 20 or fewer students per certificated teacher.

Legal References

California Education Code sections 52120 - 52128.5

Funding Levels

The CSR Program (Chapter 163, Statutes of 1996) and the CSR Facilities Funding Program (Chapter 164, Statutes of 1996) represent the single largest appropriation ever -- nearly one billion dollars for the initial year -- for educational reform. In 1996-97, $771 million was allocated for operation costs (hiring teachers) and $200 million was allocated separately for school facilities to districts that implemented CSR. To fully implement, the CSR Program requires an annual allocation of approximately $1.7 billion. In 1996-97, school districts received $650 for each pupil enrolled in a class of 20 or fewer in grades K-3 (only three grade levels per school could participate in the first year). Districts operating a half-day program of smaller classes received $325 per pupil. In 1997-98, school districts received $800 per pupil for the full day program (Option One) and $400 per pupil for the half-day program (Option Two). The law now provides an annual increase equivalent to the statutory cost of living allowance. In 2004-05, school districts receive $928 per pupil in an Option One class and $464 per pupil in an Option Two class.

Basic Program Requirements

The CSR Program is a voluntary program. The state provides per pupil funding for each child in grades K-3 who receives instruction in a class of 20 or fewer pupils. The program has two options. Option One provides full funding for pupils who receive the 20-to-1 instruction all day and Option Two provides half funding for pupils who receive the 20-to-1 instruction for half of the instructional minutes per day. All pupils must receive this instruction from a certificated teacher, not an instructional aide. Each CSR class must be in a separate, self-contained classroom or the equivalent square footage provided before CSR. Although classes may occasionally exceed 20 pupils without penalty, in order to receive funding each class must maintain an average of 20.4 pupils or less.

Participation Data

1996-97 - 839 districts participated (94%) - 56 districts did not participate

1997-98 - 875 districts participated (98%) - 20 districts did not participate

1998-99 - 883 districts participated (99%) - 13 districts did not participate

1999-00 - 886 districts participated (99%) - 9 districts did not participate

2000-01 - 886 districts participated (99%) - 9 districts did not participate

2001-02 - 881 districts participated (99%) - 6 districts did not participate

2002-03 - 886 districts participated (99%) - 7 districts did not participate

2003-04 - 895 districts participated (99%) - 13 districts did not participate

2004-05 - 891 districts participated (99%) - 10 districts did not participate

2005-06 - 882 districts participated (99%) - 8 districts did not participate

Facilities Data

1996-97

1997-98

1998-99

Class Size Reduction Evaluation

The California Department of Education (CDE) awarded the contract for the statewide evaluation of the K-3 CSR Program to the CSR Research Consortium . The partnership is led by the American Institutes for Research (AIR) and the RAND Corporation . It includes as subcontractors Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE), WestEd , and EdSource . The California Educational Research Cooperative at the University of California, Riverside also collaborated on this research project. The evaluation was mandated by Senate Bill 1777, the legislation that authorized the CSR Program, and is based on a research plan adopted by the State Board of Education in November 1997.

The evaluation was conducted over four years beginning in May 1998 and ending with a report to the Governor and legislature in June 2002. The research team employed a variety of data gathering methods. These include surveys of district administrators, school principals, teachers, and parents; in-class observations of reduced and non-reduced classes; use of standard test scores; and administration of supplemental tests of reading for first grade students. The team also used existing data including SABE/2 scores (a Spanish language test of educational achievement) from a sample of districts with large proportions of Spanish speaking students, and the CSR database and California Basic Education Data System (CBEDS) data files from the CDE.

The first annual report of the CSR Program was released in June 1999.