Ministry data shows Greater Victoria has largest secondary class sizes in province

The Ministry of Education released 2011/12 class size and class composition data this week. The release is months later than normal, and will be the last release to show class composition data due to the changes in Bill 22.

Greater Victoria has class size averages of 27.3 in grades 8 – 12, making it the District with largest secondary class size average in the province. This is almost ten percent higher than the provincial average of 25.

71 classes are over the limit of 30 with the support of the teacher. These are primarily leadership, music and performance classes. This consultation process will be eliminated under Bill 22 and there will be no reporting to show if teachers agreed or did not agree to a larger class for specific circumstances.

327 classes in grades 4 - 12 had four or more students with an individual education plan (IEP). This is 23 percent of all grade 4 – 12 classes.

The report does not show consultation information for the 327 classes with composition that exceeds the limit of three students with an IEP per class. Teachers in most cases do not agree with these class organizations. Class composition was identified by Victoria teachers as the single most important bargaining issue. Bill 22 eliminates any restrictions on class composition and extends the ban on bargaining class size and composition to 2013, despite a court ruling showing the ban, originally enacted through Bill 28, is unconstitutional.

Victoria teacher Lise Tetrault describes the changes to class size and composition:

In the 12 years that I have been teaching in British Columbia I have seen classrooms go from being positive learning environments for students to being spaces where students are forced to compete for attention from their teachers. The overcrowding in the classrooms and the undeniable lack of support for students with learning challenges is taking its toll on students and on teachers. There are far too many teachers being forced to take leaves of absence because they are burnt out from their efforts in trying to meet the growing needs of students in their classes. Bill 22 promises to make this situation worse than it already is! When will it end?

Ministry data available at: http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/reporting/

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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 08 May 2012 )

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